I heartily agree with all Mr Dawe's sentiments regarding the photographing of young people (Your Letters, December 12).

It is, quite simply, a case of taking a sledge hammer to crack a walnut, but I wonder how the Government can square this policy with its urgent stated desire to get children away from televisions and computers and outside taking some healthy exercise.

If young people don't see other young people in sporting situations they are less likely to want to have a go themselves.

I edit the magazine of Harlequins Orienteering Club and want to use lots of pictures of our splendid juniors in action. Our youngsters - and their parents - look forward to and enjoy comprehensive coverage of their adventures.

I have received edicts from our national organisation insisting on the restricted use of photos of juniors. This is because they are under pressure to conform to the Government's ideals or risk losing Sports Council funding.

To get round this, the club webmaster and I are in the process of contacting all our active families to obtain blanket permission to use photographs and name the juniors in the magazine, on the web page and in any other publicity material (including use in local papers like the excellent Malvern Gazette). We have yet to receive a refusal. I am also hoping to include a photo-permission slip on all new membership application forms.

Although we accept that there may be families out there for which photographs and identification could be a genuine concern, it should also be accepted that these families are in an extreme minority and one would have thought it was incumbent on them to make their situation known rather than the Government to do it for them and in the process dumb down the achievements of everyone else.

Mr Dawe's expanded lament is also entirely justified. We are producing an entire generation which has never had the opportunity to develop any risk strategy, who will be incapable of recognising a dangerous situation and will be totally unable to get themselves out of trouble when the time comes.

Lynden Hartmann (Mrs), Eaton Road, Malvern Wells.