WE own a vintage tearoom/giftshop in Ashley Road, Parkstone (Pottery Junction end) and have been open six months.

We try to change our window display/theme due to events and celebrations and so to commemorate VE day 70th anniversary we tried to adorn the inside with Union Jack bunting etc. and were surprised to find how difficult it was to find items that we could use in our tearoom in shops in Bournemouth/Poole etc.

We did a reasonable job in the end with some customers giving good feedback but were extremely disappointed to see that on driving down the rest of Ashley Road (and lots of other main shopping places) that there were no signs of Union Jacks or anything celebrating this occasion even though the rest of the country was going through three days of events.

Is this due to current waves of Political Correctness or are we in this area not bothered anymore?

We like to think of our business as ‘a little slice of England’ and try to keep the ‘old ways’ alive and like to believe that others do too.

Paul & Val Skinner

Pastiche Vintage Collection, Ashley Road, Parkstone, Poole