CHIPPENHAM High Street will be lined with trestle tables for a party to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee. Chippenham Town Council and the Chippenham Town Centre Management Partnership have joined forces to organise the free event for 200 townspeople
NURSE Mandy Palframan, who jumped into the freezing river in Chippenham, in January to save a suicidal man she spotted in the water while out shopping, received an award for her bravery from police. Officers said if it had not been for her actions the
JONES TRIAL: FRIENDS of David MacKinnon this week described him as a caring man who would do anything to help anyone. Will Burford, 57, of Chippenham, who with mates Brian Tate and Richard Brooks formed a foursome that met regularly for a drink on Friday
JONES TRIAL: BARMAID Jane Jones will be given time to help her children prepare for the shock of seeing her jailed. Jones, 38, who has a seven-year-old son Stephen, and daughter Kira, three, was released on bail for three weeks on the condition that she
JONES TRIAL: DAVID MacKinnon's children will finally be able to put a headstone on their father's grave now that a jury has returned a guilty verdict on his killer. Speaking just hours after a jury at Bristol Crown Court convicted his girlfriend Jane
JONES TRIAL: THE father of one of the children of convicted killer Jane Jones is considering fighting for custody of the child. Derek Fernandez, from Chippenham, said this week that he sees his three-year-old daughter Kira every fortnight. He said all
RUBBISH in north Wiltshire will be collected as usual on Monday despite it being a bank holiday. North Wiltshire District Council's refuse service will operate as normal on May 6. The council is asking that residents can ensure the roads are clear of
THE latest production by Pewsey Vale Amateur Dramatic Society, the comedy Out Of Order, has been hailed one of its greatest successes in recent years after playing to packed houses. Nick Mitchell-Briggs, one of the cast of eight in the play, which is
BUSINESS people had the chance to discuss the state of the economy with an expert on Friday. Kate Barker, of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, was in west Wiltshire to examine the local economy. She visited Apetito and Virgin Mobile in
A CHARITY based in Westbury is looking for sponsors who can change a child's life for just £10 a month. Chernobyl Children in Need is dedicated to helping villagers, especially children, in Ozarichi, a village in Belarus just outside the exclusion zone
A CHARITY that gives children affected by the Chernobyl disaster a chance to breathe clean air is holding a fundraising auction. The west Wiltshire link of the Chernobyl Children Lifeline, based in Westbury, raises money and finds host families so that
DIANE Gooch, who has been managing residential homes for older people in Devizes for more than 15 years, bid farewell to the town last week as she leaves to run a home in Malmesbury. Mrs Gooch, who lives in Calne, officially took over the management of
CORSHAM Cricket Club will be holding a registration and enrolment evening for all youth section members and their parents on Tuesday, May 7 starting at 6.15pm. Senior coaches will be present to talk about fixtures and training nights for the season, when
CORSHAM'S first venture in the National Knockout Cup ended in an 84-run defeat in the first round. Corsham restricted the home side to 177 for eight in their 40 overs, with former Wiltshire captain Phil Thorn top scoring with 78 and Jamie Rowe retiring
WILTSHIRE play their second warm up match of this season against Hampshire 2nd XI at Southampton today and on Sunday play their first match in the 38 County Cup against the Somerset Cricket Board X1 at Chippenham (11am start). Wiltshire will be captained
THE National Trust is appealing for volunteers to help run several of its admin centres in west Wiltshire. The trust is looking for administrators at Heywood House, near Westbury, Epsom Court in Trowbridge and Caithness House, Melksham. It also needs
A TEENAGER who terrified diners by waving a gun in a caf has been sentenced to community service. Customers looked on in horror as Geoffrey Chislett, 19, brandished the weapon, which fires ball bearings. Kate Brown, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court
A WREXHAM-BASED man is looking for a friend last known to live in the Melksham area. Alec Roberts wants to trace Mark Trueman who lived in Rope Walk and Scotland Road. Mr Roberts can be emailed at alecroberts@btopenworld.com
John Wilkes, 54, of Brecon Close, Melksham, appeared before Chippenham magistrates on Monday charged with nine counts of theft, totalling £34,114.25, between February 16 1999 and January 29 2000. Wilkes has been released on unconditional bail to reappear
PLANS for a £150,000 multi-sports pavilion in Box should be put on hold until a parish referendum is held, say villagers. They fear they will be left picking up the tab for the yearly running costs, if the proposed centre is not a success. They are calling
THE council has seen fit to raise council taxes by a staggering 11.2 per cent to £1,030.19 for Band D houses. The current rate of inflation is two per cent and I believe, as a reflection of this, council payment to residential homes was raised by approximately
Discount fashion retailer Matalan, which has a shop in West Swindon, posted a surge in profits as shoppers seeking out bargains helped drive up demand. Underlying sales in the year to February 23 climbed 7.2 per cent, helping turnover jump 45 per cent
BUSINESSES across Wiltshire have been warned to watch out for companies using unethical sales techniques. Trading standards officers have been alerted to a series of techniques used to target businesses in the area. Examples include firms sending bogus
