I WAS walking around Goose Fair and my children kept me there longer than normal as they wanted to look at everything more intently than I had expected.

So, while they where deeply engrossed in toys, rides, stalls and so on, I was for a change watching what was really going on and in all my years of going to the fair I have never noticed what a completely fantastic job everyone really does, such as the Tavistock Town Council workers. They really do such an amazing job.

They are the ones that made sure that road blocks where in place in time, they made sure that ambulances could get in and out to attend to people, and then after what must have been the longest day (I was pooped after five hours) they cleared it all up and returned the town to the way it was before.

They really do deserve such a huge thank you (a nice fat bonus, in fact) they do everything to make this town look good, so thank you to all of you

Susan Bagg

Drakes Park

Bere Alston

THE organisers of this year's Goosey Fair must be well pleased with the high turnout that the good weather produced, however, those responsible for the venue change in Tavistock for the Yelverton Park and Ride need to reconsider their decision.

In previous years passengers alighted outside Tavistock College and a very short walk took them to the Drake statue end of Goosey Fair.  

From here they could stroll down one side of Plymouth Road, meander at their leisure past the Guildhall and complete their circular route back to Drake and catch the return bus on the western edge of the Meadows.

Not so this year, for we were dumped in the middle of the industrial estate at Pixon Lane, made to walk several hundred yards along and then cross a busy road to get to the eastern side of the Meadows, where, having negotiated the narrow bridge across the canal, we could then walk a few hundred yards more through the park in order to squeeze between stalls selling hot dogs and donuts to find ourselves pondering the question 'left or right here?'

My wife and I are reasonably fit, but even we found the hike to the fair and back to the bus a bit of a stretch, especially as on the return journey when we were carrying shopping bags full of fair goodies.

We listened with great sympathy to the many travelling on the buses with us who needed a walking stick or a travelling companion's arm as they asked 'Why did they drop us off all the way out here?  I'm not coming next year if they do this again.'

So, to whoever made the decision to move the Yelverton Park and Ride to Pixon Lane I would only say that it was a mistake.

It may have eased the congestion caused by long queues for the buses outside the college, but it was a great inconvenience for those of advancing years.

Please move it back next year!

Sam Woollard

Yelverton

CONGRATULATIONS to those who organise the traditional Goose Fair at the cattle market last week.

I much enjoyed watching a demonstration of shearing, a blacksmith at work, talking to a representative from the National Farmers' Union about local produce, buying some Michaelmas daisies from a stall, and, most importantly, seeing all the geese and poultry which had been sold earlier in the day.

I looked at the various breeds of cattle and some ponies, although I would have liked to see some true Dartmoor and Exmoor breeds amongst the ponies.

This is the real Goose Fair, and I hope it will grow and get better each year and become better advertised and known, because it makes an extremely interesting and valuable contribution.

Gillian Hiles

Aspen Close

Tavistock