I am pleased that nurseries are considering the impact of materials they use in creative activities (A green guide to glitter alternatives, G2, 20 November). The staff of the nursery school where I was headteacher for 10 years would be appalled at the suggestion that edible material such as cereals or pulses could be used as an alternative. We thought that allowing children to play with food that would be lifesaving for children suffering from malnutrition was a reinforcement of the superior attitudes that prevail in much of society.

Elizabeth Martin

Bexleyheath, Kent

• The chancellor says the introduction of driverless cars will be very challenging (Driverless cars in four years’ time, 24 November) and those who drive for a living will need retraining. The challenge will be to train the driverless delivery van bringing my parcels when I’m out to proceed up the drive, squeeze up a 2ft-wide path, turn left to the side garage door and leave the goods on the bench. Oh, and to be careful reversing out.

Margaret Bruce

Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

• I couldn’t agree more with Kate Phillips (Letters, 24 November). For us townies who don’t often get to experience the full impact of rural life, a summertime car trip across the British countryside gives a shocking measure of the change of insect population, on our windscreens. Ten to 15 years ago I had to stop a couple of times on a three-hour journey to clean the windscreen just to see out. This year not a single insect over the same distance. No wonder there are hardly any spiders and birds left. Perhaps it was all my fault!

Paul Huxley

London

• I live in Guildford, Surrey. Admittedly we’ve seen hardly any wasps and only had a few damselflies this year but we see plenty of small birds. For the last few days we’ve had a black cap feeding on the remaining apples; coal tits, long-tailed tits, great tits and of course blue tits on our feeders. Our record for goldfinches at once is 16 – the most common bird we get. The icing on the cake yesterday was a bullfinch.

Linda Kendall

Guildford, Surrey

• There might be insects missing in other parts of Britain, but in May this year the fruit flies invaded my kitchen and, regardless of any kind of attack upon them, they stayed until about two weeks ago.

Stuart Waterworth

Tavistock, Devon

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