BOGUS workmen, rogue salesmen and doorstep traders are being targeted by trading standards officers in an attempt to stop pensioners being duped out of their savings. Recent cases in the county have included an 82-year-old who was charged £14,000 by workmen
ACTRESS Marion Aspell knew the show had to go on evn though she was dripping blood all over the stage after a freak accident. The age-old adage said to thespians before going on stage is 'break a leg' but the leading lady in Wootton Bassett Light Operatic
A NEW league table designed to give a true picture of councils' performances has put Wiltshire County Council at the top. The table was created by Nottinghamshire County Council to try to give a more accurate picture of how councils across the land are
PEOPLE in west Wiltshire have been told a cinema is still a possibility in the district. Proposals to build a leisure village on land at Yarnbrook, off the A350 at Picket Wood, took a step forward this week, with a mystery developer keen to move the project
SKURRAY'S WILTSHIRE LEAGUE: NEIGHBOURS Pewsey Vale Reserves and Devizes Town Reserves shared the points in a 2-2 draw in the Premier Division. Tom Adams and Andy Olsen gave Pewsey a 2-0 interval lead, Andy Davis and Justin Lyle replying for Devizes in
WARMINSTER almost caused Bath huge embarrassment in this game . They took an early lead and hung onto it until the last quarter of the game. They began by soaking up early pressure from Bath and then surprised everyone by taking the lead with their first
SCREWFIX DIRECT LEAGUE: WARMINSTER Town boss Andy Crabtree is hoping his side's encouraging display in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Bath City Reserves will not prove to be their Screwfix League swansong. Crabtree's men led for most of the game at promoted City
MELKSHAM Town's hopes of a top ten Premier Division finish are still very much alive after they extended their unbeaten run to five matches on Tuesday night with victory over eighth placed visitors Backwell United. Top scorer Matty Messenger scored the
SCREWFIX DIRECT LEAGUE: WESTBURY United manager Derek Graham was a happy man after his side recorded their biggest win of the season on Saturday with a 4-0 trouncing of Yeovil Town Reserves. Strike duo Wayne Wheeler and Toby Colbourne were both on the
PLANS for a £10m national archaeological centre in Warminster have received an enthusiastic welcome from regional businesses. Outline proposals, being used to attract funds for the scheme, were presented to Westbury and Warminster Chambers of Commerce
A WARMINSTER school could soon be producing the Tim Henmans and David Beckhams of the future thanks to a successful £640,000 national lottery bid for new sports facilities. Work on the ambitious scheme at Kingdown Community School is due to start within
A JUDGE branded brothers Jason Lee and Timothy Seviour as savage and brutal murderers for their horrific slaying of a young Trowbridge mother. Justice Maurice Kay said the 26 knife wounds to Miss Cooper's body were "among the most dreadful I have ever
The combined performance and composure of Audi's flagship S8 quattro has blasted its way in to the world record books a feat accomplished with the driver wearing a blindfold! Freelance motoring journalist Alistair Weaver topped almost 155 mph and averaged
Audi begins the countdown for a successful defence of its Le Mans 24 Hour motor race title by contesting important warm-up trials in France on Sunday. The German prestige car manufacturer is bidding to win the annual, classic round-the-clock marathon
Vauxhall, part of General Motors, the world's largest vehicle manufacturers, has a long and proud history in Britain. Much of this has been high-lighted recently with worldwide cutbacks, plant closure and job losses at its Luton operation. But last week
MAY I, on behalf of the management committee, staff, parents and children here at Stepping Stones say a very belated thank you for raising money for our group through the sale of the winning Christmas card in your competition. The card that won the competition
THE NUMBER of teachers and support staff in South West schools is going up. The news is a massive boost to Swindon, which last year was suffering from a chronic shortage of teachers. Figures released today showed there are 800 more teachers and 2,200
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith today discovered the scale of the task he faces in returning the Tories to national power, as local election results showed them far short of the kind of breakthrough they need to boot Tony Blair out of Downing Street. All
ABBEY MEADS WARD Michelle Mahon, Labour: 195 Katharine Pajak, Liberal Democrat: 101 *Justin Tomlinson, Conservative: 705 Con Hold Turnout: 28.86 per cent BLUNSDON WARD *Doreen Dart, Conservative: 796 Ruth Fitchett, Liberal Democrat: 146 Lynn Vardy, Labour
THE man in charge of Swindon's failing education system was the major casualty at last night's local elections. Garry Perkins lost his seat to Labour candidate David Wren during a day when the status quo prevailed. The only other seat to be exchanged
SCHOOLS chief Garry Perkins paid the ultimate price last night for Swindon's failing education authority. He was the main casualty in a disappointing night for the town's Conservatives. Mr Perkins was lead member for education in the Tory's minority administration
IT is very easy for me to comment when I'm not involved at the moment, but the manner of our defeat at Newcastle was extremely disappointing. In the fortnight since beating Leeds Tykes in that tense relegation decider at the Rec, we all thought that we
