SIR — Here at the Ralegh's Cross Inn we have been fighting a rearguard action for the last couple of weeks against a rumour that we have gone bust and are no longer trading. 

I don't know where the rumour originated from but it has certainly taken hold and spread far and wide.

We are fielding 20-30 calls a day from people asking if it is true. It is not. 

Of course the pre-Christmas weather had an impact as we were effectively closed between Thursday and Tuesday December 16 to 21, one of our busiest booked periods of the year. 

However, we are able to absorb this, tough though it is in an already difficult climate, and continue to trade.  We will make it through the winter and look forward to another busy year from spring onwards.

The thing that will surely cause us terminal damage is the perception within West Somerset that we are closed.

We are a rural inn and word of mouth is highly instrumental in dictating people's actions.

If they think we are closed, they won't make the trip for the meal they would otherwise be coming up for. 

If they think we are bust, or going bust, they won't book the wedding or anniversary that would otherwise be booked. 

Very quickly, we have a serious cash flow crisis and the cruellest irony comes in to play - we end up going bust through no fault of our own but through the propagation of an untrue falsehood.

Last weekend saw our lowest takings in my eight years as owner - a direct result of very poor bar/restaurant bookings due entirely to the perception that we were closed. 

This place has been going for more than two centuries and it would be truly tragic if we had to turn off the lights on the back of a lie.

We have been touched by the number of folk who, having phoned to enquire if we were closed, showed real emotion when assured that this was not the case. They said they would have been devastated had the rumour been true. 

All my staff and I have been extremely distressed to find ourselves in a position whereby we are constantly having to refute the ill-founded rumour that we have gone bankrupt and are closed.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We are very much open for business and would be delighted to see friends, old and new, in the coming weeks. 

Peter Rowan,

Ralegh's Cross Inn.