SIR - I have noted that there is yet another letter from Sandra Price (no relation to Tony Price, chairman of the Settle Chamber of Trade); in the Craven Herald.

I believe I have a responsibility to answer on this occasion.

I would like to offer a more positive, and constructive view of our lives in Settle, as business people and members of the community.

Settle is a wonderful part of the country, somewhere we are privileged to live, and somewhere people visit, shop and can enjoy the character of the town.This should be typified by the majority of businesses in town, who offer a warm, friendly greeting to their customers, work hard and are optimistic that a new era for Settle can be achieved.

Many people believe that the multi million pound investment of Booths into the area can have a positive effect on the town. It has brought jobs and regular shoppers, of which all the retailers could take advantage.

Whether or not this point of view is subscribed to by all the readers of this letter, Booths is here to stay and our only option is to work together, building upon our strengths and offering Settle as a wonderful product; every one of us taking on the responsibility of promoting our town in a positive light.

Many people in Settle, businesses, our local and district councillors, council officers, are working hard to put Settle on the road to recovery after a difficult few years. This is not magic wand waving, but sustained hard work over many months; the results of which will soon start to bring about real fundamental changes. Good things are often not quick or easy.

Most important is the attitude of each individual; if all businesses motivate themselves and inspire others, then together we can present a living heart to our community.

Steve Finch,

Settle and District Chamber of Trade,

Settle Town Hall.

SIR - Regrettably it is the analysis of Mrs Price, rather than the optimistic remarks of Messrs Diggles and Warner, which is correct in respect of the impact of Booths upon the long term economy of Settle.

Two years ago I returned north after working for many years further south and I have seen the effects of the arrival of a supermarket upon the economies of many small towns of similar size to Settle. I mention but a few with which I am very familiar: Buckingham, Brackley, Bicester, Towcester, Kenilworth and Warwick.

Prior to the arrival of a supermarket, all of these towns had buoyant economies with a wide variety of retail outlets. After the building of a supermarket most of the local retailers went out of business and the towns became little more than a collection of charity shops and estate agents offices. Even the larger towns such as Aylesbury and Leamington Spa lost the majority of their food outlets, newsagents and the like.

Supermarkets may be convenient but they destroy the local economy. Supermarkets destroy choice. Competing small retailers go out of business and thus the supermarket becomes the only outlet.

Further, they only carry produce with a high turnover and the slower moving items which a small operator would carry, or would be prepared to obtain to order, are no longer available at all.

Supermarkets destroy quality. By continuously driving down prices the quality of the produce is also destroyed. They buy at the lowest price irrespective of quality. Supermarkets cannot compete in quality with the likes of Drake and Macefield, the cheese stall on the market, the local baker and a host of other local retailers. Frequently produce is obtained from overseas sources, where quantity rather than quality is the watchword, labour is cheap and the working conditions would neither be legal nor tolerated in this country.

Supermarkets destroy our farming industry. Ask any local farmer what he thinks of supermarkets and he will tell you that supermarkets have driven down the price of milk, eggs and meat to such an extent that the farming community is going bankrupt. Go to Lincolnshire, which used to be our prime national producer of vegetables and flowers, and you will see farms everywhere closing down with the farmers going bankrupt.

All because the supermarkets have driven down the price to such an extent that it is no longer economic to stay in business.

Overall supermarkets do us no favours and I have little doubt that, as with the examples I have quoted above, the economy of Settle will suffer gravely as a result of the arrival of Booths.

Richard Crabtree,

Hesley Lane, Rathmell.

SIR - In response to Mrs Price's letter published in last week's Craven Herald accusing the opening of Booth's for ringing the death knell in Settle.

Whilst I don't doubt that the opening of a Booth's supermarket in Settle has affected some local traders adversely, we have to be honest about this.

Is it not true that Settle, along with many other small towns, has been slowly "dying" for some years now? Certainly long before the double whammies of foot and mouth and the opening of Booths many Settle traders were struggling to trade in a viable way.

It's a natural human instinct to find someone or something else to blame when things go wrong but really the "main" culprit in this case would appear to be simply the changing face of society and the different way we prioritise our needs.

If this is the case then we traders have to change too. Instead of complaining we need to be positive, forward thinking and try our utmost to make shopping in Settle a pleasant experience for everyone.

We small traders may not be able to compete with the larger stores in terms of quantity and price (although I am consistently amazed by the value on offer in Settle) but we can offer something that the larger stores often lack - customer care and personal service.

In a world where, thanks to the internet, more and more people are becoming totally isolated in their environment, we must hold on to the old-fashioned traditions and values, fight tooth and nail to preserve the wonderful sense of community and friendliness that still persists in Settle.

Who wants to go shopping in a town filled with misery, doom and gloom? Come on Settle, we're a great place to shop and we've a tremendous amount to offer to the customer, be they local or visitor and we won't go down without a fight. Let's get that message across.

Just as a postscript: According to the newspapers the whole country has been on a "go slow" with regard to Christmas spending this year so one would imagine that Settle is no exception. I hardly think we can put the blame for a national recession at Booths door. Or maybe we are getting confused with the Booths at number 10.

Jane Darling,

Gladrags,

Chapel Street, Settle.

SIR - reading your articles by Dr James Fleming gave me food for thought.

The National Health Service, I believe, overall does a wonderful job, but with millions of patients attending the doctors and hospital appointments, occasionally mistakes do happen. It is refreshing to hear the doctor's points of view.