DIANE Gooch, who has been managing residential homes for older people in Devizes for more than 15 years, bid farewell to the town last week as she leaves to run a home in Malmesbury. Mrs Gooch, who lives in Calne, officially took over the management of
CHILDREN from three village primary schools took to the netball court and football pitch on Wednesday to show their talent. The youngsters were taking part in the annual tournament between West Ashton School, St Mary's in Steeple Ashton and Keevil School
THREE university students who spent four days on the run from Dartmoor prison during a charity jailbreak have raised nearly £900 for good causes. Catherine Kirkham, 20, of Trowbridge, Suzanne Huxham and Tanya Williams travelled 715 miles in 96 hours,
PEOPLE at Paxcroft Mead were invited to give their views on the future of Hilperton on Sunday. They were attending the last in a series of three exhibitions held by the Village Design Statement Group. The group, with the support of the parish council,
ON MARCH 8 the Wiltshire Times published a report on the inquest into the death of a 92-year-old woman from the Firlawn Nursing Home, The Street, Holt. The home's owner, Chad Doveton, protested to the Press Complaints Commission, claiming the report was
NURSES at Bath's Royal United Hospital special baby care unit have said a special thank you to Wiltshire Times readers. A month ago a grateful Trowbridge man, James Burrell, whose grandson's life was saved at the unit, arranged a TV and video gift for
SHOWTIME (12, 95 mins) Starring Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo. Now showing at UGC and Cineworld in Swindon With the explosion of reality TV shows and fly-on-the-wall docusoaps, anybody, it seems, can be a celebrity. In Tom Dey's spoof buddy
MURDER TRIAL: A YEAR of torture for the Trowbridge family of tragic Lizzie Cooper has come to an end as her "sadistic killers" were jailed for life this week. Grieving sister Teresa Cooper said she could never forgive brothers Jason Lee and Timothy Seviour
MURDER TRIAL: KILLER brothers Jason Lee and Timothy Seviour spent most of their young lives in care. Frequently moving between foster homes, it wasn't until Lee moved in with Kevin York that he began to spiral dangerously out of control. Both brothers
MURDER TRIAL: NATIONAL childcare organisation has launched an investigation into how brothers Jason Lee and Timothy Seviour turned from young offenders into savage murderers. NCH were recruited after the Trowbridge murder last May to look at how Wiltshire
MURDER TRIAL: A POLICE manhunt to find Lizzie Cooper's killers sparked one of the biggest ever murder inquiries in Trowbridge. More than 100 police officers and detectives were drafted in after the grim discovery of Miss Cooper's body at 57 Longfield
A JUDGE branded brothers Jason Lee and Timothy Seviour as savage and brutal murderers for their horrific slaying of a young Trowbridge mother. Justice Maurice Kay said the 26 knife wounds to Miss Cooper's body were "among the most dreadful I have ever
SKURRAYS WILTSHIRE LEAGUE Premier Division: Stratton Crosslink v Wroughton. Junior Division: Minety v Bromham, Swindon Eagles v Wootton Bassett Utd 12.30pm. CHERRY RED RECORDS HELLENIC LEAGUE Premier Division: Abingdon Utd v Pegasus Juniors, Almondsbury
MAY 9: LEFT Of Centre Komedy, otherwise known as LOCK, is Bath's newest Comedy Club. Opened last Thursday, the venue, upstairs at RSVP, Edgar Buildings, George Street, is now open every Thursday from 8pm-11pm. On May 9, Paul B Edwards and James Dowdeswell
I think it's fair to say that this category of motorcycle, the big trailie, although hugely popular in Europe has never really caught on here in Britain. However, all of a sudden the motorcycle world seems to have woken up to this type of machine, with
A LADIES' night organised by Helen Pocock-Smith, wife of the worshipful master of the Lodge of Loyalty in Marlborough, raised more than £2,230 for charities, which Swindon firm Innogy is doubling. The money is to be shared between the Savernake Hospital
BOB Holt insists the need to increase revenue while reducing costs will mean an end to the 'freebie' culture at the County Ground. Many fans are bitterly unhappy that ticket prices will rise considerably next year but Mr Holt insists it is a case of belt-tightening
THE name Cecil Kimber probably means nothing to most of today's drivers. But without him, some of the best-known sports cars in British motoring history would never have hit the road. Kimber is the man who enthusiastically took the workaday saloons produced
BARGAIN hunters seeking their next car may like to know about a 'showroom' with a difference . . . 'Fantastic cars at knockdown prices' is the promise made by Tony Antoniou, manager of the Universal Salvage auction site at Westbury. High-quality vehicles
KEBAB van owner Zeynel Caner has been fined £800 for street trading without the consent of Swindon Council. This is the first prosecution brought by the council against a trader since the street trading consent scheme which requires all traders who operate
YOUNG footballers aiming for the big time can now follow their dream without giving up their education. Swindon College is going to continue its link up with top non-league side Forest Green Rovers, which it launched last year. The scheme lets youngsters
ERLESTOKE Prison has denied that the number of inmates is set to soar. Villagers in both Erlestoke and Great Cheverell were concerned when Kennet District Council was asked by the prison for planning clearance for a two-storey prefab building for a further
Swindon's National Monuments Record Centre in Swindon is displaying an exhibition of photographs with a difference. It features a series of pictures of ordinary people recorded for prosperity in an exhibition called Portrait. Each image stands alone as
