AS one of the organisers of St Matthews Fair, I feel that comment is required on the various letters in recent editions of the Cornish Times. n Flags: as readers will no doubt remember, we used to erect bunting across the streets. This practice had to cease owing to perceived safety issues, the same issues that threaten the erection of Christmas lights in various towns. We took the view that flags placed in the Christmas tree holders may brighten the place. When we purchased the flags, we did intend to have Cornish flags included but were unable to source the right size. We would, however, be pleased to fly the Cornish flag at future events and perhaps those who feel so strongly may wish to donate flags of suitable size and fittings for our use. n More local traders should attend: we tried very hard to encourage the local Cornish traders to attend. St Matthews Fair clashed with another event at Truro but more disturbing is the fact that the organisers of the Truro event say they have tried Liskeard in the past and despite extensive advertising the event was a disaster with minimal support from locals. To quote them, 'Liskeard is now top of the list of places to avoid'. The day does indeed offer an opportunity to local traders to participate and we would welcome them. n Free car parks: Liskeard Lions Club again arranged in conjunction with Liskeard Town Council and Caradon District Council free parking for the day. There has been free parking on St Matthews Fair day for many years. n As a club we managed with the help of others to entice the European Market to attend and we feel that as a result the event was a vast improvement on those held in the last few years. n To compare Liskeard to Callington is difficult as Liskeard does not have the same level tucked-away roads to enable the event to be contained in one spot. The Honey Fair is also held midweek and attracts traders on the way to Goose Fair. n We tried a few years ago to close off the main street and, in the midst of objections from all and sundry, the best we could achieve was a half road closure that made the event more unsafe than with none at all. Some of us have tried to achieve the impossible in the face of many obstacles. To all those who have ideas for improvement to the event and how it should be put together, would they please submit their ideas to Liskeard Lions Club care of the Cornish Times office on the Parade and we will be pleased to consider them. It now remains to be seen if all those who missed this year will bother to turn out and support the event next year with either a stall or just come and enjoy. We agree wholeheartedly with name and address supplied and the Martin Luther King quote – 'we must learn to live together as brothers or perish apart as fools' is most apt.

John Gliddon Lion Liskeard