ABOUT a month before Christmas, regular as clockwork, we have a family of travellers arrive in Wimborne.

They park their vardo, tether their ponies on the verges near the ‘BytheWay’ fields and woods and settle down to sell their bright, hand-made holly wreaths to passers-by.

As the council planted meadow flowers on this land a couple of years ago, I had wondered if it would be difficult for the travellers to gain access this year because although the flowers had long since died, their tall, spiky stalks remained.

The ponies made short work of clearing the site and the family, dogs, chickens and ferrets stayed until after Christmas.

I believe that this travelling family have had to tolerate abuse from certain members of the community, but when passing the site after they had moved on, it was heartening to see that it had been left clean and tidy..... Christmas would not be the same without them!

LESLEY MCLEAN Wimborne Road West, Wimborne