SIR,

I would like to respond to the letter sent by Mrs G

Jones in

your paper on August 13th in reply to my letter the

week

before regarding the Raglan chemist.

I did not say that I spoke for the majority of the

village. I

was speaking for myself and those I have spoken to

and

the 600 people who signed the initial petition to try

to

stop a pharmacy coming to the village. I have to say

that I

and my wife have also lived in and around the village

for

many years and I know that the surgery was very

different

then.

Mrs Jones says that she found it "hard going" getting

to

the surgery - yet chose to attend a surgery further

away;

she then says she can get into the village without a

car as

she lives in the village so I assume she personally

does

not find this trip difficult!

There are people, however, who rather than call the

GP

out on a visit, get relatives to take them or drive

themselves to the surgery, or they may have small

children (who are ill). It is these people who would

have

trouble parking in the High Street; if unwell, they

may not

feel like "walking to keep fit" as the Government

would

wish!

Mrs Jones mentions that the Doctor in Raglan does

not

support the chemist in Raglan and is "moaning"

about it.

I personally have not heard any opinion from the GP

nor

seen anything derogatory written about a chemist in

Raglan and I would really like to know where Mrs

Jones

obtained this bit of information! Mrs Jones mentions

money: business is business, in my view, as long as

you

can compete.

What I, and others (obviously excluding Mrs Jones)

want is

to have the choice to make our own decision on

where we

get our medicines.

Geoffrey Pugh

(Raglan)