Madam,

I was shocked and disappointed to see printed in your newspaper a scurrilous letter making comments about the condition of Llanbadarn Fawr churchyard. Your published guidance for letters states they “may be edited for accuracy”, so I am surprised that no-one from the paper had contacted me to verify these claims. Anyone who has visited Llanbadarn churchyard this year will have been impressed at the transformation it has undergone over the last 18 months and it is now carefully maintained with both a view to tidiness and to the support of wildflowers and grasses. There is a small section adjoining the churchyard which is privately owned, but that too has had good work done to improve it. It would be helpful if you printed the dates that you received the letters which are published. Meanwhile I look forward to receiving from Mrs B Hall of East Grinstead, and from anyone else who appreciates the amenity that an old churchyard provides, a generous donation to help us keep up the good work, in all areas of the churchyard. The inscriptions of the headstones remain clear, on the whole, and provide a fascinating insight into local history, and the church, itself a historical gem, is open daily. I can only suppose that Mrs Hall’s “annual visit” to the village took place more than a year ago.

Yours etc,

Rev Andrew Loat,Y Ficerdy,Llanbadarn Fawr,Aberystwyth.