The feelgood factor is probably something we should shout about more. In our busy schedules of every day life, which seem to get busier minute by minute, many of us rarely get time to think, let alone relax and reflect.

But news on our pages this week should make us feel proud of those locals who achieve in our competitive and sporting world and let's hope the media is not shooting them down for their success in a few months' time.

Dedication and hard work put them at the top of their profession and it takes only a few body blows to bring them down.

Trowbridge snooker player Stephen Lee has helped put Trowbridge on the map, achieving a high world ranking in his chosen sport. And he's not a bad golfer either.

Many of us follow the progress of Jenson Button, from just over the Wiltshire border in Somerset, who took the Formula 1 racing scene by storm a couple of years ago and is still out there battling with the best in one of the toughest although admittedly financially well rewarded sports of the modern day.

There's Darren Eadie from Corsham who is struggling with injury at relegation-threatened Leicester City in the soccer premiership, but who has already been a success at Norwich City and at one time looked likely to figure in the England set-up.

And this week we report on how former Trowbridge rugby player Dan Richmond has in the past couple of weeks ousted the England hooker from the starting line-up at Northampton Saints.

These are just a small selection of our high achievers and we know there are more, and possibly others who hide their success under a bushel.

We'd certainly appreciate a call if our readers know of those we don't cover.

We are delighted to be able to follow their progress, and it's certainly encouragement for other youngsters to follow suit.

It can also make us proud of the west country, and west and north Wiltshire in particular.