A COMMUNITY policeman who set up a residents' crime prevention scheme has been recognised for work in the town. PC Denis Taylor was among a group of officers from the town who were handed accolades by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire at a special awards
HUNDREDS of people descended on Tidworth leisure centre last week in the hope of having their prized family possessions valued by experts from the BBC Antiques Roadshow. They began queuing with their heirlooms - some wrapped in paper and others in boxes
A VERSE for the golden jubilee sparked jubilation for a Durrington poet Christina Watkinson. She received a special thank-you from Buckingham Palace, acknowledging the work she does as a student in IT workshops for the visually impaired at Salisbury College
SELF-employed painter and decorator Stephen Hobbs parks his seven-litre Rolls Royce Silver Shadow on the drive of his Swindon council house and retires for the evening with a smile on his face. For 41-year-old Stephen, the 1976 luxury limousine with its
I agree wholeheartedly with E Vertannes letter. I have lived in Penhill for the past two years and have found nothing but friendliness and good neighbours. With regards to the possible closure of the footpath between Penhill and Abbey Meads, this is snobbery
I am a smartly-dressed, respectable,well-mannered,thirty-something female. Having read your letters page recently, I have been well and truly forewarned not to visit Soda (formerly Vadims) for an evening out with friends. Why risk the potential embarrassment
I have not been to the new Swindon nightclub Soda, but from the letters I have seen from people who were refused entry simply because they were old Vadims customers, or because they were not trendy enough, or over a certain age, I don't think I'll bother
I READ a letter from Mr K Austin in the Evening Advertiser on Friday, April 26. He seemed to think that there was a lack of patriotism on St George's Day. I had my cross of St George flying from my bedroom window all day, and I also noticed that the Arkells
Henry Paul has been recalled to the Gloucester side for tomorrow's West Country derby against Bath at Kingsholm as full-back. It will be Paul's first start since March 30, having been on the bench for three Premiership games and last Sunday's Parker Pen
TROWBRIDGE 2nds closed their season with an emphatic victory. On a hard fast pitch, Trowbridge showed a good crowd much of the skill, passion and above all teamwork that has seen them unbeaten in the Bath Combination League and finish with a record performance
A 91-YEAR-old woman in the advanced stages of terminal cancer died after choking on a beef sandwich in hospital. Edith Broom, a resident at Seymour House in Chippenham, had been admitted to Chippenham hospital almost a month earlier with an infection.
NEWLY-OPENED nightclub Mad Jacks is bidding to open later, bringing it in line with other venues in Chippenham. The club, which has taken over the former Rush club's premises in New Road, wants to be able to stay open until 2am on Monday to Friday and
THE Vikings are on their way back to Chippenham 1,124 years after their first visit. The town will relive its Viking past this weekend with a three-day festival which starts tomorrow. The highlight of the weekend will be the spectacular burning of a replica
KEEP-FIT enthusiast Matthew Sperring collapsed and died in a Chippenham gym. The 29-year-old, who came from Australia, was weight training at the Olympiad on Monday when he collapsed with a suspected heart attack. Staff tried to revive him but he was
CHIPPENHAM is bracing itself for a Viking invasion, more than a thousand years after the first Nordic hordes descended on the town. During the bank holiday weekend, Regia Anglorum will create a Viking camp in Monkton Park, for a three-day living history
MUM Kay Sarraff is furious after the last evening bus from Chippenham to Calne drove off, leaving her teenage daughter stranded in the town late at night. Mrs Sarraff, of Azalea Close, Calne, said her daughter Amy, 16, and her friend, Cherie-Anne Punshon
OPENING day's fixtures in the Wiltshire Cricket League are: Division One: Swindon Nalgo v Westinghouse; Potterne v Biddestone; Bath Civil Service v Buscot Park; Box v Beanacre; Burbage & ER v Calne. Division Two: Minety v Great Bedwyn; Lechlade v
Steve Twine's Wootton Bassett 1st XI will be confident of competing well in the first league match of the season, at home to Colwall, following their emphatic cup win over Keynsham last Sunday. They will be welcoming Richard Nienaver, a leg spinner from
SWINDON, with pre-season preparations complete, begin life in Gloucester & Wiltshire Division 1 when they entertain Apperley at the County Ground tomorrow. Skipper Will Nichols will need to instil some discipline into the batting this year if Swindon
MANY people will probably disagree with Mo Mowlam's belief that all drugs should be decriminalised. But we believe she is right to say pushers' profits should be removed from the equation. Swindon council's drugs expert Jennie Harmston is equally correct
YOU have to have some sympathy for Garry Perkins. He had the courage to take on the role of lead member for education at a time when the department had been roundly criticised by Government inspectors and morale among people associated with Swindon's
ANDY GURNEY will miss the first three matches of next season after being banned by the Football Association. The Town captain has paid the price for a swearing incident caught on camera during the clash with Reading in March. Gurney admits he swore at
A JUDGE has decreed that a supermarket seasoned pork product can be called Parma ham even though it comes from Corsham rather than Italy. The European Court of Justice was asked to rule on whether Asda could call a product Parma ham, because it is bought
