FOR too long we've been laughed at the butt of jokes in The Office and many other programmes and books.

But who's laughing now? Swindon is becoming a dynamic town not just economically but artistically.

Jasper Fforde's books have sold thousands, and may provide street names in the near future, and now comes the welcome news that Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime has won the coveted Whitbread Book of the Year award.

Congratulations to Mr Haddon and let's hope we receive more visitors to Swindon eager to see for themselves the landmarks described in the book.

What with literature rising again and local lad Jamie Cullum dominating the jazz world, here's to a cultured 2004.