Archive

  • Mr Fussy

    ANDY KING is adamant that the 'fussy' approach is the only sure way of securing fresh talent for Swindon Town. Despite giving trials to almost 30 hopefuls from across the globe yesterday, the County Ground boss was disappointed that not one of the players

  • Hospital heritage

    Pewsey Heritage Centre is set to re-open on Friday. Housing a range of displays, archives and documents about life in the area, it will open with a new display about the former Pewsey Hospital.

  • Railway workers are given assurances

    Swindon railway workers were today assured that their jobs will be safe if the proposed multi-million pound Railtrack takeover bid gets the go ahead. Network Rail a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (CLG) is looking to acquire the shares in

  • They're so big-hearted

    The outstanding fundraising and charitable work of staff at the Swindon headquarters of Nationwide has earned them recognition at society's Employee Community Awards. Their achievements were celebrated in style at a special ceremony held at the Imperial

  • Come here for teenage kicks

    MONTHS spent by Wootton Bassett teenagers designing a new youth and development centre paid off today when it officially opened its doors. They helped shape the new centre 18 months ago when 1,000 questionnaires were sent out asking what young people

  • 'She's had a bad two years'

    LINDA'S cousin, 49-year-old Julie Westmore has travelled down from Carmarthenshire to care for the missing mum's four children. She attended today's reconstruction, joining officers at Queen's Park. "We are very stressed, anxious and worried," she said

  • Garden concerns

    Environmentalists from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust have held a meeting with Swindon officials to discuss the possible ecological impact of the planned development of the Front Garden area. South Swindon MP Julia Drown and local councillors were among those

  • Man is abducted

    Police are hunting three men who abducted a man from Swindon town centre and robbed him in the early hours of Sunday morning. The man was walking along Manchester Road towards his home in County Road at around 2am when a dark blue car pulled up alongside

  • Seven schools planned for North Swindon

    HREOD Parkway School will be replaced and a pioneering learning campus will be built in north Swindon. The Government today gave approval for £60m to be raised for the project using a partnership with private companies. A community school will replace

  • Ciren close to pitch all-clear

    Cirencester Town boss Ray Baverstock has insisted that the club's pitch will be playable in time for this evening's clash with Sutton Coldfield. Ciren's game against Chippenham was called off on Saturday, with the Smithsfield Stadium's playing surface

  • County U-turn

    WILTSHIRE County Council has performed a U-turn over the future location of the Wiltshire and Swindon Records Office, reluctantly accepting that Chippenham is the best option. The council had been defiant that the records should be moved from the cramped

  • Mr Fussy

    ANDY KING is adamant that the 'fussy' approach is the only sure way of securing fresh talent for Swindon Town. Despite giving trials to almost 30 hopefuls from across the globe yesterday, the County Ground boss was disappointed that not one of the players

  • Pioneering service

    A pioneering bus service helping disabled people in Swindon travel to London was launched yesterday. National Express is running the trial coach service from Bath to London for wheelchair users and people with mobility problems. Bookings for the service

  • Pupils help leprosy

    PURTON: Year seven pupils at Bradon Forest School have raised £900 for charity LEPRA, the Leprosy Relief Association, which helps fund research into the disease. Charity representative Mary Wiggins was presented with the cheque from a group of students

  • Sufferers' support

    A self-help group for people who suffer from fibromyalgia, migrane headaches or neck and back pain has been launched. The group meets at St Aldhelms church hall, Edgeware Road, on Tuesdays at 2pm. For more details contact Tony Stammers on (01793) 435393

  • Steve spoiled his grandchildren rotten

    STEVE Burry never had children of his own, but lived to become the head of a huge Swindon dynasty. Because Steve, who died of lung cancer aged 51 on Monday, took on responsibility for six stepdaughters and a stepson when he married his widow Gladys, 62

  • Looking for a place to remember them

    A GARDEN could become a place of tranquillity where people who have died from the Swindon Disease can be remembered. The garden, at Swindon's Queen's Park, could be restored as a permanent reminder of the victims of mesothelioma. The whole project would

  • The big squeeze

    Plas Pencelli has brought adventure and inspiration to tens of thousands of youngsters over 35 years. But now the council is set to withdraw its funding. DOMINIC PONSFORD has this exclusive report. Swindon Council is proposing to scrap subsidised children's

  • County U-turn

    WILTSHIRE County Council has performed a U-turn over the future location of the Wiltshire and Swindon Records Office, reluctantly accepting that Chippenham is the best option. The council had been defiant that the records should be moved from the cramped

  • So what are you looking at?

    STAFF and pupils at Swindon's Churchfields School are on a mission to fill a gap not in the curriculum but in a ceiling. The school science block bears a gaping vault in its roof space. It is not a structural fault, just a cavity which children are hoping

  • Bail hostel plans pull down house prices

    CONTROVERSIAL plans for a bail hostel in central Swindon have proved unpopular with potential house-buyers. Wiltshire probation service plans to flatten the White House Pub in Corporation Street and build a 24-bed hostel there. Residents, who have launched

  • Singing the praises of Dame Vera Lynn

    VERY special birthday greetings to Dame Vera Lynn, who celebrated her 85th year last week (March 20). Dame Vera captured the very heart of our nation throughout World War II, during our darkest days when invasion was a grave threat to our priceless freedom

  • County U-turn

    WILTSHIRE County Council has performed a U-turn over the future location of the Wiltshire and Swindon Records Office, reluctantly accepting that Chippenham is the best option. The council had been defiant that the records should be moved from the cramped