Apparently many of his patients try to take him for a ride, feigning injuries to achieve compensation, while other call-outs are totally unnecessary. But I think the worst scenario is the failure of people to attend for appointments, taking up time which could be devoted to people who have a real need for diagnosis or treatment.

I think a reasonable idea would be to levy a fine, say £10, for any patient who fails to attend or at least make a phone call to the surgery. We all need the National Health Service and should be glad we have it.

Mr K Sowerbutts,

Southwood Drive, Baxenden.

SIR - On Wednesday December 12 my wife and I took a lady who is 93 years of age to Skipton Co-op. She has difficulty in walking so I pull up outside the main entrance; my wife then takes her into the shop.

Whilst waiting for my wife to return, which can take about three minutes, a taxi pulled up behind me, and started blowing his horn.

I got out of my car to explain what I was doing. He said I should not be near the door as he wanted to be there. Suddenly a plain clothes policeman showed me his card and told me I should not be there and should move on.

How can senior citizens go shopping if they cannot be dropped off at the door? Not one other taxi was at the rank at this time. Do taxis in Skipton have priority over all traffic?

K Rainford,

Brackenley Drive, Embsay.

SIR - The BBC's viewing figures for Christmas Day show that the Queen's Speech came a poor second to "Only Fools and Horses".

This only goes to show that the British public are more interested in the Trotter family than they are the Royal family.

The rational conclusion to this fact must be forward to a republic and Del Boy for president. All the royalist sycophants will be renamed right plonkers.

Brian Smith,

Keighley Road, Skipton.

SIR - Further to the letter from Roberta Smith (Craven Herald December 20) about the picture in your "Snapshot from bygone years" feature; perhaps I can shed a little light on the event in question.

It was indeed a Christ Church production and I feel sure it was a concert to celebrate the end of the war in 1945, possibly VE Day celebrations.

About six of the girls on the photo, myself included, were wearing white dresses with union jacks stitched to the bodice. I distinctly remember that we six girls sang a freedom song, the first two lines of which were "all men shall be free; march to liberty with me".

Because there are no boys present I feel sure that the concert was presented by the GFS - the Girls' Friendly Society - which, during the war years and thereafter, gave many concerts in the parochial hall, the hub of all church activities.

In those days the church played a very big part in the lives of children. There were large attendances at Sunday schools, cubs, scouts, brownies and guides. The highlight of the year for us was the Whitsuntide Walk, which many of your readers will remember well. It was followed by tea in the parochial hall - what excitement this generated.

It would be very tame for today's children but to children in the 1940s treats and outings were a very rare event and Whit Sunday was a day of great enjoyment. It was traditional to get new clothes for the procession; girls in new dresses and boys in short trousers.

We didn't get a choice of colour or style. The dresses were bought or made by your mother and you had to wear it, whether you liked it or not. Children were not consulted about anything in those days - or at least I wasn't.

The names of the girls in the photo are Molly Montgomery, Maureen Barrett, Maureen Hannam, Anne Emmott, Pat O'Connor, Edna Critchlow, Muriel and Joan Hird, Audrey Stanforth, Pat Ward, Anne Thompson, Barbara and Frances Maud, Roberta and Margaret Wrathall, Margaret Bray, Joyce Hewitt, Joan Shaw, Pat Fairchild, Jean Gill, Anne and Nancy Edwards, Dorothy Needham.

Having never left Skipton I still regularly see many of the girls (!) around town. The only difference is that most of them are now grandmothers like myself and we are usually to be seen with our precious grandchildren in tow.

Where have all the years gone?

Pat Mowatt (nee Branker),

Alexandra Court, Skipton.

SIR - The week before Christmas the Friends of Airedale Hospital held their annual raffle and tombola, resulting in the final sum of £3,964.

We would like to thank everyone who has given prizes for both events, also the printers who donated the tickets, all much appreciated.

Many thanks to the organiser of the tombola and the organiser of the raffle for splendid efforts.

Lists of prizewinners are posted around the hospital.

M Moorhouse,

Friends of Airedale Hospital.

SIR - News came from Westminster that there was to be no nativity tableau this year. It's not for religious reasons, just that they can't find three wise men or a virgin. There is no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

George Lofthouse,

Melville Avenue, Barnoldswick.

SIR - I should like to thank those kind Rotarians from Settle who set up a lovely grotto for me in the Market Place when I came to visit Settle this year, for the Christmas Lights Switch-on.

They made me most welcome. Thank you also to the ladies of The Inner Wheel who packed all the parcels and helped me in the grotto.

There, I spoke to over 200 excited children and gave each one of them a present.

Later, over the next two weeks, sometimes in rainy and always cold weather, the Rotary Club took me round all the neighbouring villages to see as many children as possible. Thank you to all the children who left me a mince pie and a glass of something nice to drink on Christmas Eve. Rudolph thanks everybody for the carrots with a special thank you for making sure that the carrots this year were properly washed. Last year he accidentally ate some carrots that hadn't been washed and later he had a poorly tummy.

By now, all the children everywhere have received their special Christmas Day presents and I have come back home to put my feet up. Rudolph is fast asleep in his stable.

The Settle Rotary Club tell me that in the three weeks including the Lights Switch-on they have received approximately £3,000 in donations, which is a truly remarkable total and a record for the Christmas collection. They wish to thank everyone heartily for their generosity .

Donations over the year now stand at more than £20,000, and all of this money goes to charity. A full statement is available.

Best wishes till next year.

Father Christmas.