CAR REVIEW: QUESTION: What image does the name Volvo conjure up? If your answer is Big Estate Car, you're 10 years out of date. Or so Volvo would like to think. Didn't you know that in recent years Volvo cars have been a familiar sight on the racetrack
REVIEW: HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (PG) The long wait is almost over. After a year of what Hollywood executives call 'buzz', the film adaptation of Harry Potter is about to hit Bath's cinema's screens this Friday and Harry's legion of fans
REVIEW: Welcome to the second of our new literary reviews. With so many books published each month, it is often impossible to know just which books to take a chance on. But we do the thinking for you, concentrating on those titles which, while they might
I have been reborn a samurai. Twice a week, for two hours, I step back hundreds of years as I hold aloft a bamboo staff and prepare to knock seven samurai shades out of a tyre swinging on a pole. Kendo, or Japanese fencing, is the oldest Japanese martial
MARK SPARROW COLUMN: LAST Saturday I did something that I very rarely do I ventured out into Bath after dark. Frankly, I don't think I've ever seen such scenes of complete and utter debauchery in all my life. Apart from having the misfortune to step in
It's sometimes easy to forget that local conveniences mean just that after all, public toilets aren't only located in the heart of Bath's city centre. Take Twerton for instance 20 minutes walk from Milsom Street, it boasts a rather nice trio of toilets
At 81, most people have done the rounds: grown up, married, had families, retired and enjoyed their grandchildren. But Edgar Niklass of Twerton has taken on another round delivering the Bath Star. As the paper's oldest distributor, Edgar, who was born
Bath's most colourful and irrepressible fundraiser, 'Mad' Eli Collins, treated himself to an early shot of Christmas spirit when he handed out cheques to local worthy causes totalling almost £4,000. At a reception held in Kingsmead Court Community Centre
THE team from Goldsworthy's hairdressing in Central Swindon received rave reaction to their latest shows in London. The team of stylists Steven Goldsworthy, Nicola Golds-worthy, Julian Clarke and Kerry Ford with make-up by Tracy Goldsworthy presented
ST MARTINS Property Group is developing two new office buildings, totalling 90,000 sq ft net, at Windmill Hill Business Park in Swindon. Pegasus and Stella, with a total of 322 car parking spaces, will be ready for occupation from October 2002. The two
TRY telling Darren Wilson that Swindon's economy is going through a crisis. The 41 year-old is choosing a period commonly regarded as being on the brink of a recession as the moment to establish his own electrical distribution business in Rodbourne. Mr
CHIPPENHAM Town's poor showing in the knockout competitions continued last night as Tommy Saunders troops were dumped out of the Dr Martens Cup by old adversaries Mangotsfield. A 3-2 extra-time defeat in the first round adds to disappointingly early exits
PEOPLE are being given a chance to have a say on draft proposals for dealing with Wiltshire's growing problem of waste. On Tuesday between 6.30pm and 8.30pm in the Drove social hall, the first draft of the Wiltshire and Swindon Waste Local Plan will be
CHILDREN from eight to 16 are treading the same boards in a production of Joseph at Churchfields School. The specialist performing arts college has organised the play in collaboration with four nearby primary schools, using funding it is awarded by the
A MOTHER will today make a last-ditch bid to stop her four-year-old daughter being taken to live with her estranged husband in France. Sarah Annis, 38, has until 2pm to ask the Court of Appeal to overrule a French court order that her daughter Mathilda
WILTSHIRE Coroner David Masters has urged a Swindon charity to tighten safety measures after a man with learning difficulties died in a minibus crash. An inquest heard that 47-year-old Christopher Woolford died on January 24 when the Respite Opportunities
A TOWN centre brownfield site that has been vacant for more than a decade could be turned into a six-storey block of flats. The former home of a car sales garage in Wellington Street, near the bus and railway stations, could finally be put to good use
A STATE of hiatus is persisting over the outcome of the High Court action on the Front Garden develop-ment more than two weeks after the ruling was due. Swindon Council, the housing developers and protesters from the Front Garden Action Group (FRAG) are
