After reading the report in the Adver regarding the Four Seasons, I contacted your reporter, who acknowledged that she had not personally visited the home. I have also written to the CQC, who have yet to reply to my comments.

When we had to make the difficult decision to place my mother, who had dementia, into residential care, we visited several care homes in the town and Four Seasons came top of our list in every way.

It was warm, caring and above all clean.

I totally agree with the letter from Alan and Judith Workman regarding the care given in this home.

I was a regular visitor for 18 months, my visits were always at different times of the day and during this time I never found there was a lack of cleanliness or any offensive odours, in fact quite the reverse.

Neither was there any lack of privacy. All the residents needs were treated with respect and the greatest of discretion.

During the last two weeks of my mother’s life I was at the home almost 24/7, and the way in which every member of staff cared for her was beyond reproach. With the help and support they gave to my mum, myself and my family, she was able to reach the end of her life cared for, loved and with the greatest of dignity.

Should I ever be in the situation where I had to choose residential care for a loved one, this home would undoubtedly be my first choice.

Linda Scott Mellow Ground Haydon Wick Swindon

A terrible match

YOU called the Wembley football fiasco “a great day”. I would call it an unmitigated disaster.

Blowing it against the worst relegation-bound team in League One does not bode well for next season. I raise the possibility of G J Belcher (April 6) and other “great day” fans being in denial of their misery and anger. Ultimately, the result is everything.

Swindon Town should have won the Cup/League double but when it counted, we were dross. I also question Paolo di Canio’s tactics and selection of unintegrated debutants.

Thank goodness Swindon Town will be champions of League Two and win their first silverware since 1996.

However, we need to keep this achievement in perspective because League Two is the equivalent to Division Four.

Given Swindon’s once proud recent history, I don’t particularly want to be associated with a Division Four club ever again. Progress can only be measured when Swindon reclaims our rightful status in Division Two, aka the Championship.

Onwards and upwards, champions!

Ms A Reeve Okus Road Swindon

Intelligent design?

Robin Tingey says Barry Woodham “seems confused between intelligent design and creationism” and goes on to attempt to explain a distinction (April 10).

He is wrong and it is himself who is confused.

Creationism has been the set of often dishonest and always ridiculous arguments used by fundamentalist evangelist Christians to roll back developments in scientific knowledge. It is now well documented that this is also part of a much wider extreme right-wing project in the USA to roll back social advances, notably but not exclusively, for women, gay people and black people.

I appreciate that not all who remain ignorant of the science of evolution share this wider backward agenda.

Intelligent design is a name invented by creationists when this part of their project hit the road block of American courts, which insist religion should be kept out of science education.

They now pretend to be something different.

One key ID text book is an old creationist text with the religious bits edited out. It is a conscious thought-out tactic by these people.

I am not generally a fan of American courts but the judgement in the case “Dover versus Kitzmiller 2005” is a crystal clear explanation of this.

Peter Smith Woodside Avenue Swindon

Support our club

Penhill Bowls Club was formed 50 years ago and in the 1960’s and 70’s the club was thriving, with more than 30 members.

Today, player numbers have declined to a point where it may not be possible for the club to continue, unless local people get involved.

The small number of members remaining with the club consist of people of all ages who really enjoy the game of bowls.

They are a friendly bunch and are appealing to anyone interested or curious about the game to get in touch.

The club is holding an open day on Saturday, April 21, when people can get on the green and have a go at the sport.

There will be a club coach on hand to show you the ropes and you don’t need any kit to get going.

Bowls is a traditional sport and most people don’t realise what a great game it is. It can be played by people of all ages, brings generations together, is competitive and keeps you fit.

You may not be a serious bowler but may be looking for a social outlet, or you may have previously played competitive sport and are now looking for a new interest. You may simply wish to keep the bowls green open for future generations. If so, please support the club at the open day.

It would be a sad loss to the local area if this valuable resource is lost, so please support the club.