PLANS for a £150,000 multi-sports pavilion in Box should be put on hold until a parish referendum is held, say villagers. They fear they will be left picking up the tab for the yearly running costs, if the proposed centre is not a success. They are calling
CARNIVAL sounds filled Corsham Primary School on Wednesday with fun-filled workshops and performances. Members of The Carnival Band, based nearby, spent a day working with children from year five. The aim of the workshops was to give youngsters the chance
ANIMAL expert Terry Hooper believes a family of big cats could be thriving in the countryside near Highworth after a spate of sightings. Two large adult cats and two younger creatures have recently been spotted in the area, leading Mr Hooper to the conclusion
THE M4 is expected to be especially busy on Saturday May 4 when those travelling to Badminton are joined by football fans heading to Cardiff for the football cup final. Police are advising motorists to allow plenty of time for their journeys over the
THE petition urging the Government not to close RAF Lyneham now has more than 11,000 signatures and more are still being added. MP James Gray says he plans to present it this month. "There has been an awful lot of support and we still have some more signatures
VILLAGERS in Fittleton, in the Pewsey Vale, have been left without any grassroots local government representation after all their parish councillors resigned in protest over new red tape which central Government is bringing in. The village has been left
PEWSEY Vale's innovative Wigglybus celebrated the beginning of another three years of life on Saturday. A brass band played and a cake was cut outside the Co-op Pioneer store in Pewsey to usher in the second phase of rural transport in the Vale. And the
FEW customers buying their weekly shopping in Somerfield, Marlborough, are aware that manager Rob Parnell and his staff pay for the education of 35 children in West Africa. For the past three years, the manager and his 25 staff have raised thousands of
PEOPLE came from all around the country to Westbury's transport extravaganza last Sunday. Despite the poor weather about a thousand visitors flocked to the Westbury United football ground to take part in the day's festivities, which were organised by
THE National Trust is appealing for volunteers to help run several of its admin centres in west Wiltshire. The trust is looking for administrators at Heywood House, near Westbury, Epsom Court in Trowbridge and Caithness House, Melksham. It also needs
Badminton organisers are hoping this year's event will be the best ever as the highlight of many horse lovers' calendar returns after a two-year enforced break caused by foot and mouth disease. Traders in Malmesbury are preparing for their busiest weekend
FORMER Gloucestershire professional Nick Trainor blasted Chippenham out of the National Knockout Cup on Sunday 28 April. Trainor made 135 at better than a run a ball to lead Frocester to a daunting total of 228 for seven in their 43 overs. His innings
A HOMELESS one-eyed alcoholic probably tripped in the dark and tumbled into the canal at Avoncliff where he drowned. John McManus, who was a vagrant in Bath, was found dead in the Kennet and Avon canal on Christmas Eve. An inquest was told on Wednesday
ONE of the oldest structures on the Wilts & Berks Canal is to be restored to its former glory by volunteers. The aqueduct tunnel one of the first two structures built for the canal in the 1790s took the waterway over a brook on land at Forest Farm
ON MARCH 8 the Wiltshire Times published a report on the inquest into the death of a 92-year-old woman from the Firlawn Nursing Home, The Street, Holt. The home's owner, Chad Doveton, protested to the Press Complaints Commission, claiming the report was
DANCING queens will top the bill in a light-hearted look at 1,000 years of royalty this weekend. Farleigh Hungerford Castle is the venue for Sunday's production of Kings and Queens of England staged by the Big Adventure Theatre Company and featuring history
Another away loss and sub-standard performance following the previous week is unfortunately all too familiar for us this season. Our inability to produce any sort of consistency even of average quality continues to leave us in a perilous position at the
Two weeks ago you published a letter of mine written in response to one from Mr CA Varnam, who was criticising the increase in council tax along with payment of allowances to councillors. In my letter, I asked you to publish my address and telephone number
UNDERLINING the message at yesterday's event were four children picked from two Wiltshire primary schools who made a big impression telling the assembled guests what they wanted to do after finishing school. Sam Stevenson is seven years old and attends
I have wondered why some streets in Trowbridge have front gardens that are an eyesore. Perhaps it is due to the low life who steal planted pots from front gardens, like ours on the Lavender Fields estate last week we who would like the area to look somewhat
FORWARD-thinking was the name of the game as representatives from industries, businesses and the public sector met in Swindon to discuss the improvements that could be made to encourage employees to train and better themselves. Around one in four adults
A HOMELESS one-eyed alcoholic probably tripped in the dark and tumbled into the canal at Avoncliff where he drowned. John McManus, who was a vagrant in Bath, was found dead in the Kennet and Avon canal on Christmas Eve. An inquest was told on Wednesday
PUPILS at a west Wiltshire primary school laid flowers on war graves of Australian and New Zealand soldiers maintaining a tradition going back more than 80 years. All 128 children, aged four-11, at Sutton Veny School made the posies from flowers donated
