SIR – This summer, with the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee , followed by the Olympics and Paralympics, the traders in the centre of Otley have gloriously bedecked their premises with Union and Olympic flags. Sadly, these happy events are behind us and the flags have come down and the town reverted to its rather drab grey.

As a voluntary charity fundraiser, I have noticed people seem to be more generous when they are in pretty surroundings and I believe they tend to spend more. It would seem everyone gains by having the flags and so I make this suggestion.

Why not, during the dark days of winter and particularly after the Christmas lights have been removed, put the colour back into the town by asking all the shopkeepers to put flags up for a month?

With the proper advertising we could entice people to come to Otley and hopefully spend their money here which should more than cover the expense involved. If it were done in February it could be called the February Flag Festival.

What have we got to lose?

Vic Heffer, St David’s Road, Otley