I AM a fairly regular visitor to the towns of Cheshire as I like a bit of variety in my shopping. To be honest, I don’t find much of interest in Winsford or Middlewich but at least the people seem warm and friendly. 

What a pity I can’t say the same about Northwich. I was in the town a couple of weeks ago and was struck by how down-trodden and insular the people that I happened to deal with were.

As a stranger to the town, I had to ask for directions a couple of times and was saddened by the somewhat surly and unhelpful responses I got. You would have thought I was asking these people to give me their most treasured possessions or the key to their cars. 

What’s wrong with the town? Has it become so ground down over the years that it’s residents can’t even raise a smile for a stranger. Perhaps my accent is wrong or perhaps I look a bit strange, although I don’t think that’s the case.

While I wasn’t in Northwich to spend a vast amount of money, I was making something of a contribution to the town’s economy and I would have hoped I would have been greeted better than I was.

Perhaps I was just unlucky with the people I asked for help. Maybe if I’d stopped someone else, I would have got the assistance I needed.

Oh well, I’ll have to see if I fare better in Knutsford.

Margaret Green Crewe