THE death knell is ringing loud and clear in the demise of Corsham. I feel so sad to see such a lovely olde worlde market town, which once was so lively and vibrant with shoppers and visitors, is now slowly dying. Once upon a time you could do all your shopping in Corsham as it offered a wide range of goods; now it’s fast becoming a ghost town.

In a letter the Gazette & Herald on August 27 Lorraine Hatt said how sad it was that Poldark would not be coming back to Corsham to film a second series. This will do away with so much hope and expectations to boost the tourist trade and would have brought back much needed trade to the few shops which are left in Corsham. Shopkeepers and restaurants and public houses are going to lose trade if something isn’t done soon to promote the town.

Where is the Chamber of Commerce and our local town council? Surely they should be promoting Corsham, not allowing the few to jeopardise the effort to bring more trade to Corsham?

What with car parking charges and high rents in the Martingate Centre is it any wonder Corsham is sinking and crying for help? Moving the library to the campus hasn’t helped the few shops that are directly opposite the old site. There is no incentive for people who struggle to run their own businesses and they work so hard to make a living.

Without the help from our town council and Chamber of Commerce or even our newly elected MP for Chippenham, Michelle Donelan, how is Corsham going to survive? Corsham is dead.

Surely the above people should be doing something to help the residents and local tradespeople of Corsham to revive their community and bring back some hope and stability to such a lovely old town, DOREEN R STEVENSON (MRS) Hatton Way Corsham