Paul Turner Club Secretary Penhill Bowls Club Home telephone (01793) 636002 Work (01235) 466452 Mobile 07887625098

Guide dogs show

Guide Dogs are holding a Roadshow on Tuesday, April 24, at the Voluntary Action Centre in John Street, Swindon, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

Find out about our services, opportunities and ways to get involved.

The event will start with a short talk followed by time to meet our team members and supporters.

For more information, contact us on 0845 372 7428 or email Southampton@guidedogs.org.uk Alan Fletcher Swindon Guide Dogs for the Blind Godwin Road Swindon

A bad influence

The current dreadful case relating to 14-year-old Daniel Bartlam, who bludgeoned his mother to death with a claw hammer, before dousing her with petrol and setting her alight, defies belief.

In today’s broken society, very young children are downloading whatever they choose on the internet and the sheer scale of undesirable programmes is an extremely worrying concept.

The degree of violence, sexual deviation, armed robbery, torture and bullying has become a normal factor in a child’s formative years when scanning the net.

It is recorded that thousands of young children are too terrified to go to school, suffer depression and even contemplate suicide after being targeted by cyber bullies.

A study revealed that the latter had seriously damaged 1 in 4 children.

Also revealed was the statistic that 38 percent of 11 to 17-year-olds frequently log onto the aforementioned channels and that Daniel Bartlam had downloaded the terrifying murder scene in Coronation Street that had influenced his own unthinkable act of evil.

The deeply disturbing downside to the tremendous advances in science and technology concerns and affects us all.

Our children and future generations must be protected from the psychological mal-influence that is currently blighting their young lives, contributing to today’s yob culture and the loss of our core values.

Recently a study scrutinised the happiness of children in 16 countries and tragically our own country came bottom.

Producers and directors at the helm of broadcasting have a tremendous responsibility to ensure that the totally unacceptable degradation of human behaviour is not classified as family entertainment for daytime viewing.

Mary Ratcliffe Old Town Swindon

Young joblessness

Paul Farmer of the Mind charity has resigned from a workfare scheme, because he thinks the Tory-led government is trying to force sick people into jobs. It gets even crazier if the Government is trying to force disabled people into non-existent jobs.

There are said to be a million young people jobless. Why does the Coalition not try to create realistic jobs for the young? Governments have beastly things to do, but that should not involve targeting disadvantaged people.

David Cameron could give them a fish and chip dinner at Number 10. The Tories could go from being the nasty party to the verge of saintliness.

Max Nottingham St Faith’s Street Lincoln

No to a coalition

When I saw your article about the Liberal manifesto, I had to check the top of the page to make sure I had not picked up an old Adver from April Fools Day.

Are the Liberals really trying to sell themselves on the grounds they want to form a coalition, when nationally they are in a coalition government that is subjecting the working people of this country to crushing austerity while giving tax breaks to the richest few?

They are promising to employ more staff as enforcement officers to stop dog fouling, littering and clear up unadopted back ways. Jolly fine policies, though costly, but if they entered coalition they would drop these promises as quickly as they dropped their promise of no tuition fees for students.

The Liberals say they have an inherent dislike for the cabinet system of local government but want nothing more than to have cabinet members.

They say they are campaigning against dog fouling but want Queens Park, three parts of which are memorial gardens, to have the no dogs allowed rule removed and thereby allow fouling.

They say they want to protect and celebrate green spaces but they would, in coalition with the Tories, allow the development of Pickards Field and the adjacent Dukes Field to go ahead. I was at the council meeting when they shouted down Cllr Grant with cries of “shame” when he said Labour would cancel any deal with Haboakus if they came to power.

Steve Thompson Norman Road Swindon

Fear over homes

The present mortgage situation causes me to have every sympathy with people having problems today. Buying a home is usually a good investment and, in the end, an essential part of retirement plans.

However, I feel that historically low interest rates are causing undue risk taking, especially for those looking at interest-only mortgages.

Any good financial adviser should be able to give protective advice but could the payments be afforded if the interest rates were to rise by one per cent? In general, loss of a home and/or deposit hits emotionally as well as financially.

Clive Hooper Wroughton Swindon