I HAVE an idea! Let's get the community together by developing that space at Pyart Court, Coleford, for a youth enterprise of some kind.

I came out of our excellent library recently and sat in my car for a few moments. There were three youths about 13 or 14 playing football and using the road as a goal, running over the road to retrieve the ball. This developed to a kind of volley ball game where they split up each side of the road and skilfully using both hands hit the ball over the road making the evening rush hour traffic the net.

OK, so it was dangerous, an ill advised location, but it showed spirit and where else is there for them to hang out?

We all buy cheap food, I am as guilty as the next. But to allow big bucks to line our pockets at the expense of a long term strategy for the community of the Forest of Dean does not warm the hearts of the people.

Here we are in the year of the Diamond Jubilee and should we get a Royal visit what have we to show for it? Supermarkets, car parks, big delivery lorries belting through the Forest in the small wee hours of the morning, when we should be letting the natural inhabitants have safe pasture.

We are even losing our only theatre. What do we have now to attract culture of any sort, to educate the generations to come and help them to fulfil their potential.

Are we growing factory fodder when there are no factories? Leisure is the growth industry of tomorrow. Oh yes and whilst we are about it, let's green the roofs of the centre of Cinderford with plants and grasses – give it a real chance of regeneration.

Can we not see the future at all? Tunnel vision is not what this beautiful Forest needs. If a silent film can win all those awards then the writing is on the wall.

Our quaintness is our ticket to prosperity, our people and quality of life here the most important factor to preserve.

We put our faith in our representatives on the council and the leaders and landowners of our country. Our council represents our best interests, don't they? We are going under the microscope with the Royal Jubilee and the Olympic Games as a nation. Let's not be small-minded about it.

Great nations are built out of its people and in particular those who are brave enough to say "Sorry – got that one wrong. Let's look at our decision again." It is never too late to make a good choice. The foundations of tomorrow are the children of today. We need to nurture them.

– Elizabeth Llewellyn, Broadwell.