A RESHUFFLE of police in the Chippenham area has led to the return of the village bobby for Yatton Keynell. PC Freddy Hugill, 31, a former paratrooper, will cover the village in line with Wiltshire Constabulary's policy of a return to community policing
BURGLARS smashed a window at a house in The Street, Grittleton, on Friday before stealing £410 worth of jewels. The offenders struck between 8.15am and 6.30pm and stole rings and gold chains including a £100 gold crucifix and £200 gold and opal ring.
RACERS across Chippenham are busy practising their flipping skills this week in the run up to the town's annual pancake showdown on Tuesday. Six members of staff from Abbey National are preparing to give rival competitors a battering. "We had a runner-up
WILTSHIRE League side Dauntsey Gentlemen are holding nets, starting on Sunday, March 9 at Malmesbury Activity Zone from 11am to noon. New players are always welcome, whether interested in Saturday league cricket or Sunday friendlies. For more information
PLANS to turn part of a Corsham graveyard into a car park are upsetting relatives whose loved ones are buried close by. The graveyard at the Grade II listed United Reformed Church will be reconstructed as part of a £5m plan to revamp the town centre precinct
ANXIOUS parents are worried a lack of funds may force their children's pre-school to close down. Rudloe pre-school, near Corsham, needs to raise £20,000 to do essential works to bring the standard of the building up to the levels demanded by Ofsted. Lucy
THIS tiny, bustling Turkish restaurant, easily overlooked by passers by as just a takeaway, is one of Bath's real gems. I had never heard of Newmarket Row, so was surprised to discover this is the section of road just off Pulteney Bridge, where I've stood
Fish made a return to the Civic Hall, Trowbridge with a workshop hosted by David Baker, of Labyrinth Training. But this time there was also cheese on the agenda. Fish! put fun into the workplace when the workshops where held last year but Cheese gave
ONE of the most popular venues in Trowbridge celebrates its first anniversary with a party for its customers next week. Chicago Rock opened in March last year and a weekend of partying to celebrate its birthday will be kicking off on Thursday. Manager
THE manager of the Kiosk at Westbury train station is retiring after 25 years on platform 2. Paul Legg, 64, started work at the refreshment kiosk in 1978 and has seen many changes in the rail system over the years. Mr Legg said: "British Rail was not
POLICE in Westbury have released an e-fit picture of a man who is believed to have broken into three houses in the town in one night. The witness impression was put together using information from witnesses who caught the man in their homes. In the first
AN ARSONIST who has struck 13 times since Christmas in Westbury town centre has been asked by police to give themselves up so they can get help. The arsonist's trademark is to set light to conifer trees and wheelie bins but the police inspector for Warminster
YOUNG gymnasts at a top training school in Wiltshire have been put in touch with fellow enthusiasts across the globe. The Wiltshire School of Gymnastics, at Bowerhill, Melksham, has been awarded an internet-ready computer by BT Community Connections.
THE police inspector for Melksham has backed plans for a taxi blacklist to name and shame violent and thieving customers. Insp Neil Bagnall said he wants to be involved in negotiations about the set-up of a scheme similar to the one employed by Melksham
SIMMERING tensions between civic leaders in Melksham and Bradford on Avon have been rekindled in a row over a fried chicken takeaway. Melksham mayor Vic Oakman said he is fuming at a decision made by members of the northern area planning committee to
JEFFREY Jones, 32, of Mount Pleasant, Atworth, was due to appear before Trowbridge magistrates on Thursday 27 February charged with cultivating cannabis plants and possession of cannabis with intent to supply. A 17-year-old boy from the Melksham area
THE role of carnival queen has been scrapped from this year's Melksham carnival because girls no longer want to enter. Organisers decided to ditch the competition for this year's event because of the apathy at 2002's carnival. Last year's carnival queen
DETECTIVES piecing together clues in the Melksham indecent assault inquiry remain confident they will catch the attacker. More witnesses have come forward in the past week providing officers with new lines of inquiry. It is almost four weeks since an
THE MAN responsible for bringing bad boy rocker Marty Wilde and Irish comic Jimmy Cricket to Melksham will be closing his contacts book for good next month. Mike Brooks, 60, has been arranging cabaret nights and rock and roll gigs at the Spencer Club
I WAS very interested to see the pictures and articles of the two shops in Then and Now (Wiltshire Times February 21). The shop on the left was opened by my father Olave Bertrand Maltby, who was the original sub-postmaster in Frome Road. He died in 1939
COULD someone explain to me why B and Q, Trowbridge, charges £20 delivery fee for its goods to be delivered. The goods I wanted delivered came to about £18. That meant the delivery cost more than the goods. Winsley being about five miles from Trowbridge
RESIDENTS from three villages have started a campaign to persuade the Government to upgrade a road which has one of the worst safety records in Wiltshire. The parishes of Codford, Heytesbury and Upton Lovell are calling for urgent safety work to prevent
