Letter: South Elmsall might be down, but it's not out

South Elmsall does have problems relating to the closure of Frickley Colliery, and it needs all the help it can get ("To buck or not to buck the coal market", 30 November). Incorrect information only causes us difficulties in bringing more jobs into the area. The 500 figure you mention as registered heroin addicts in fact refers to people who have used heroin. The number of regular users is 100. The area these figures relate to includes the two adjacent communities, giving a total population of around 25,000.

The picture is not only grim. On the day the taskforce visited, the area celebrated the switching on of its Christmas lights with a special market, a parade of local Guides and Badgers of the St John's Ambulance Brigade, a display of Irish dancing and a firework display.Please tell the world that South Elmsall is fighting back.

Margaret Johnson

Pontefract, West Yorkshire