I am The Shadow, Ledbury Portal's Mystery Correspondent, reporting covertly on any dodgy issues other correspondents might not wish to align themselves too closely with. This week: The Smoking Ban - our second winter.

I have just returned from a secret mission to recover historical information pertaining to vital social interaction mechanisms. In my travels, I have discovered an enterprising solution to the July 2007 Act of Social Vandalism (aka "The Smoking Ban")

The engineer of the solution, I shall call him Ben to protect his true identity, was sitting outside his local pub earlier this winter, cigarette in hand and chilled to the marrow, when he spotted a small brick and concrete building adjacent to the premises, an old garage converted to a safe lockup facility. Recognising this as his own property, he wondered why he was sitting outside in the cold when he could legally enter his own building and both smoke and drink in relative comfort. No different, in principle, to purchasing a takeout from the bar; and he would return his glass later of course, or use his own. As winter progressed he installed lighting and a heater, and acquired a couple of unwanted tables and a few unwanted stools from the pub. It wasn't long before Ben decided it might be polite to invite a few friends around to "his place" and, as Ben was friends with many regulars in the pub, "Ben's Den" soon became the liveliest venue in the area - I understand this is called choice, an unfashionable concept these days. Ben's Den was not a public place, only Ben's growing circle of personal friends being invited. Ben was not charging for admission, nor selling beer, nor were employees forced to work in a smoky atmosphere, collecting glasses, cleaning tables or emptying ashtrays. The pub, of course, was just selling beer for consumption off the premises, as entitled - Ben's Den was nothing to do with them. The remarkably convenient proximity of the two, with no other public areas or barriers between, was but an accident of planning.

I very quickly became close friends with Ben and was consequently invited to visit his remarkable smoking den. The first thing I noticed was the the animation of all friends present. A mere brick and concrete box with dust and spiders, yet a veritable palace of culture! People were talking! Projects were in motion! Animated debates about science, mathematics and technology were taking place! Poetry was being written, music was being discussed, excursions were being planned and people were using paper and pencils and all kinds of crazy stuff that disappeared when the Anti-Smoking Lobby put the spanner in the works with their big swirly Kaa eyes, saying Nothing Will Change... Trussssst in Meee...

The other great thing about Ben's Den is its environmentally friendly disposition compared with the rudimentary shelters sanctioned by the Anti-Smokers. You see (and you won't believe me when I say this), having four walls and a roof, the heat from the heater actually stays inside the building instead of disappearing skyward. Remarkable.

I regret I cannot reveal the location of Ben's Den. My memory is just so bad these days...