A LETTER-writer in the Malvern Gazette 50 years ago was asking why Malvern could not have a casino.

The writer, identified only as "Deedee", of Tewkesbury, said of a visit to the town: "On arriving at the top of the steep hill and wandering round, the thought came to me forcibly that here was a potential Monte Carlo . . . if the valley below gave way to the sea, it would in my opinion be very reminiscent of the Cote d'Azur.

Deedee suggested the Winter Gardens would make an ideal home for the casino.

"Why not have just one suitable town in England where we can risk whatever we want to risk in an atmosphere of gaiety and sparkle?"