A NEW website has come on line offering help and advice to Wiltshire parents. The new website, launched by the Wiltshire Parenting Support Project (WPSP) on Friday, provides information about the skills and advice people need to support their children
WILTSHIRE TIMES EXCLUSIVE: KIDNAP victim Michelle Lawson fears for the safety of her family if the carjacker who forced her to take a terrifying drive from Warminster to Poole is released early from prison. The mother-of-two was taken hostage in her taxi
A NEW monthy publication called The South West Golfer has been launched and is expected to become the leading golf publication in the region. Newsquest, one of the leading publishers of websites, daily and weekly newspapers in the country and a member
NOW that the new Swindon card is in operation, is it true that the officer for Leisure is trying to find a way to encourage more people to use the facilities on offer? How do you get people to use things more when you scrap the old gold card which cost
I RECENTLY had the dubious pleasure of paying for my Swindle card. For those readers who don't know this card is essential to enjoy paying extra for the use of Swindon's leisure facilities. It conforms to Blair's latest idea of "co-payment" which means
PLANS are being drawn up for a state-of-the-art community radio and media centre at a Warminster school which could be used to broadcast to thousands of people in the area. The communications centre, costing around a quarter-of-a-million pounds, will
WILTSHIRE TIMES EXCLUSIVE: KIDNAP victim Michelle Lawson fears for the safety of her family if the carjacker who forced her to take a terrifying drive from Warminster to Poole is released early from prison. The mother-of-two was taken hostage in her taxi
With continued low prices, an improved consumer package and the impressive range of features included as standard, Perodua UK continues to provide considerable value for money. The current range consists of the Kelisa 5-door supermini which starts at
MAZDA'S new super-mini goes on sale tomorrow and promises an intriguing mix of emotion and practicality. Produced alongside the Ford Fiesta, Focus and Ka at a factory in Valencia, Spain, the Mazda2 is likely to be favoured by family drivers and looks
A BID for Bradford on Avon to become a specialist fair trade town has been backed by the town council. The resolution, passed by the council on Tuesday, is the first of five steps to achieving Fair Trade Town status. Bradford Fair Trade Coalition also
WITH reference to the comment made by Sergeant Sean Memory on the problem in Codford, if he would care to ring me next time he is attacked by drunken yobbos in Warminster on a Saturday night I will consider sending the community policeman to see him two
TROWBRIDGE residents will want to examine the Foinavon proposals for the Ushers site when they are available in advance of the planning application meeting in March. I phoned Foinavon, which has no website, on December 10 2002, to ask for its brochure
I WOULD like to thank all those who joined me in Westbury town centre on Saturday February 15 to demonstrate against a war with Iraq. The response was very good and approximately 180 signatures were collected on the day. The total collected from various
IT is pleasing to read of an increasing interest being taken locally in the environment and that there is little disagreement with the proposition that not only Westbury but the whole of the Poole-Southampton-M4 corridor are in need of some form of alleviation
May I pre-empt the annual increase? Ode of the Ripped-off Residents It's here again, that time of year, The time that all householders fear. The envelope comes through the door And with a bump it hits the floor. The letter says: "Just face the facts,
SWINDON'S pioneering shuttle service to the Great Western hospital has been judged a success. Two months after its launch, Thamesdown Bus Company has reported a five per cent increase in its passenger numbers compared with this time last year. The shuttle
SWINDON schools are staying away from educational events organised by museums on their doorstep. That is the claim being made by the Science Museum in Wroughton and the Steam museum in Swindon after no schools from the town signed up to attend forthcoming
RUSH-HOUR traffic was brought to a near standstill after a crash on the M4. There were lengthy tailbacks for several hours as the emergency services worked to clear the road. The accident involved a blue Citroen Xantia travelling westbound between junctions
PUNCH Drunk Love is a love story but unlike one you have ever seen before. We get a skewed view of the world from the start, with blue-suited businessman Barry (Sandler) wandering out of his warehouse to witness a car crashing spectacularly on a quiet
ADAM Kaley has been rewarded for a fine Chippenham debut last week with a bench slot for the South West Two East trip to Amersham & Chiltern. Kaley impressed in the Dorset & Wilts Cup quarter-final victory over Oakmedians and is included in coach
CHARLOTTE Wakeham, the brave Trowbridge schoolgirl battling terminal cancer, hopes to return to school next week. The eight-year-old Paxcroft School pupil went back to school for a few days a week but found it too tiring and had to stop. Doctors have
TROWBRIDGE Lions are looking for teams to take part in a Swimathon at the town's sports centre on March 8. Teams of six are needed to swim for 55 minutes. Half the cash raised will go to a charity of their choice, the rest to support the Lions' work.
