Pubs are a lifeline (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Pubs are a lifeline

6:00pm Thursday 21st June 2012 in Letters

As much as I too enjoy the culinary delights and service of Pizza Express (in fact a niece of mine is the manager in the Devizes branch) I can only protest at Mr Minter’s comments (letters, June 7) with regard to the cuisine and service of local pubs.

Like Mr Minter, I live in Market Lavington, where villagers are still lucky enough to have fantastic local facilities, shops, a pharmacy and two pubs. Have I missed something, or is there a barb in Mr Minter’s letter about Wadworth too? One of Wadworth’s pubs in Market Lavington, The Green Dragon, serves brilliant, tasty food and the service, invariably by a local lad or lady, is both a good training ground for these younger folk and very personal.

I will admit that Mary Portas grates on me but I have to agree with her recent TV campaigns to keep high streets thriving, even in rural areas. In Market Lavington alone, there were four pubs when I first moved here, all serving and employing local folk. Now we’re down to two. Perhaps those that aren’t so good at customer services fail, but good local facilities are worth shouting about. For younger and older people alike, local pubs and shops are both a lifeline and a very enjoyable part of country life.

Lynne Askey, Market Lavington.