THEY take three weeks to put up and cost £300 a year to maintain but a Swindon couple's Christmas lights always prove a popular attraction even if it is only mid-November. Sandra and Vivian Wilks of Fuller Close, Cricklade, are now in their fourth year
AFTER a cracking previous match in the Upper Thames Angling Times League, Team Daiwa Swindon crashed to eighth place in the latest encounter on the Kennet and Avon Canal at Bedwyn. The cold weather has caused the fish, mainly small roach, to be packed
WOOTTON Bassett could have its own crematorium if councillors set the plan in motion. A £500 study is needed to look into the feasibility of such a facility and Wootton Bassett Town Council's amenities committee is being recommended to comm- ission it
AGE Concern Swindon has praised South Swindon MP Julia Drown for her decision to support the Age Equality Commission Bill when it receives its second reading on Friday, November 23. The proposed Age Equality Commission would be a new body to monitor existing
ANSWER: 46 According to one unhappy customer NTL needed nine months and 46 engineers to diagnose a simple television fault, a customer claims. And Steve Dixon says the firm then added insult to injury by charging him £200 for a service that never worked
THIS year's Salvation Army Christmas Carol Concert takes place at the Wyvern Theatre on December 2. The event will be attended by Swindon mayor David Cox and the proceeds will go to the mayor's charities, which this year are Swindon Breast Cancer Unit
A PUB has been transformed into a film set by a Swindon-based group of would-be film moguls. The Vic in Victoria Road is the setting for the climax of Wonderful, a short film funded by Southern Arts and made with a mainly Swindon-based cast and crew.
Wildlife lovers are hoping to cash in on the euro to help pay for local nature conservation schemes. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is appealing for people to hand over their foreign coins because they will not be needed after the euro is officially brought
PUPILS at Lawn Junior School have been getting into the festive spirit this week determined to spread a little Christmas magic to less privileged children. The children have been busy filling old shoeboxes with Christmas goodies as part of a national
NEW evidence was presented at an inquest into the death of a Swindon road accident victim. Nicola Smith, 26, died when her Renault Megane was hit by another car on the A4 Hungerford to Marlborough road. The inquest was adjourned until yesterday to allow
AN independent group of local government officials has arrived in Wiltshire to carry out a review of the county council's perform-ance. Wiltshire County Council has invited the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA), which works closely with the
WHO ARE you going to call if your landlord steals your rent deposit, or if your employer sacks you when you tell them you're pregnant? Who would you turn to if you were close to eviction because you were behind with your mortgage, or because the council
Since 1996, the Ole Uetonians in Friendship Association has found about 200 plus families who served at former RAF Uetersen, including overseas members. If you served at this former station, and are interested in finding old pals, there will be the ARU
Chris Thackray and Larry Wright (EA October 26) make some good points. If it were possible for all children in Northern Ireland to go to the same schools, this would help to pave the way for peace in future generations. I agree also that religious fanaticism
Britain has always prided itself on the fairness of its courts along with the principal that you can't buy justice. But while that may hold true for criminal cases although after a series of miscarriages of justice, particularly those of IRA suspects,
PAUL McAREAVEY is desperate to force his way into Roy Evans' starting line-up even though reserve team football does not seem to be hampering his international career. The 20-year-old midfielder has almost as many Northern Ireland Under 21 caps as he
DON'T be too surprised tomorrow night if driving through Midsomer Norton you encounter a whole tribe of red Indians, several Bob the Builders, a troupe of glamorous showgirls, a warren of dancing bunnies and Beelzebub himself. Because tomorrow night,
CONSTRUCTION brands group Morgan Sindall is to unify its construction companies under one regional construction brand, Blue-stone plc. The new company will mean a name change for Swindon based Hinkins and Frewin, which joins forces under the Bluestone