A TROWBRIDGE drug dealer who continued selling cannabis despite being on bail has been sent to jail for 18 months. Mark Field, of Carders Corner, was released by police after being charged with possessing ecstasy and cannabis with intent to supply in
TEENAGER David Parker has elected trial by jury after being accused of attacking his brother with a baseball bat on Boxing Day. The 19-year-old is accused of assaulting Paul Parker at his home in Heather Shaw, Trowbridge. Parker, of no fixed address,
CYCLISTS can get involved in a new project to set up a website to find information on the pastime in Wiltshire. Trowbridge man, Kevin Dallimore, is planning to set up a website to provide information on routes, maps, places to visit and eat and other
WORK starts on a new cycleway between Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon on Monday. The path along the A363 between Trowle Common and the canal bridge will be widened to two metres to enable cyclists and pedestrians to use it. The project is a partnership
THE Swindon and District Football League have insisted their minors section will remain in place even if plans for a breakaway youth organisation come to fruition. A group of administrators for the existing minors league aim to step out from the shadow
WHILE Devizes take centre stage in the FA Vase, Melksham will be aiming to do their neighbours a favour in the league by beating Premier Division basement boys Welton. The Somerset side have been closing in on Devizes in the fight for survival but Melksham
AS the Bath Shakespeare Festival marks its 5th anniversary artists from four continents prepare to perform in the city. Artists from New York, Great Britain, Germany, Zimbabwe and Georgia will be celebrating the work of one of the world's greatest playwrights
DEVIZES chairman Chris Belcher has insisted all is well behind the scenes, and has denied that the FA Vase run has masked a club in crisis. The chairman confirmed that club president Phil Rossiter had stepped down, but not because of the worsening financial
FORMER Swindon Town midfielder Jon Holloway wants to reduce Tommy Saunders to tears tomorrow. Holloway's current side Worcester City entertain Saunders' Chippenham in a crucial Dr Martens Premier Division encounter. Worcester are currently third, with
DEVIZES Town have drafted in a non-league legend ahead of the biggest match in their history. The cash-strapped Screwfix League club host Essex boys Maldon in the FA Vase quarter-finals tomorrow and their chances of progressing all the way to May's final
A LORRY driver is recovering in hospital from severe head injuries after his 38-tonne lorry jack-knifed and crashed into a grass bank near Melksham. The 30-year-old driver was rushed to the Royal United Hospital in Bath in the early hours of Monday morning
THE FAMILY of Chippenham motor mechanic David Mackinnon have a right to be angry. His killer could be walking the streets several months before the third anniversary of his death while his relatives have to face life without him. Ok, Jane Jones is a mother-of-two
WITH the new trout fishing season just a few weeks away, the Bristol Water brochure the 2003 BUZZER is now available giving all the relevant details for fishing at Chew, Blagdon, Barrow and Litton. There is masses of information including News for 2003
THINGS have been fairly quiet on the Fiat front recently, but they're back in the limelight this week with the showroom appearance of two all-new models. First up is the Ulysse, a Multi-Purpose Vehicle that can comfortably take care of a large family
THE man at the helm of Swindon's Royal Naval Associa-tion for two decades has died. Rear Admiral Anthony Davies, 91, of Aldbourne, had a lengthy and distinguished career in the Royal Navy. His final military duty was as warden of St George's House, Windsor
SOMEONE has lost a very elderly dog and Swindon Council's dog warden may be able to help. A small black and tan collie cross breed was found on the A419 last week in very poor condition and unless the owner can be found she will be put down. Kay Giblett
WILTSHIRE County Council is throwing open its cyber doors to make it easier for people to find out about the authority. A list of nearly 1,000 key documents and publications is being placed on the World Wide Web today. The freedom of Information Act 2000
