Madam,

I was born in Neath, attended university in Aberystwyth between 2006 and 2009 and now live and work in Cardiff.

My memories of Aberystwyth are of a friendly, peaceful, respectful and outward-looking town that every year welcomes thousands of young students to study, many from outside Wales and many from countries around the world.

I was disappointed, therefore, to read in the press that a small number of vocal individuals had succeeded in having a window display removed from the Oxfam bookshop in Aberystwyth ahead of the royal wedding.

This is a small shop, staffed by local volunteers, selling second-hand books donated by the local community to raise funds for international aid projects.

On Saturday, 19 May, two young people from different cultures and backgrounds who’d fallen in love had decided to commit publicly to spend the rest of their lives together. A small shop on the Welsh coast decided to celebrate with them, whilst continuing to raise money by selling books.

It is a great shame that a handful of individuals couldn’t see past their own narrow views and prevented that shop from doing so.

Yours etc

Gareth Turner, Grangetown, Cardiff.

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