  • At last we'll get schools to cater for thriving area

    IT is the news people in the north of Swindon had been hoping for. Today's approval of a £60m private finance initiative is a welcome boost for an education service that has been branded as failing. It means crumbling Hreod Parkway School will be replaced

  • Last known journey

    POLICE today retraced the last known movements of mum-of-four Linda Razzell. It included the final moment she was seen, walking along an alleyway on her way to work a week ago. Detectives later found her mobile phone in the alleyway but Linda, a support

  • The big squeeze

    Plas Pencelli has brought adventure and inspiration to tens of thousands of youngsters over 35 years. But now the council is set to withdraw its funding. DOMINIC PONSFORD has this exclusive report. Swindon Council is proposing to scrap subsidised children's

  • County U-turn

    WILTSHIRE County Council has performed a U-turn over the future location of the Wiltshire and Swindon Records Office, reluctantly accepting that Chippenham is the best option. The council had been defiant that the records should be moved from the cramped

  • Dorothy celebrates her century with a party

    IT WAS all smiles for Dorothy Smith as she reached her 100th birthday. Mrs Smith, of Stratton St Margaret, celebrated reaching her century with a party thrown by family at the White Hart pub in Stratton. She has lived in Swindon for 35 years, and it is

  • Money will help disabled pupils

    DISABLED pupils at Swindon schools are to have easier access to classes thanks to a £224,909 Government cash injection. One school, Holy Family Primary in Park North, is to receive £45,900. The money is part of £70 million awarded nationwide to improve

  • 'She's had a bad two years'

    LINDA'S cousin, 49-year-old Julie Westmore has travelled down from Carmarthenshire to care for the missing mum's four children. She attended today's reconstruction, joining officers at Queen's Park. "We are very stressed, anxious and worried," she said

  • Last known journey

    POLICE today retraced the last known movements of mum-of-four Linda Razzell. It included the final moment she was seen, walking along an alleyway on her way to work a week ago. Detectives later found her mobile phone in the alleyway but Linda, a support

  • County U-turn

    WILTSHIRE County Council has performed a U-turn over the future location of the Wiltshire and Swindon Records Office, reluctantly accepting that Chippenham is the best option. The council had been defiant that the records should be moved from the cramped

  • Don't keep the fans in the dark, says Trust

    THE Swindon Town Supporters' Trust will be seeking some straight answers to some straight questions when members meet with club directors on Thursday. TrustSTFC members are anxious for the board to put more meat on the bones of their 'rescue' plan. If

  • Police meet chief

    Members of the Police Federation were today due to meet Wiltshire Chief Constable Elizabeth Neville to discuss proposed changes to pay and conditions. The federation, the police "trade union", has already voted overwhelmingly against the proposals. The

  • Rally over castle

    Environmentalists from the Friends of the Ridgeway will hold a rally at Barbury Castle on April 1, in protest at council plans to turn the castle in to a major tourist attraction. Members of the group will hold a petition-signing session there, running

  • Man admits theft

    Turkish national Mustafa Altinok, 23, of Manchester Road, admitted theft after being captured on CCTV film walking from Debenhams wearing a cardigan and coat he hadn't paid for. Judge Tom Longbotham imposed a two-year conditional discharge and ordered

  • We will fight to get places for children

    PARENTS who fell victim to the school places crisis in West Swindon have set up a protest group. West Swindon Parents Improving Education says it is forming in response to years of council mismanagement that meant that hundreds of pupils still do not

  • Attacker is jailed

    BROAD TOWN: Police have released a photograph of James Bailey, the man jailed for a savage baseball attack on a wheelchair-bound man. He was sentenced to five years for the attack on his paraplegic housemate Mark Fox. Mr Fox suffered a broken left hip

  • Charity rethinks the cuts to its services

    HELP is at hand in Swindon for couples in need of counselling, even though charity Relate is reducing its level of service. Following streamlining by Wiltshire Relate, due to financial constraints, the service in Swindon will now be available on Tuesdays

  • The happiest philatelists in the country

    THE best post office in the country for dedicated stamp collectors is right here in Swindon. Laura Brunetti, who has been running the post office on Queen's Drive for 10 years, won the Roland Hill Award for providing excellent service on the philatelic

  • Teddy bears prepare to go parachuting

    ALL eyes will turn skyward at Lydiard Park when Swindon Kite Festival takes place on the weekend of May 11 and 12. White Horse Kite Flyers group is organising the event, and is inviting everyone interested to come along and join kite flyers from the UK

  • Thanks to A&E

    MAY I through your newspaper column give praise to all the staff in Accident and Emergency at Princess Margaret Hospital for the excellent care given to me on March 18 when I sustained a fractured arm. I received first class treatment from each member

  • Will attraction's figures add up?

    I notice the council is considering including an attraction called Diggerland at Coate Water. The justification? It could increase visitor numbers by 100,000. Bearing in mind there is no formal counting process to say how many people visit Coate Water

  • Simple solution to park and ride

    I AGREE with Peter Dore (EA March 19) that the arrangements for gaining entry to the Pipers Way Park and Ride are confusing, being that only traffic approaching from the Wroughton direction has access, this involving a lights-controlled right turn across

  • Death Race scheme is just not funny

    WITH reference to Denis Harrison's letter Evening Advertiser March 7, I am not quite sure of the writer's sense of humour. But his suggestion for a points system for knocking cyclists off bikes, and double points for a kill, is simply plain rubbish and

  • Disgusted I can't get my first choice

    I AM writing, as a parent of a junior school child and a Swindonian, to express my utter and total disgust with the education system in this town and the Labour politicians who have dominated it for far too long. I am one of 100 upset and aggrieved parents