ONE model range approaching the market from two different angles might appear a bit Jekyll and Hyde-ish, but it has rewarded MG Rover rather handsomely. The stylish, sedate Rover 25, 45 and 75 ranges, the company's sombre Dr Jekylls, mutate with MG badges
As our roads get ever busier, trying to keep yourself calm can be a real test of patience. The AA has a number of pointers to help drivers keep their head and share the road safely: Give yourself time and space to react to others and their mistakes. Keep
A council team has been set up to give people facing life on the streets somewhere to turn to. ALEX EMERY found out more about their work PEOPLE facing homeless-ness now have somewhere to turn thanks to a new scheme being run by Swindon Council. A resettlement
THE chance to win an all expenses paid golfing holiday in Cornwall later this year is helping to raise money for Victim Support Wiltshire. The National Victim Support Golf Challenge is offering 15 teams the chance to win a place in the competition to
COUNCILLORS are to decide whether to give themselves a massive rise in allowances next week. The Independent Remuneration Panel has recommended the town's 59 councillors get a 43 per cent rise. But members in Swindon get 66 per cent less than councillors
A NEW look has been created for the Cotswold Show and Country Fair as part of a re-branding for this year. Show organisers, under the personal direction of chairman, Lord Apsley, have called for a fresh look to capture the spirit of the event, which has
BINGO callers and players in Swindon have been named as the top fundraisers in the whole of the south west by the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief. The 50 staff at Gala Bingo in Greenbridge Retail Park have been presented with a plaque by the charity to
TENANTS are forced to live in shoddy housing and are even made homeless because of a lack of legal advice, MP Julia Drown has warned. The Labour MP for South Swindon has raised the alarm over the refusal of private lawyers in the town to provide housing
A WOMAN suffered a black eye after being hit twice by a mugger in The Lawns area of Swindon. The 55-year-old was walking her dog in the wooded area between Chandos Close and The Lawns when the attack happened. According to police she was approached by
SWINDON Services is leading the field with its environmentally friendly fleet. A convoy of 41 gas-powered vans arrived at the Barnfield depot making their now 135-strong green fleet the largest in the South West. Coun Maureen Dilley, lead member for Swindon
SWINDON'S mayor will be monkeying around as he launches Fairtrade Fortnight tomorrow. Coun Stan Pajak will do a coffee-shop crawl on his tandem bicycle accompanied by monkeys armed with Fairtrade bananas. With the Swindon Fairtrade Coalition, Coun Pajak's
SURROUNDED by happy customers and aisles of top quality food and drink, working in a supermarket is a far cry from teaching at a secondary school. But it is exactly where Rosemary Cairns a teacher at the Ridgeway School in Wroughton has been spending
Brian Burrows (Letters, February 21) asks what has happened to the swans at Shaftesbury Lake. The answer is that we at the Southwest Swan Sanctuary have housed them for the last five months or so, but the three youngsters have this month gone to a private
IN last week's E-Volution column, Ms Beesley tells us to check our 'trigger level' at bt.com/broadband. Strangely enough, these two exchanges do not appear on the list. So perhaps the people of Wroughton and Chiseldon should just think of a number, multiply
So a few Abbey Meads elitists are again intent on trying to exclude the residents and youth of Penhill from Abbey Meads (EA, February 25). How small-minded can these people get, and when will they learn that to break down social divides one first has
MR Daniel Lake (Letters, February 21) is to be envied for the clear-cut, decisive and uncompromising commitment of his position on war. But may I quietly differ. Perhaps Mr Lake will better understand in a situation faced currently by, say, police officers
I READ with astonishment your article about proposals to install traffic lights at the Faringdon Road roundabout. I use this roundabout quite regularly and have never encountered any undue hold-ups and I share Coun John Taylor's concerns that this is
SPEED ramps and chicanes could be installed on roads in Pewsham to slow down cars speeding through the Chippenham housing estate. Talks have begun about what can be done to improve safety on the estate, led by a Chippenham Town Council steering group.
