PLEASE keep your letters to 250 words maximum giving your name, address and daytime telephone number - even on emails. Email: letters@swindonadvertiser.co.uk. Write: Swindon Advertiser, Unit 1 and 2 Richmond House, Edison Park, Swindon, SN3 3RB. Phone: 01793 501806.

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Point scoring on traffic

Again we have major traffic problems in the Rodbourne area all around the Designer Outlet, people literally trapped in their house’s literally trapped in their cars (if they can get into the car that is).

Maureen Penny cabinet member for Highways can you please give me a open and honest answer why are you having a feasibility study at Bruce Street Bridges and another Urban Traffic Management Control Project (Crikey that’s a mouthful) at this precise time when the proverbial stable door and the horse has bolted springs to mind.

All of these studies a feasibility study. A traffic project should have been carried out ages ago before the outlet was built before Bruce Street Roundabout was redesigned.

It’s not rocket science you open up a multi shop complex expecting 1000s of cars 1000s upon 1000s of people to pour.

But no traffic plans etc in place and all you and other council members can do is try to score points of each other, Mr Robbins saying one part of the council is keeping information from him, Cabinet member saying Mr Robbins was consulted but did not pass on the Information to the local residents you say,

Political point scoring, that’s all we see any of you do.

Bottom line is all of these studies should have been put in place when it was all built as I said above. You have created the monster, can you contain it? Can you let us all know when its sorted please (I don’t need to score points).

Personally, I will never go anywhere near the outlet over a weekend in December or any other weekend during the year.

I really do feel for all you residents living in the Rodbourne area.

John L Crook, Haydon Wick, Swindon

Bringing veterans in

As we look forward to the festive period and temperatures continue to drop, we must spare a thought for those who have served our country but find themselves homeless. Research shows around 300-400 veterans end up on the streets every year, and up to 4,000 require urgent support to find accommodation.

Under the Armed Forces Covenant, veterans have access to enhanced housing support, but far too many still fall through the gaps and miss out on this.

The No Homeless Veterans campaign (www.nohomelessveterans.org.uk), funded by the Forces in Mind Trust, calls on local authorities, homelessness charities and advice agencies to ‘Think Veteran’ when people approach them in housing need, in order to effectively identify former Servicemen and women and channel them through to the best possible support.

The fact that this Christmas there will be veterans sleeping in inappropriate accommodation, in hostels and on the streets, is unacceptable.

By working with local authorities and providing a clear pathway to housing, we can put an end to this and make sure no veteran is without a home at Christmas.

Ed Tytherleigh

Co-Chair of the Cobseo (Confederation of Service Charities) Housing Cluster

Mountbarrow House, 12 Elizabeth Street, London

Teddies at the ready

The 14th December is our annual Christmas Teddy Bear Toss game! Fans across the town will by purchasing teddies, bagging them up and throwing them onto the ice after the Swindon Wildcats score their first goal of the night! But why?! Teddy Bear Toss has become an annual tradition in the hockey community and it’s for a very good cause! Every year our chosen charity/community will receive hundreds of teddies to give them to children that need it the most.

This year Swindon Wildcats are working closely with Barnardo’s, a children’s charity that protects, supports and nurtures the UK’s most vulnerable children. .

We ask that you join us during the Christmas holidays to help make this time of year a little more special for local children.

Buy a new teddy bear or two (no taller than 12 inches preferably) which MUST include a CE label (which ensures that the manufacturer has checked that these products meet EU safety, health or environmental requirements).Place it in a clear plastic bag (for protection from the ice) and tie the top closed.

Bring it to the game against the Peterborough Phantoms on 14th December. Wait for the first Wildcats goal of the game to be scored (of course, you should always also continue cheering the team on until we score!)

Throw your teddy on to the ice rink as soon as the goal goes in! If the Wildcats fail to score during the 60-minutes, fans will toss the teddy bears anyway – straight after the final buzzer.

Sally Price, Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey Ltd