MANY children in Tavistock would like a section in the Times for letters by children and there are several good reasons why.
Firstly, if there is a children's letter section it would encourage children to buy the Times and the family of the child who has written a letter will buy the Times. This would increase the sales considerably, so surely this is a good idea?
Also, if there was a children's letter section, the outlook on issues would be different and it could make a difference to our town. Don't you want Tavistock to be a better place for both adults and children?
Moreover, with a children's letter section, it would encourage children to speak up and give them more confidence in their writing, so if you make a children's letter section you would be helping them in their writing.
In conclusion, if you put in a children's letter section, it would help your sales, would make a difference to our town and the children would get better at their English. So obviously you should put in a children's letters section and I'm looking forward to seeing it in your next edition!
Ross Newland, aged 11
Tavistock Community Primary School
l Thank you, Ross, it's a good idea, but (there is almost always a "but", isn't there?) I'm afraid pressure of space in the Times means we are unable to allocate a letters page for children. However, the existing letters page is not purely for adults — it's for young people, too. So I hope you and your friends will switch on the computer and type out a letter, perhaps on some issue in town that concerns you. One tip, though — keep it short and punchy!
— Colin Brent, Editor