THE news last week that John Hearn shoe shop had gone into liquidation is heart-breaking for everyone who loves Wycombe's heritage.

But it's really not fair to point the finger of blame too heavily in the direction of Eden shopping centre.

I'm horrified that a 149 year old independent store could close like this, and I feel desperately sorry for the Hearn family and their staff.

However, please don't let the harbingers of doom use this closure as another excuse to bash Eden.

I remember the days before the new centre was built when the western side of the town was desolate, depressing and in urgent need of a facelift.

Without Eden, the decline of this town as a retail centre would have been far more rapid. High Wycombe was fast becoming a music hall joke, being compared to Bognor Regis by the stand-up comedians.

Eden has brought some life, vigour and glamour. There are now actually shoppers in the town centre all weekend long, as opposed to the emptiness that used to be High Wycombe.

So don't blame Eden. Don't even blame the town planners for failing to link up the town in a better way.

Frogmoor is still accessible and extremely close to the shopping centre.

No, spare your blame for yourselves - the shoppers who have deserted the independents and sought out easy bargains in the high-profile chains.

We're all at fault for Hearn's demise, so please let us learn the lesson in time to save the remainder of our precious independent stores.