What a shame they couldn't have joined together to take over the travel shop as a going concern because they were Deeping Travel as far as March was concerned. Now the town is left without a travel agency.

Perhaps this is the way forward in future, for people who find themselves made redundant from retail outlets, through no fault of their own, as the result of group insolvency. Often profitable individual branches, become unnecessary casualties when all branches of an organisation are closed down unceremoniously.

The entire 'Birthdays' chain went into liquidation as the result of the credit crunch but someone was astute enough to 'rescue' the profitable branches - hence the reason we still have a branch in March.

Bonnett's decided to close their branch in March but Julie who had worked there since it opened five years ago, has continued to run it successfully as a private business.

Elsewhere, some Woolworth stores were saved from closure because the local management had the faith and commitment to keep them going.

The people who work in these shops are 'the business' as far as customers are concerned and our local council and chamber of trade should do all it can to encourage ex employees to become entrepreneurs rather than have the town littered with empty shops.

The more privately run businesses we have in March, run by local people, the better as far as I'm concerned, because they won't ditch us as easily when the going gets tough.

I salute them all and wish them a prosperous New Year!

REG KEMP

Scargells Lane

March