I read the article last week about the college site development and the developer saying they were now targeting the national food outlets to fill the units available on the site. I think this typifies the problem we now have in the retail centres.

I also read this week about the independent retailer’s day, trying to bring focus to the withering breed of retail entrepreneurs, attempting to draw trade away from the ‘big boys’.

I’ve been very fortunate in being able to build my business from scratch and have fantastic regular customers and loyal staff, whom have kept the business successful for nearly three decades. But as keen as I am to see this town centre improve, unless we somehow change attitudes, the future looks very bleak.

I trained to the highest possible level as a chef, patissiere, and chocolatier and believe I am the only remaining independent craft member of the Master Baker’s left in town. But the reality is that these qualifications are pointless in today’s society. I mostly use my training to teach others, examine examiners, or demonstrate. The chances of making a patisserie, a real baker’s, or chocolate shop, profit in the town centre are nil!

Away from food, retailers in general are closing at an unprecedented level due mainly to excessive rents and rates on the high street, but also because we are all brainwashed by the marketing people into believing that big businesses are best. So we buy our coffee from the biggest coffee group, we buy our sandwiches from supermarkets where they have to be at least a day old (and often up to four) and we eat high levels of carbohydrate and fat foods from brown paper bags.

We cannot complain if there is a lack of variety on the high street or there is a lack of employment where once retailing is a huge employer; neither can we complain at so many shop units closed or closing, or prices rising because of lack of competition.

Developers are going for the easy option but it’s led by the way we react to marketing. Either way, this doesn’t solve the high street issue and short of people suddenly deciding to support local small businesses (on a permanent basis), I guess the future is dim, but of our choosing.

Dennis Offer The Octagon, Swindon

Thanks to Angels

I would like to thank and praise the dedication, care and professionalism of the local district nursing teams, especially the West Swindon team. The teams that we have here are second to none, they work very hard, always have a smile and although hard pressed in both staffing levels and time, never a complaint always a smiling, caring disposition.

There has been a lot of changes to the teams and my original team of nurses moved around to different areas in Swindon recently.

My husband and I are moving from the area and going back to God's country – Wales. Swindon has been very good to us when we moved here some 15 years ago, but for the past five years I have not been well. I would like to mention and publicly thank those nurses who have made a real difference to me: Laura Deville, Liz Stokes, Lorna Toone and Mark. They are one of the few assets to Swindon.

Deborah Williams Maxey Close, Shaw

Theatre was great

I would like to say thank you on behalf of Swindon Living Options, to the Wyvern Theatre for allowing us to complete a collection at the performances of Sleeping Beauty in June and to all the theatregoers who showed their generosity.

Charlotte Linstead-Hewlett Swindon Living Options