Hi readers, it’s Emily and William here this week, talking shopping.

Did you know there are more cafes than clothes shops in Dorchester? We counted 35 places to get a coffee, which doesn’t even include some restaurants and pubs.

We think it’s a lot and we wonder how many coffee shops does a town actually need? Our ideal high street would have several clothes shops (mens, womens, childrens and some with suitable clothes for the elderly), a big supermarket, two chemists, a mobility shop, two book shops, a stationary shop, barbers and hairdressers, a small selection of cafes, Poundland, a post office, some hotels, a bank or two, a leisure centre, charity shops, a big car park with disabled parking, a library, some churches…anything we have missed?

We’d also like to see quiet areas in cafés with books or toys for kids. A lot of cafes have loud music playing which isn’t good for older people and others don’t have good disabled access, which would be better for all.

We worry that as people shop online more, shops will close down and it will negatively affect a lot of people, like the elderly or those who can’t use computers easily like me, William. The thing is that I, Emily, like shopping online because there’s more choice and I can get the size I want at a price I can afford. I would prefer there to be more clothes shops so I can try things on, but as there isn’t I feel almost forced to go online. Also, if you are an unusual size like me, it’s difficult to find things which fit.

We have ideas about how things could be better which we’ll share next week. Tune in and find out our thoughts!

The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by The Friendship Club– a project for adults with learning disabilities, run by People First Dorset