Your report about civil naming ceremonies ('Finlay gets his name', May 6) was slightly inaccurate.

Civil ceremonies of all descriptions are not new to York, representatives of the British Humanist Association

having been carrying them out for a number of years.

Our own son was named in such a ceremony nine years ago and I am sure there were many more before him.

What is new is the use of a private company to do this.

Mick Phythian,

Monkton Road,

York.

Updated: 11:02 Wednesday, May 08, 2002