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Festive spirit

£100 letter

Thank you for a wonderful festive December issue. No pages and pages of gift ideas for people who don’t need them, just great suggestions on how to enjoy the season simply with good food, tasteful decor and tips for where to go and what to do and watch to embrace all that is Christmas.

I really enjoyed your readers’ letters remembering Christmas past and your article on those alone during the festive season – a sad situation when this is exactly what the spirit of Christmas is about, reaching out to others to include them. I know I’ll return to this issue time and again over the next few weeks to enjoy the articles and puzzles to keep my Christmas spirit going.

A great Christmas gift in itself. Happy New Year!

Sue Gaskin Littlehampton, West Sussex

Fantastic beasts

Wild things Big cats have been spotted in Sussex and Hampshire

I was interested by Carol Jupp’s letter on big cats in Sussex (November). I’ve lived in Warninglid village for 38 years and when we first came, we heard about sightings of ‘The Beast of Bolney’ and ‘The Beast of Balcombe’ (two nearby villages). Later, a local digger driver working at night was terrified by two immense yellow eyes reflected in his headlights. In the morning, witnesses spotted huge paw prints.

Then, several years ago, I was standing looking across land behind my house and saw a large, grey or black animal creeping across the grass and disappearing into the shrubbery. It was as large as a wolf but with the outlines of a cat: round ears, snub nose, large paws and long, thin tail held straight out behind. A week or two later, my daughter-in-law and neighbour, on two different occasions, saw a black cat that was many times the size of a domestic one.

I think a family of panthers must have been living wild in Sussex for at least 40 years. I’ve not heard of any sightings since we saw them, so was pleased to think that they have maybe just moved east. However, from time to time, a deer carcass has been found that has obviously been torn apart by a large animal.

Rosy Brenan Warninglid, West Sussex

On the prowl

I too have experienced seeing a big cat about 20 years ago on a golf course in Eversley, Hampshire. I was just about to tee off when this very large black animal slunk across the tee and disappeared into the bushes behind. I turned to my friend and said, ‘Did you see what I saw?’ She had three cats and could tell the difference in size. We didn’t finish that hole and made a quick exit left to the next hole, keeping a wary eye out for it.