A NOTORIOUS Chippenham underpass network could be shut down because it has become too costly to repair. The Wiltshire County Council-owned underpass system near Ivy Lane has fallen into disrepair with a lack of lighting and surveillance cameras making
A CHIPPENHAM builder has come to the rescue of the town's scout hut which has a leaky roof. The 10th Chippenham Scout Group have been made homeless and the 115 members of its Beaver Colony, two Cub packs and the scout troop were forced to meet in community
RESIDENTS of the hamlet of Tiddleywink are toasting their new-found notoriety after council chiefs put their village back on the map. Consisting of just eight houses, Tiddleywink is just yards from Yatton Keynell, but despite being a hamlet for over 100
PLANS for new high-tech education centre at Chippenham's museum have been boosted with a £74,000 cash injection. The cheque has been awarded to the town's museum and heritage centre in Market Place in a joint initiative by the Borough Lands charity, the
ORPHANS from Chernobyl visited Lackham's museum of Agriculture and Rural Life this week and got the chance to learn about butter making, blacksmithing and old tractors. The children, who are on a visit to Britain from the Smilovichy orphanage in Belarus
A WRANGLE over who should pay for a new play area at Barrow Green in Chippenham may be nearing an end. Campaigning residents secured £25,000 for a new play area from North Wiltshire District Council, Westlea Housing Association and Knightstone Housing
THOUSANDS of pounds worth of mopeds were stolen from a garage in St Paul's Street. A £2,000 Aprilia 50cc with the registration W548 PHW and a Honda off-road moped worth £1,100 were taken between Friday and Monday.
POLICE in Chippenham are continuing the hunt for a fish and chip shop chef accused of indecently assaulting seven people. Rana Singh, 42, who lives and works at the Langley Fish and Burger Bar in Langley Road, was due to appear at a magistrates' court
TWO pet dogs were killed and an historic building badly damaged in a fire at Castle Combe on the night of Wednesday 26 February. The blaze is thought to have started in the 17th century listed building, now run as a bed and breakfast, in Market Place
PENSIONER Rosemary Miller says some people will regard her as a troublemaker because she is complaining about the absence of seats at bus shelters. She is not. With buses on many services frequently arriving late, seats are an essential, not a luxury,
IT is barely believable in this age of super-technology that the residents of Shelley Street have been without street lights for three weeks because of a fault in a fuse box. It is even more incomprehensible that problems with the fuse box, in a building
CHILDREN in Corsham got the chance to try out their sculpting skills under the eye of one of the town's best-known artists. Andrea Garrihy, who is responsible for many sculptures around the town, as well as the Millennium Knot in Neston, held a workshop
TWO pet dogs were killed and an historic building badly damaged in a fire at Castle Combe on the night of Wednesday 26 February. The blaze is thought to have started in the 17th century listed building, now run as a bed and breakfast, in Market Place
JON BESWETHERICK is poised to make his Town debut tomorrow against QPR but the Sheffield Wednesday defender's inclusion is likely to mean a change rather than a rest for David Duke. Andy King wants to give the Sheffield Wednesday man the chance to prove
AN angling club has lost its right to fish a stretch of the Avon in Chippenham over fears for the safety of wildfowl. North Wilts District Council, which owns the riverbank, has fixed 'No Fishing' signs on River Island along the bank from the town bridge
CHIPPENHAM Town Football Club is looking to the youngsters in the area to help it design a new stadium. The club has launched its Design A Stadium competition to get ideas from children and adults. The challenge is to draw a leisure complex, which includes
STRIKER Adie Mings is gunning for revenge as second placed Chippenham Town head for a crunch encounter at Worcester City tomorrow. The Bluebirds leapfrogged tomorrow's hosts in the Dr Martens Premier Division table with a fine 3-1 win at Hednesford Town
THE Civic Hall, Trowbridge hosted the Wiltshire Times Jobs and Careers exhibition yesterday, and hundreds poured through the doors in search of a new career. This was the seventh year the Wiltshire Times has organised the fair and many businesses grabbed
A PURCHASING company in Trowbridge has joined forces with a delivery company in Westbury in a bid to bring better service to their customers. The Consortium used to distribute its own products, but Fiege has taken over the delivery arm of their business
WILTSHIRE'S hottest young singing star MiMi is to sing live in front of the nation on Sunday for her chance to represent the UK in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The 16-year-old Matravers School pupil from Westbury has beaten off the opposition
MORE than 40 charities and community groups in and around Westbury collected grant awards from the Town Council at the Laverton Hall on Tuesday evening. A total of £10,000 was given to community groups. Each year the council awards money to help local
WENDY ANDERSON will have a replacement partner in the English Women's Indoor Bowling Association Championships that are being staged at the new indoor centre in Basingstoke next week. Jean Bird, who has been her regular partner in the qualifying rounds
