I follow Barrie Hudson’s articles with a great deal of interest and a lot of humour as he always tries to get the best story in town, but in the paper of 1st November he went above and beyond the call of duty for his bosses.

When no one else would cover the story that really mattered to the public in Swindon, it was left to Barrie to step into the breech. I know only too well the feeling of trepidation that he would have been dealing with as he surveyed the task in front of him.

One hundred and sixteen different beers and 28 ciders! That’s enough to frighten even the most ardent drinker in town let alone one who only consumes alcohol in the line of duty and at the occasional party. Yes, I have had the pleasure of drinking with him, but as only a true investigative reporter can, he did his job whilst holding his beer and still had time to talk to the likes of Alex Arkell’s new brewer at Arkell's and Mark Wallington who we all remember fondly from Archers Brewery when it first started in the old railway works. He would often give you a glass to try before buying.

Please remember Barrie, you are not alone and if ever you are forced into this sort of situation again we your friends are here for you. Just call and we will be there for you, helping out with all those beers that even you could not get around to. So once again thanks for doing all the dirty jobs that no one else at the Advertiser wants to do. We, the real ale drinkers of Swindon, salute you.

Roy Cartwright Pinnegar Way, Swindon

Des is wrong

Regarding the Halliwell murder enquiry: I think Des Morgan misses the point in his letter published on the 8th of November. The controversy created by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act in this case, is not about whether it should be upheld. Of course the police should stick to its requirements or face the consequences as has happened.

However, there is surely no reason why failure to implement certain requirements of the PACE should equate to damning evidence being ignored. This is not the first time a criminal has got off on a technicality but this worst case scenario should be the last straw. The rules must now be changed to allow some flexibility.

It is not good enough for Des to dismiss the matter by saying: “I am sure that every resident of the town will consider a 25 year term of imprisonment to be the best legal outcome which could be hoped for”. As we all know it is likely to be considerably less than that. Just imagine if Halliwell had not been found guilty of another murder; he would now be free and society would perhaps be condemning yet another victim.

Peter Timms Buckingham Road, Swindon

Cenotaph dirty

On walking down from Old Town the other day, I passed by the cenotaph and thought what an absolute disgrace it was.

I only hopes it got a jolly good clean before they start to lay grass, ready for Remembrance Sunday and the poppy.

There is a lot of moss on the stone and the whole structure needs a good scrub.

Margaret Anstey Ashton Keynes

Joseph praise

Anyone who attended any of the performances of Joseph at the Immanuel Church in Upham Road cannot fail to have been impressed by the enthusiasm of the young people and their beautiful singing.

One is tempted to ask, “What will they do next year?”, as it is important for the young people to follow up such a successful new venture. Another quality composition with a religious connection suitable for young people would be Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo by Joseph Horovitz and Michael Flanders.

Peter Read Groundwell Road, Swindon

Path powers

Mr Norcup’s letter, which you headlined “Path vandal” (Letters, October 30), is aimed at the wrong target.

When Mr Norcup refers to “the hillock on which the Foxhill trig point is stationed” I assume he means Charlbury Hill. There are no public rights of way on Charlbury Hill. The access route to the hilltop across the farmer’s field is a permissive footpath provided under a Countryside Stewardship Scheme, an arrangement whereby a landowner could set farmland aside for wildlife protection or public access to the countryside and receive some government money in exchange.

The government has discontinued these schemes to save money and the scheme at Charlbury Hill ended in September.

Since the farmer has now lost this source of income he is quite entitled to plough up the field margins to increase his crop yield.

There are many similar schemes in Wiltshire which will all end in the next few years if they have not already done so.

Mr Norcup is right to be concerned about this but, rather than seeking to give the ploughmanan ASBO, he should contact his MP.

Peter Gallagher Walking Environment Officer Ramblers North East Wiltshire Group Swindon