Readers of this week's Business News (page 14) may vaguely recognise a name featured in our report about the Yorkshire Independent Grocers' Association.

A certain Peter Brant is the organisation's new secretary but many readers in Reeth will remember Peter as the energetic owner of the village's post office, publisher/editor of the Reeth Gazette, parish councillor and D&S correspondent.

Today he runs North Cliff Stores at Scarborough and is committed as ever to making small stores in small communities work. Amazingly the association has been around for 100 years, but despite the recent plight of small village shops, its profile has been virtually non-existent.

Spectator suspects we may hear more from the association now Mr Brant is at the helm.

Caught short

SCOTS have a reputation for being careful with cash and, sometimes, kindness.

But after a weekend in Edinburgh, where everyone Spectator came across seemed full of bonhomie and generosity of spirit, a brief stop just back over the border in Berwick-upon-Tweed seemed to turn that popular (mis)conception on its head.

The brief stop was to answer the call of nature but Berwick is not generous in its provision of public conveniences. When one was found, at last, the charge was 20p. Charging for such facilities many be commonplace in London railway stations and bigger town centres but not, surely, in quiet market towns.

Simple gesture

Yesterday morning, when Spectator thought he had seen and read about as much as he could take about the September 11 anniversary, Hurworth village's newly-erected flagpole was spotted with its Union Jack at half-mast, where it had been the previous day.

It was a simple, proud, effective way of expressing solidarity with our American friends. Thankfully, there wasn't a bouquet of flowers in sight.