BUSINESS people had the chance to discuss the state of the economy with an expert on Friday. Kate Barker, of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, was in west Wiltshire to examine the local economy. She visited Apetito and Virgin Mobile in
A COUNCIL offering higher pay to recruit more staff has taken on 30 new workers. West Wiltshire District Council has been struggling to retain staff and to recruit new workers. Now it is bringing in a scheme to offer more pay for posts it has trouble
NOW that Coun Wendy Johnson and Ian Rees (head of transport) have eventually got the road built through the Lawns, I asked Coun Johnson if something could be done about the footpaths, which have been left in a disgusting state. I specifically mentioned
WILTSHIRE under 18s will be looking to reap revenge on behalf of their more senior counterparts on Wednesday night when they take on Hampshire in the final of the Southern Counties Championship. The county's under 21 side were beaten 4-2 by the same opposition
ORGANISERS of a major open-air charity show have had to move the venue and scrap a planned air display after authorities raised safety concerns. The last-minute hitch means next weekend's Wiltshire County Show will be held outside Wiltshire, at Frome
A MAN with military connections has been arrested in connection with the rape of a teenage girl in Warminster. The 16-year-old from Melksham was raped outside Oscars nightclub on April 18. Police are looking for those responsible for two assaults in Trowbridge
People all over Wiltshire will be taking a step back in time to discover the county's rich and fascinating past during Local History Week. Nearly 40 events have been arranged across the area by Wiltshire County Council's libraries and museum service for
Team Bentley has revealed details of the 2002-specification EXP Speed 8 Le Mans GT Prototype with which it will contest the 24-hours of Le Mans on 15/16 and June 15/16. At a first glance it might seem that little has changed from the car that last year
FRIDAY was a bittersweet day for Bradford on Avon woman, Myrtle Wilcox. The catering assistant spent her last lunchtime working at Christchurch School after more than 20 years. Mrs Wilcox said: "It is sad, I will really miss the children. Some of them
ON MARCH 8 the Wiltshire Times published a report on the inquest into the death of a 92-year-old woman from the Firlawn Nursing Home, The Street, Holt. The home's owner, Chad Doveton, protested to the Press Complaints Commission, claiming the report was
A FOURTH person has been arrested by police investigating claims of cheating on the television quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 35-year-old man, who has not been named, was interviewed last week at a police
THE parents of Natalie Williams have spoken of their deep love for their talented, beloved daughter. Bob and Muriel Hussey issued an emotional, deeply personal tribute to the 33-year-old who was found dead last week. Her body was found in the River Avon
I am writing to urge readers NOT to give Dad chocolates or cake on Father's Day (June 16). Instead, why not encourage him to cycle off excess pounds during Bike Week (June 15-23)? Hundreds of free rides are being organised www.bikeweek.org.uk has details
I REFER to the letters published in last week's edition of the Wiltshire Times regarding the subject of irresponsible dog owners. Southwick Allotment Association is only too aware of the problem of dog mess. The elderly gentleman mentioned has been asked
ANY of your readers hoping for a respite in the hunting debate may well be disappointed. That champion of rural causes, the Countryside Alliance, has miraculously re-emerged now that hunting with hounds is once more under threat. To gain support for its
THANK goodness journalism is not dead (Star Letter printed in last week's Wiltshire Times). I wonder if those stray, disorientated birds contain any of the genes of those used by MI6/MI8/The Secret Y Service: the birds bred by Mr Hammond of the then Wyke
YOUR report (April 26) concerning planning approval given by west Wiltshire councillors for five houses to be built at Long's Yard, St Margaret's Street, Bradford on Avon, failed to mention that their previous refusal for a virtually identical development
ONCE AGAIN the county council has failed in bringing forward suitable plans for Melksham Town Bridge traffic calming scheme. When Cllr Angie Barker and myself took this matter to a meeting of the county council earlier this year we were promised new plans
THE proposed one-way system for Bradford on Avon (Wiltshire Times, March 29) is a depressing re-hash of a scheme that has been rejected once already. Less than two years ago county councillors rejected a near-identical scheme, which was proposed in connection
I thought I would jot a few lines regarding public meetings organised by the council. I see there was a meeting the other day regarding the building of a mental home at Paulton. They certainly know how to organise these meetings so nobody turns up; what
VANDALS urinated on PE equipment and defecated inside the old Filands site of Malmesbury School in a £10,000 rampage. The school has been disused since a new site opened at Corn Gastons at Easter. Malmesbury police have already interviewed 18 youths about
THE husband of Natalie Williams has appeared in court charged with murdering her. Randle Williams, 42, of Greenland Mills, Bradford-on-Avon, appeared before North West Wiltshire magistrates in Chippenham yesterday morning. He was arrested just before
