This is what you have been writing to us about this week.

To send your own letter, email bfpletters@london.newsquest.co.uk.

Please note, any letters sent to the Bucks Free Press office are only being picked up periodically as all staff are still working from home.

Large festive puddings in town centre 'a great idea'

Congratulations to whoever had the idea of transforming the concrete balls in our High Wycombe High Street into large festive Christmas puddings.

They are simply done, very effective and really make a difference to what was becoming a rather drab area.

In these gloomy and worrying times we need something like this to brighten up our lives, so well done!

Michael Curry, Tylers Green

'Reducing damage from Brexit?'

The public vote was to leave the EU and the Prime Minister was elected on the basis of a promise that he would negotiate a deal so our businesses would continue to have tariff and quota free access to the European Single Market.

One main reason he is clearly struggling to fulfill his promise is because he is being held to ransom by a small group of right wing Conservative MPs, the ERG.

They appear at best, lukewarm about agreeing a deal. Sadly, a prominent member of that group is our own MP, Steve Baker.

A trade deal will be in the overwhelming interests, of businesses and farmers needing to export, the financial services industry, consumers, hauliers, tourists or private individuals having dealings with Europe.

Aside from the interests of the miniscule fishing sector, I fail to understand what the ERG and Mr Baker are trying to achieve.

Surely the job of MPs should be to reduce the disruptions, complications, bureaucracy and extra costs arising from Brexit to a minimum.

Mr Baker and his associates seem to be encouraging the opposite.

Do they just want to make sure nobody forgets that they won the referendum?

Alex Wilson, High Wycombe

Rural communities strong in adversity

With the looming prospect of Brexit and a new Agriculture Bill passing through parliament, 2020 was going to be a challenging year for rural communities across the South East; then a global pandemic appeared and added to the wave of uncertainty.

Those who have diversified their rural businesses into the tourism and hospitality industries have been particularly hard hit, despite the effort many have put in to find ways to survive.

And while it is promising to hear of the progress of a vaccine, it could still be many months before we see any return to business as usual.

While it is difficult to consider too many positives that have arisen during the pandemic, the crisis presented those who work in the food and farming sector a chance to increase understanding among the general public of their vital work.

In the early stages when the big supermarket chains struggled for many weeks to supply eggs, flour and yeast for example, it was the local independent farm shops, with short supply chains and high quality, locally sourced produce that filled a much-needed gap.

The increased number of visitors to the countryside has helped people appreciate the diversity of the land and how it is managed, to both feed the country but also to provide an attractive and healthy environment for many to enjoy responsibly.

2021 will be a pivotal year for farmers and landowners across our region. New agricultural policy will be implemented, with cuts in direct payments to farmers and there will be pilots for the new Environmental Land Management scheme (ELM).

CLA South East, which represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses in Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, is working with our members to look at how they can make the most of their natural capital.

This could include working with the private sector on carbon off-setting, planting new trees or biodiversity net gain opportunities.

Climate change has also been a key focus of the CLA agenda throughout 2020 and will continue to be so in 2021, with the UK hosting COP26, the major global climate summit, in mid-November.

The CLA team is supporting rural businesses on a range of topics, from alternative farming methods and water management to energy efficiency of rural housing and renewable energy networks.

2020 has been a year like no other but rural communities and the businesses that operate within them are extremely resilient, agile and open to change.

They are often at their strongest when faced with adversity. Let’s hope 2021 gives them more to cheer.

Michael Valenzia, CLA South East Regional Director

Help for young people leaving care

It can be frightening and lonely for young people when they leave the care system.

Many may be living on their own for the first time and often will not have a network of friends and family around to offer them support.

Christmas can be a particularly difficult and isolating time for care leavers as they find themselves having to spend the festive season on their own, especially this year when Covid-19 restrictions mean it will be difficult to go out to socialise and the usual large scale Christmas dinners for care leavers will not be taking place.

However, the charity Family Action runs Listening Works, a free virtual helpline specifically for young care leavers aged 18-27 years old across the UK.

We are here all evening, every evening 6pm to midnight and even over the festive period, December 24 to January 2, we are still available from 3pm to 6pm.

So if you are a care leaver, whether you’ve got something on your mind or you just fancy a friendly chat, we’re here for you when many other services are shut or not available.

You can call us on 0808 802 0222, text us on 07860 065 169 or you can have a web chat with us via our website at www.family-action.org.uk/listening-works – whatever kind of listening works for you, we are here.

Our trained volunteers can offer you someone to talk to – a listening ear, a friendly voice and a chance to talk openly about whatever’s on your mind.

We also offer signposting to useful resources if any specific issues come up and information about other support out there and how to get it.

So if you are a care leaver, or know a care leaver who might benefit, please remember Listening Works is here for you and not just for Christmas. Please get in touch.

David Holmes, Chief Executive, Family Action