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We need new approach

I READ with interest your article on Saturday 21st July, regarding the town centre.

Surely both sides are valid, depending on the day of the week and time of day that you take the photos.

There are a few shops that seem to be thriving but the majority of businesses in the town centre are suffering from ‘internet shopping’. Surely this is just progress - a new form of shopping that we are moving towards.

The town centre has more and more empty shop fronts every week.

The Crossing is a great idea and I applaud these food hubs and wish them well. However, surely having lunch out is part of a pleasurable day out shopping? If there are no shops to wander around then who is going to to come to Swindon?

Perhaps a whole new attitude is required for the future of town centres. The empty shops could be used for drop in activity centres for adults and children, with painting workshops, cookery workshops, woodworking, gardening, repairing bikes, jewellery making, nutrition, basic budgeting, environmental subjects (guest speakers etc), or making costumes for a carnival. The list is endless.

The council, I presume, is not getting any revenue at present from empty shops?

If more people came into the town centre, the existing shops would benefit, the food hubs would benefit and the town would not look so run down.

Dee Vaughan, Upham Road, Swindon

Who owns the land?

I’m more than a little concerned and confused after reading the article in Wednesdays Adver, covering the Nepalese Association of Wiltshire sports day.

As our short cul-de-sac borders the field, our concern as always is the endless all day traffic and parking, which nobody seems to address.

Apart from that, I have to agree with my neighbour, that the whole day was well organised, and I personally think the Nepalese community spirit is admirable.

We also like to see our field used on a regular basis, as it should be.

We know that the field has already been encroached on twice by the New College, first by the building itself and more recently by their all weather, 4G floodlit football pitch (yet to see its first activity).

But why is Mr JB Gurung thanking the New College for the use of their facilities?

Surely our park, what we have left of it, belongs to the council, and they would have granted the licence for the event?

I am concerned that the council has relinquished more of our park to the New College than we know about.

I’m open to correction and enlightenment on this matter. Can anyone reply, hopefully with something positive, reference my confusion.

Robert Webb, Bideford Close, Park North

The evidence is clear

Re No sign of any god (Adver 24/7/18 Roger Lack).

Roger Lack boasts in one breath that he can demolish any argument concerning religion but can’t presently be bothered, and in the next breath asks ‘where did Noah place the two whales inside the Ark?’

As one reader gently pointed out, they were, ahem, in the flood waters.

The first question Mr Lack needs to ask is ‘is Christ for real?’ Yep.

He’s well documented in reliable ancient sources; in fact more pagan sources than Christian sources, especially Tacitus, much respected by classical scholars.

His disciples were fishermen; men like miners who see through fakes pretty fast, and stand for no rubbish.

If anyone said to Mr Lack ‘I have seen God.’ Would he or anyone else believe them? No. Besides, Scripture tells us that anyone who sees the face of the Holy God, dies (except Christ). Not even Moses saw God’s face.

Finally he asks ‘where was God when a kid (I assume he means a child?) gets stabbed to death because he strayed into the wrong street in London?’ Where is the right street to stray into, Mr Lack? Scripture tells us that no place on earth is safe from the prowling Devil, not even rich, gated communities!

Jeff Adams, Bloomsbury, Swindon