FORMER cabinet minister Mo Mowlam says legalisation could be the only way to cure Swindon's drug epidemic. In an interview with the Evening A dvertiser ahead of her visit to Swindon's Festival of Literature, the outspoken politician says she believes
SWINDON Council was one of 30 across England to trial pioneering new ways of voting this year. People were able to cast their votes by internet, telephone or post as well as at the polling station. The election count at the Oasis Leisure Centre was swarming
TRADING Standards officers are concerned that people wanting a career in showbiz were being charged £150 by a management company to have their picture taken at the weekend. Sue Wilkin, senior consumer advisor with Wiltshire Trading Standards, says that
The ASDA store in Trowbridge is running a midwife of the year competition and is asking people to nominate the midwife or health visitor they think deserves recognition. Customers are asked to complete an entry form and state why their midwife or health
THE National Trust is appealing for volunteers to help run several of its admin centres in west Wiltshire. The trust is looking for administrators at Heywood House, near Westbury, Epsom Court in Trowbridge and Caithness House, Melksham. It also needs
CHILDREN being treated at the Royal United Hospital will find their stays less painful with the help of 10 TV and video sets donated by Virgin Mobile staff. Workers at the Trowbridge firm chose the children's ward at the Bath hospital to benefit from
A VILLAGE school near Trowbridge has been celebrating its 150th anniversary with a week of special events. Pupils at Wingfield Primary School have been going back in time to learn more about how life was for the very first pupils at the school. On Wednesday
JODIE Foster makes a welcome return to the big screen in Panic Room (15) a psychological thriller from director David Fincher. Fincher's previous credits include Seven and Fight Club, films where visual style held sway over content. In Panic Room a determined
BUTCHER Steve Cook will be reviving Victorian memories at Devizes' golden jubilee celebrations. Mr Cook, who owns Walter Rose & Son butchers in the town, will be roasting an ox on The Green on Monday June 3, the carving will start at 10am. In June
DEVIZES is to open the Queen's jubilee celebrations on Monday June 3 with a royal walkabout. Her Majesty may not actually be appearing in person, but the town has found its own celebrity impersonator, Wharf Theatre actress Merrily Powell, to take on the
DIANE Gooch, who has been managing residential homes for older people in Devizes for more than 15 years, bid farewell to the town last week as she leaves to run a home in Malmesbury. Mrs Gooch, who lives in Calne, officially took over the management of
REVIEW - Rob Deering, Ustinov Studio, Bath: WITH an encouraging number of new comedy venues currently springing up in the region, The Comedy Zone Week at the Ustinov seemed a sure-fire winner. However, last week's event got off to a slow start, with events
FEW customers buying their weekly shopping in Somerfield, Marlborough, are aware that manager Rob Parnell and his staff pay for the education of 35 children in West Africa. For the past three years, the manager and his 25 staff have raised thousands of
DEVIZES fire chief Julian Beinhorn has won the town council by-election, caused by the death of Jean Owen, for the Conservative Part. He beat the local pressure group Devizes Guardians into second place. The results of Thursday's election were: Julian
Town director Bob Holt has admitted that early season ticket sales are beyond the club's expetations. The Town board must have feared the worst after the ferocious fans backlash following the recent price hike. But the hostile reaction appears to have
ANDY GURNEY will miss the first three matches of next season after being banned by the Football Association. The Town captain has paid the price for a swearing incident caught on camera during the clash with Reading in March. Gurney admits he swore at
THERE have been yet more warnings this week about conmen who are targeting vulnerable elderly people. The trouble is that all these warnings don't seem to be making any difference at all. This is a crime that is so easy to fall victim to. Most of us think
HIGH winds over the weekend made fishing very difficult and weights were below their best. In the Bradford open match on the Kennet and Avon Canal at the Kings Arms stretch on Saturday only four competitors weighed in. John Atkins won with a mixed catch
SOME marques are celebrated for their safety, such as the Volvos which feature in the picture above. Now the latest Subaru Impreza (right) has received the highest rating in the small-car category for offset crash tests run by American insurance companies
UNTIL now, this car has been kept closely under wraps. Many people believed it couldn't be built. Volkswagen call it the one-litre car, but that's not its engine size it's the amount on fuel it uses to cover 100 kilometres. That works out at an astonishing
THE EVENING Advertiser's parent company has made two local charities' day by handing over a total of £4,000 in grants. The charitable arm of Gannett, the multi-national firm that owns the Advertiser's publisher Newsquest, has given £2,000 both to Swindon's
RED tape could delay the arrival of the first group of overseas nurses to Princess Margaret Hospital. Hospital staff travelled to Manila in the Philippines where they signed up 20 new nurses. And the first group of 10 are due to arrive in two weeks. But
A POLICE operation to try to curb the speed of hundreds of bikers who converge on Avebury every Wednesday has had some surprise results. It is picking up more car drivers for breaking the law than bikers. The weekly meeting of bikers in the village during
