Sir – I was at the notoriously noisy AGM of the St Margaret’s Area Society on May 11 because of an element not mentioned in your report of May 17.

The chairman, Dr Tim King is my brother- in- law. So I had heard that the author Tim Pears (aka Piers), winner of the Hawthornden Prize, would be there in person to attend a showing of his early-1980s’ film celebrating Port Meadow and to answer questions over wine and nibbles.

Made with the late local artist Michael Borst, it features local people whose voices are also used for the commentary. Because of the passing of time, it has become an invaluable historical record of Oxford.

Bravely, Tim Pears stuck out the first half of the evening. For some reason, none of the visitors who had been trying to make it impossible for Tim King to chair the meeting, or stick to his agenda, bothered to stop and see the film or hear Tim Pears or even partake of the nibbles.

Among other things, Tim Pears talked, for example, about Nicholas Hooper, who played the lovely guitar background music and went on to write music for Harry Potter.

You can see the film online at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-307066393195014818# Lorna Logan, Wolvercote