Kevin Pyne, of Lake Street, Dartmouth, writes:

I prefer live alone since my wife died and my kids were lucky enough to get on the property ladder and left home .

Since I became ill I want to handle my condition privately.

I love boats, the sea and the river, and so for all its faults Brownies Café suited my ­varying needs. As my poem says, I shall miss it:

What are we going to do

Without Brownies?

The park cafe where the locals

Liked to hang out

Now that the district council

Don’t seem to care about

The locals anymore preferring

Statistics to being realistic

Unquestionably without any doubt.

Oh sure he could be a bit

Temperamental but he knew

Stuff about boats and the sea

And he also made the best

Cheapest fullest bacon butty

‘Down West’ and the bestest most

Refreshing cup of tea.

What can we do about Brownies?

When it was clean and cheap

And never failed to open on time

And all the young mums could

Meet up and find out all

The very best gossip while

The kids played in the park

And had wonderful outdoor

Adventures proper kiddie time.

What are we going to do in

The winter? When it’s so wild that

We can’t go out on the river

Or go fishing way out at sea

Or when its regatta and what’s

Left of the locals

Like to congregate there for

The reggata local rowing even

Until well after dark

Or the cricketers clapped

Or shouted ‘how’s that’ as tennis

Court end stumps were soundly

Blasted apart

What are going to do without

Brownies?

When every year it gets plainer

To see

That all the district ever wants is

Our money while never ever

Doing what might be good for

The good of the local

community?