Make House of Fraser our gallery and museum When the House of Fraser Outlet store closes why not repurpose it to become the new home of Swindon’s art gallery and museum. I believe the HoF site has a number of positives and this could be achieved relatively cheaply and quickly especially compared to the time and cost for constructing an entirely new building. The HoF building has a car park immediately next to it, there is a bus stop close by and it is only a short walk from the train station and outlet village. So is readily accessible. It is close to the Railway Works and Railway Village heritage areas and so much could be made locally and nationally of Swindon’s industrial and artistic history. With some extra work, the Milton Road baths could be included too.The card shop on the HoF site would be a good candidate for the gift shop. While the plaza area outside and the large TV screen (does it still work?) could be used to extend art exhibitions outside the new museum/art gallery. Some might say that the previously proposed location, Wvyern car park, is preferable but it failed to secure the required millions. I think it failed in part because the projected footfall couldn’t be proved satisfactorily. The use of the HoF site could prove the footfall model within the town centre. If it does then Swindon would at least have a suitable temporary solution until such time that our new art gallery and museum is actually built. Iain Smith Dean Street Swindon

Grades fiasco small compared to Covid loss Last week we have seen the chaos over A levels and GCSE results, at the start of this pandemic the Government was accused of not closing schools when all other countries in Europe had. It was media and public pressure which forced the Government to close them. So when they eventually closed the schools it wasn’t long before political commentators were calling for schools to re-open again. I can recall all those saying that school children were missing out on their education and what was the Government going to do to get them back. Totally oblivious to the spread and death that Covid-19 was infecting on the Nation. At the dispatch box there were calls for for schools to re-open, now the Government has stated that it’s their intention to open all schools in September, yet there are those now claiming it’s not safe to do so. As far as I’m concerned they should never have shut them in the first place, I lost track how many times during lockdown I saw groups of school kids going around in groups playing football and basketball in front of my house, they certainly wasn’t at home studying. Yes one can sympathise with those who grades weren’t what they wanted. But that’s small in comparison to those who have suffered during this pandemic. Many have lost loved ones, many have lost their jobs and many businesses have gone bust. Allan Woodham West View Nythe