CHARLIE Wilson became one of the first recognised victims of the so-called Swindon Disease when he died 27 years ago. He and his wife Irene had barely 25 years together before he fell to mesothelioma. There was no champagne celebration on the Wilsons'
WOULD-be part-time firefighters are being sought in Wootton Bassett. Wiltshire Fire Brigade has launched a poster campaign to drum up support for a recruitment information meeting on Monday, May 13, at the fire station in Station Road. Part-timers, known
POLICE have assembled a special unit with the specific brief of catching Swindon's bag snatcher as quickly as possible. The callous robber has been preying on Swindon's elderly for the past week, using a bicycle to approach his victims before trying to
PUPILS were today praised by their headteacher and the police for the way they reacted after their school bus was involved in a crash with a van. About 45 students on their way to St John's School in Marlbor-ough escaped injury on Tuesday when the single
LANDLADY Liz McGregor will be raising an extra large glass for the Golden Jubilee because she too is celebrating her Big Five 0. Liz, who runs the Kingsdown pub in Kingsdown with her husband John, 52, is normally shy about revealing her age. But she is
MORE disabled people in Wiltshire will have access to the world of IT thanks to a Co-op community dividend grant to help refurbish old computers donated by businesses. A £985 grant from the Oxford Swindon and Gloucester Co-op has been awarded to Scamp
A PRESSURE group has accused Swindon Council of promoting underage pregnancy. The London-based Family Education Trust, part of the Family and Youth Concern umbrella group, has examined the strategies of 23 towns and cities across the country in preventing
AN exhibition by mental health service users in Swindon is underway at the Wyvern Theatre. More than 20 pictures are on display and some of them will be for sale. Nisha Wickramasinghe, befriending co-ordinator for the Swindon branch of MIND, who organised
Swindon: Police investigating the theft of a £30,000 ultrasound scanner from Princess Margaret Hospital are liaising with their colleagues in Gloucestershire to see if a theft of similar equipment can be linked. Officers yesterday released security camera
THE landlords of Sherston's Rattlebone Inn have turned the tables on the furore surrounding allegations of Prince Harry's drug taking at the pub. John Williams and partner Emma Parker Williamson have been distributing beer mats saying: Harry Who? The
A FAMILY of council tenants were left with an outdoor pool they did not want after a drainage pipe running underneath their Penhill home ruptured. Water started coming up from under-neath the front garden of the house in Latton Close during heavy rain
I HAVE been following the debate on the nightclub Soda. The comments from Steven Reid about Swindon needing a superclub like Soda seems very rich to me. Is this not the same Bill Reid/Steven Reid cartel that campaigns against any new ventures and any
I SAW your few lines in the Advertiser (April 21) in relation to the pub in Essex which was refused extra time for St George's Day but the O'Neill's pub around the corner which was granted an extension for St Patrick's Day. Have we done mad in this country
AFTER the increase in local tax last year (2000-2001) and the increase this year (2001-2002) of 15 per cent, it seems the council is now already looking for an extra three per cent. Where am I going to find all these extra funds from when my wages have
I was delighted to read John Short's comments regarding the vigilance of his staff in recognising the sub-standard materials being used by the contractor responsible for laying the new Lawn cycle path. I wonder if he could send the same eagle-eyed employee
I WRITE regarding the letter about traffic turning right out of Drove Road into Cumberland Road. Surely it is right and proper that the couple of dozen vehicles a week that turn right at this junction have a lane to themselves, while the several thousand
FOUR Wiltshire youngsters have been praised for helping fund-raising make a record start for a new £150,000 school hall at Luckington, near Castle Combe. The four Luckington youngsters, Sammy Arnot-Ham, Claire Jobbins, Fay Bolton and James Hutchinson,
PERSISTENT offender David Gascoigne has been warned he faces jail after he and an accomplice stole clothes worth £1,105 from a Chippenham shop. Gascoigne, 24, of River Parade, Chippenham, pleaded guilty when he appeared before north west Wiltshire Magistrates
A FORMER BT operator is organising a reunion in Chippenham for past friends and colleagues. Debbie Smart, 37, of Studley near Calne, worked at the British Telecommunications exchange in Chippenham from 1988 until 1992 when it closed down. Although the
THE library in Chippenham will be hosting a musical celebration of the wartime generation on Wednesday, called Thanks for the Memory. Community entertainer Rose Lunt will be presenting her one-woman show at 3.30pm, with song, monologue, drama and original
A CHIPPENHAM caf that has not changed for decades is to be replaced with a £250,000 bistro. The prime site premises that housed the Waverley Caf for decades, is being refurbished and will become Hardy's restaurant. Town couple Simon Cocking and Daniela
CHIPPENHAM football stalwart Les Weir is swapping the great game for a riverside pub. Mr Weir has stood down as vice-chairman of Chippenham Town Football Club to concentrate on his new venture. He and landlord Pete Jones are ploughing £80,000 into taking
CARER Josephine Harte has appeared in court charged with stealing almost £2,000. Harte, 35, of Queen Square, Chippenham, is accused of stealing the money from two women with learning difficulties in her care. She is accused of taking £1,980 from the two
