I AM disappointed. According to the Tivyside's front page no less than 14,886 people read the paper in print and online every week.

The town has been promised favourable consideration if it buys the existing hospital when it becomes redundant in about 15 months.

I have appealed in this column on more than one occasion for ideas as to the site’s future use. The response has been dismal, even when a former councillor gave the town council a big nudge and they half-heartedly asked for ideas.

In fact, only about four correspondents have bothered to come forward with ideas – that’s about 0.027 per cent of the potential readership.

The ideas put forward by this tiny minority have fallen into two categories – a building to help the elderly and a car park.

As I explained in a previous column there is a large, little-used car park on the road leading to Maes Mwldan which would accommodate most if not all the illegally parked cars dumped in the current hospital car park.

More parking is always required which is why I suggested the current health centre site would be ideal as it would provide a sizeable area right in the centre of the town.

The latest idea put forward in the Tivyside is that the current hospital building be turned into a recuperation/rehabilitation centre.

While having the latter is an aspiration, it is a complete no-no to consider refurbishing and altering the building itself. Its fabric is old and its layout is completely unsuitable for any refurbishment.

It would require specialist nurses and equipment which I do not believe would be made available.

On the other hand, if a new purpose-built building could be constructed for the elderly in some form that would be more practical. How about a respite home?

This would provide short-term accommodation for patients who are looked after at home and give their carers a much-needed break too. It could be staffed by fulltime qualified carers, who would probably be less difficult to hire than nurses.

Would either of our housing associations be interested in following this up? I will enquire by the next column.

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IT'S great that the carnival has been revived and seems to be thriving. It has been positively galling that for years all the villages and hamlets around were able to organise and hold theirs while we had a big blank.

Congratulations to the organisers and let’s hope enthusiasm can be maintained by all.

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I GATHER that the collision between two cars near the mini-roundabout on the Gwbert Road was nothing to do with it. It was a case of a car running into a stationary vehicle parked near-ish to it.

But I wouldn’t have been surprised if the roundabout had caused a collision. As I have chuntered on before, it is an unnecessary hazard about which drivers seem to have a black out.

How many go round it? Not many. How many give the correct left signal? Hardly any. How many straight-line it, often at speed? A dangerous number.

This type of driving puts others at risk and sometimes causes a possibility of a change of underwear.

The most dangerous entry into the roundabout is from the link road. On a number of occasions I have had to demonstrate the breaking ability of my car.

And coming down from town being overtaken by a straight-liner while going around the roundabout also left teeth marks in my heart.

Don’t these motorists know anything about the Highway Code or have any recognition of their dangerous attitude or are they the me-me-me people who consider no one but themselves and to hell with rules and other people?

Mind you having seen how some manoeuvre their trollies in supermarkets, I just hope they are more careful when driving.

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EVER since it was first planned to construct the Integrated Care Centre, its location has been controversial. But now it is well under construction, I believe that Hywel Dda should now keep us fully informed about its progress.

It is obvious that much work has been carried out on surface preparation, but updates on progress - ahead of schedule, when is construction of the building going to begin? - would keep us in the picture after so long a wait for anything to happen.