I WRITE as an old Newportonian and have expressed my opinions a number of times through the Argus (It does come this far west).

The piece on the Arriva Map which excludes Newport was only another which shows the way Newport is treated by the media.

The exclusion of Newport does not surprise me, it only adds to the list.

Recently the furore over the electrification of the railways showed this up yet again.

When the Welsh Assembly made th announcement about the Valleys it was only referring to the line from Cardiff to Merthyr and not the Gwent Valleys, which lost their lines during Beching’s tenure.

I know there is a line from Cardiff to Ebbw Vale but that is a Cardiff line.

Further to this other anomalies occur such as when a weatherman announced that “the heaviest downpour of rain was in the Rhondda at Tredegar.

There doesn’t seem to be a voice speaking for Newport.

Where I live I meet people from all over the world on the canal and most ask about Newport.

During the last year I met with four American families who all asked about your “wonderful bridge” the ones from the Commonwealth countries all know about the area as do people from Europe.

Lets hear a bigger shout about our part of the world.

Just remember when the canals were at their peak, Newport was a great port while Cardiff was a fishing village.

Howard Hoare Erw Bant Llangynidr