I wonder how many of your readers were as sad as I was to learn of the demise of College Farm and were as heartened to hear of a possible resurrection (Mystery backer offers money to help buy farm', Hendon and Finchley Times, December 6).

Let us hope that the officials of the Highways Agency will not stand in the way of this resurrection of a much-loved institution that has given pleasure to generations of families over the last hundred years and more.

But I strongly doubt that humanity will triumph over economics.

The Christmas fair was never particularly commercial, it was always a bit amateur and maybe a bit faded and tawdry, but it had an indefinable atmosphere of community spirit. It was eccentric, unique and entirely beautiful.

I went by myself on December 2 as my children are grown up now and I found to my devastation that it had all gone. I reflected that money might be at the root of it all, but you can never really buy these sort of living institutions, traditions, and once they're gone, like people, they are gone forever. A pity.

Tom Walters

Kenton Lane, Harrow Weald

December 12, 2001 17:57

KEVIN BURCHALL