Sir – There are many reasons why I have thoroughly enjoyed being a Witney resident for almost 30 years and I shall take this opportunity to share one of them; the weekly country market at the Masonic Hall on Church Green.

Since having a regular order for vegetables grown within the town or its environs by people whom I trust, I have only needed to buy vegetables from the supermarket during January, when my regular suppliers had their winter break.

When necessary, I could top up with eggs, a range of home-baked goods and preserves.

I doubt if the quality of plants and expertise from the plantswoman could be surpassed by any of the local garden centres. Not only has this facility been great value for money but the food was completely fresh, picked the evening before, no freight or packaging required.

It is puzzling, living in challenging times as we do, why this market, which has been run and managed by a dedicated team since 1959, has had to close this week, due to a continued drop in footfall and yet the supermarkets increase their turnover month by month.

To the men and women who have provided such a great service, thank you for all you have done for us over the years.

And yes, if anyone can come forward with some ideas where we can source our food locally without using the supermarkets, who don’t seem to be putting the producers or consumers at the front of their minds, I would be keen to hear.

Rae Cather, Farm Mill Lane, Witney