SIR — I'm cross with your unnamed correspondents who wrote grumbling about what they perceive to be the demise of Minehead (Your Letters November 9 and 16).

Minehead is a small seaside town, not big and prosperous Bournemouth or Brighton.

Minehead is tidy and clean; times are tough and Minehead's doing its best and has plenty to offer.

Minehead is looking very good right now, with the flower beds freshly planted out and the Christmas decorations up and ready for the big switch on.

It has busy and excellent restaurants and cafes - goodness knows where this person on holiday was looking! Oh! Probably counting the charity shops and wonky street lamps!

The holidaymakers dive in and out of all the shops with more purchases than they can carry mostly.

The few empty shops have large posters of local scenes covering the windows to cheer up the void within and look very good.

Minehead has the West Somerset Railway, day visits to Butlins, a theatre, a rather nice park as well as the rather special Parks Walk, cycle-hire shops, a riding school, golf, a beautiful beach, some gorgeous hill walks close by, enjoyable bus rides to pretty places a little further afield, and it is the gateway to Exmoor with its thousands of acres to explore.

There is much to attract visitors to the town and most seem to be having a good time here.

"Minehead or MineDead" wrote the correspondent on holiday - more like "MinD dead"!

So keep away - Minehead's doing OK and doesn't want old miseries coming here, moping about the place and finding fault with everything.

Buzz off to Bognor next time!

Ros Robinson,

Bratton Lane,

Minehead.