I am writing to say thank you so much for the positive coverage the Advertiser has given the Swindon Mela over the years and still continues to give us.

I was pleased to see your feature on the Mela over the Easter break, and delighted to see that your comment section was dedicated to our cause – Save Our Mela. Having shared the coverage with the Mela organising committee, I wanted to write in to thank you.

As your readers might be aware, the Swindon Mela is now in its 10th year and we are hoping that 2012 will be the biggest and best yet IF we can get the funding. Companies, groups and individuals have been generous to us in the past, however as with most people at the moment, they are having to reduce their spend.

We are therefore having to work twice as hard to ensure that we secure the funds to ensure the Mela is able to run this year. We are quietly confident, but optimism doesn't fund the Mela!

We will be running two fundraising events over the coming months. One is confirmed – A Taste of the Mela event on June 9 at the Museum and Art Gallery with a whole host of South Asian-themed events and entertainment (pay on the door) and another on Monday May 14 to be held at the Biplob restaurant, details of which will be coming out shortly.

We will keep readers posted of what is coming up and would urge anybody who can to help Save our Mela!

Paula Jones Swindon Mela Ltd

So grateful

We would like to thank the lovely couple who stopped and helped our mum who fell over a raised cover to a water meter in Gorse Hill,Swindon and made sure she was all right before leaving us.

We didn't think at the time to find out their names. We are very grateful to them for taking the time as other people had walked straight past us. Thankfully she was fine, with some minor bumps and bruises.

Nikki and Pat Silver Wavell Road Pinehurst Swindon

Home is lovely

I agree with everything that Alan and Judith Workman said about Four Seasons residential home.

My husband has been in there nearly three years.

The staff are kind and caring and the place is very clean and I have always told people what a lovely place he is in.

Jean Karn Goddard Court Swindon

Backlash due

Since David Cameron became leader of the Conservative party constituency party membership has fallen from 258,000 to 174,000.

This reflects his total disregard and contempt regarding ordinary peoples views, his pandering to a minority liberal elite who have no conception of the daily struggle working class people endure, clothing and feeding their children and struggling to pay utility bills, not to mention extortionate tax rates on petrol and alcohol, VAT and council tax.

As the Swindon local elections approach, I think there will be an unprecedented backlash from the long suffering electorate towards the three major political parties.

All three have ignored the voters on major issues: A referendum on the so called European union, mass immigration and the reduction in our armed forces.

I think many local councillors who work hard and care about their communities, will pay the price for Cameron's misjudgment of the mood of the British public.

Bill Williams Merlin Way Swindon