WITH all the talk of a credit crunch and a housing slowdown, the nation seems to be talking itself into a crisis.

Things are clearly not exactly rosy in the garden in some quarters, but surely we should not allow ourselves to be so easily sucked into a mood of doom and gloom?

This week, The Monday Gazette’s In Business special featured an interview with well-known local businessman Mike Loftus. He is chairman of Destination Basingstoke, which is playing a key role in projecting a positive image and profile of the area.

Mr Loftus is upbeat about the prospects for the town and borough because he believes Basingstoke has got a lot going for it in so many ways.

His is the voice of experience, as someone who has worked in the town for a long time, and he knows what he’s talking about.

If you haven’t read Mr Loftus’ interview, it can still be viewed online here – and it’s a great reminder about why we have many reasons to be positive in
Basingstoke.

Mr Loftus is not alone in his optimistic outlook. There are many other like-minded people who are keen to share good news about Basingstoke – people who have a story to tell about their successful businesses or organisations or have positive experiences of living and/or working in our town and borough.

So while we may be surrounded by negative influences, let’s not forget that, here in Basingstoke, we live and/or work in a great place that has so much going for it on so many levels.

And that’s something to be really positive about.