WILTSHIRE Coroner David Masters has urged a Swindon charity to tighten safety measures after a man with learning difficulties died in a minibus crash. An inquest heard that 47-year-old Christopher Woolford died on January 24 when the Respite Opportunities
DEVIZES TOWN'S recent run of form came to an end last night, after a 2-1 defeat at Screwfix Premier Division leaders Brislington. The Bristol-based outfit are unbeaten in the league this season and Brian Newlands' Devizes side put up brave resistance
Swindon Supermarine came to earth with a bang last night, crashing 3-0 at Merthyr Tydfil. The Welsh Premier Division outfit eliminated John Murphy's experimental side at the first hurdle, but the scoreline doesn't really do Marine justice. The hosts grabbed
TWO serious road accidents near Chippenham left one driver dead and several others seriously injured. One involved three sports cars on the B4069 between Lyneham and Chippenham. The accident, at 2.45pm yesterday, happened outside Holme Farm at Christian
MORE than 30 senior staff face the axe from Motorola's Swindon operation. They hold key positions at the company's Groundwell plant, which has already been decimated by job cuts. Earlier this year, 500 of the 3,000 staff employed at sites in Swindon lost
A SWINDON school taking part in a charity Christmas appeal for the first time has collected 60 boxes of gifts for deprived children in less than three weeks. Children at Wroughton Primary School have been busy collecting toys and gifts for poor families
TWO wives from Swindon are celebrating the success of their other halves in a national Hunky Husbands and Beautiful Boyfriends competition. Tass Tsokos, 30, from St Andrew's Ridge and Martin Timms, 28, from West Swindon have both been chosen as semi finalists
THE long-term future of some of Swindon's part-time libraries is under scrutiny as the town's education and community service must make cutbacks. The director of the department at Swindon Council, Mike Lusty, has suggested that some of the libraries could
SWINDON council says it has met a government challenge to create more imaginative places to live. In response to last month's government advice to local authorities and developers to think more imaginatively about design and layout, council environmental
ARE YOU game for a laugh? Then perhaps you can provide a fun-filled dog called Jester with a home in time for Christmas. Swindon Animal Sanctuary is appealing for help in re-homing the 10-month-old bundle of fun, whose high energy levels can sometimes
AN outdoor ice rink will take pride of place in Canal Walk tomorrow, marking Swindon's Community Celebration Night and Evening Advertiser readers will be able to use it free of charge. The synthetic rink, near Virgin Megastore, will be ready for action
PUPILS at the Chiseldon Primary School just love their new hi-tech classroom. They have just moved into the new extension where they have been watching DVDs, surfing the net, and admiring the view of the playground trees. The new extension is complete
I AM researching my family history and have discovered that my great grandparents Ernest and Ethel Sarah Pierce lived in the Salisbury area. The families I am trying to trace are the brothers of my grandmother Dorothy Frances Pierce b1900 (maiden name
I MUST admit I was delighted with the headlines on the demise of the Park and Ride farce. This business has not reduced the number of vehicles coming in to town. Drivers have the knowledge they may park anywhere with impunity. One extra traffic warden
Following Tony Griffiths' letter on this subject (EA, October 29), I remember when Junction 16 was widened, resurfaced and the traffic lanes newly painted. It took me all of two seconds to predict that the abbreviation W'TON on the lane for Wroughton
BRIAN Blessed here, actor and mountaineer! I am writing on behalf of the disability charity, Scope. It wants 80 volunteers to take part in a unique Moroccan Mountain 4,167m trek in June 2002. I urge you to sign up for this amazing hiking challenge. Experience
I WAS disappointed to see a two page spread featuring the claims of a body called "The Friends of the Ridgeway" and a supporting leading article. What alternative views or enquiries did you make before deciding to support the claims? For instance the
REPRESENTATIVES of rich and poor countries are meeting at the World Trade Organisation talks in Quatar well away from the demonstrations that have accompanied previous meetings, so they hope! Once again the rich countries will almost certainly force through