THREE people were arrested in Melksham in the early hours of Sunday morning after police officers were scrambled to the market place. Police units were called to the town centre in the early hours after receiving initial reports of a fight near the taxi
ZURICH Financial Services, one of Swindon's biggest employers, has announced a worldwide loss of $3.4 billion (about £2.1bn), compared with a loss of $387 million (£242m) in the previous year, according to its annual report for 2002. The company, which
FOUR special constables from Wales joined forces with their Wiltshire colleagues over the weekend to help out with town centre patrols. The four special officers from Dyfed Powys police met up with Wiltshire officers on Friday to compare community-policing
VILLAGERS in north and west Wiltshire have been urged to demonstrate their sense of community pride by entering the county's 2003 Best Kept Village competition. The competition is run by the Wiltshire branch of Council for the Protection of Rural England
THE tension is mounting for the six employees in Trowbridge who have made it to the final of this year's Employee of the Year contest. This week, the Wiltshire Times spoke to two more finalists to find out how they are preparing for the final, when they
PEOPLE who care for loved ones at home will have the chance to take up free back care sessions next month. Carers Support is organising sessions in towns throughout west Wiltshire to raise awareness of back problems caused by lifting and moving another
RESIDENTS of the hamlet of Tiddleywink are toasting their new-found notoriety after council chiefs put their village back on the map. Consisting of just eight houses, Tiddleywink is just yards from Yatton Keynell, but despite being a hamlet for over 100
RABBITS are to star in a competition to find the cutest bunnies in west Wiltshire. Sarah Hawker from Chippenham came up with the idea with two friends, and they decided to hold a postal rabbit photo show, and they are looking for more entries. Any money
WILTSHIRE'S hottest young singing star MiMi is to sing live in front of the nation on Sunday for her chance to represent the UK in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The 16-year-old Matravers School pupil from Westbury has beaten off the opposition
COUNCIL tax bills are set to rise by over £100 for the next financial year, with £82 of that claimed by Wiltshire County Council. The total bill for an average band D property in Wiltshire will be £1,091 in 2003/4, compared to £985 in 2002/3, an increase
THERE was a time when the special constabulary were seen as a weak link in the policing of Wiltshire towns. Those days are well and truly gone. Public order and drunken violence has been increasing in Wiltshire towns in tandem with a steady increase in
TROWBRIDGE LEAGUE: WESTBURY United A and title-chasing Rudloe will contest this season's final of the Taylor Kitchens and Bedrooms-sponsored Division Two Cup. United's 2-1 win and 4-3 aggregate success over Dynamo West End was achieved after almost two
TROWBRIDGE stormed into the semi-finals of the Corsham Print Senior Cup, beating a Pewsey side boosted by first team regulars. The first chance came after eight minutes, Adam Nunn going close with a well-struck free kick. Trowbridge dominated the game
RESIDENTS from three villages have started a campaign to persuade the Government to upgrade a road which has one of the worst safety records in Wiltshire. The parishes of Codford, Heytesbury and Upton Lovell are calling for urgent safety work to prevent
WILTSHIRE TIMES EXCLUSIVE: KIDNAP victim Michelle Lawson fears for the safety of her family if the carjacker who forced her to take a terrifying drive from Warminster to Poole is released early from prison. The mother-of-two was taken hostage in her taxi
Dr Martens League Premier Division: Cambridge C v Hinckley Utd; Chelmsford C v Bath ; Crawley Tn v Tiverton Tn; Folkestone Invicta v Stafford Rngs; Havant & W'ville v Grantham Tn; Ilkeston Tn v Halesowen Tn; Moor Green v Tamworth; Weymouth v Newport
Stratton Crosslink boss Albert Dearing and his counterpart at Wroughton, Chris Pethick, will be keeping a close eye on the result from Trowbridge where the home side take on leaders Shrewton United, writes RAY BURROUGHS. It will probably be the toughest
Why is it that only luxury cars seem to come with really useful gadgets like parking distance sensors built into the bumpers? Parking in tight spaces can be just as much of a trial for supermini drivers. So news of an accessory kit for Britain's best
Ford is expanding its Focus line-up with the introduction of a mid-sized people carrier, the Ford Focus C-MAX, which makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6. Ford first revealed its intent for a spacious and more versatile Focus with a concept
The Daewoo Nubira saloon and concept car, the Scope will make their European debut at the 73rd Geneva International Motor Show next week. The newcomer's clean-cut lines were styled by the renowned Italian specialists Pininfarina and this front-wheel drive
VORSPRUNG durch Technik' from Audi is again being combined with a new advertising campaign. Employing groundbreaking animation techniques, the TV ad, launched last week, shows how the Audi A4 2.0 FSI is not the type to 'drink like a fish'. The new Audi
Peugeot is offering deals across its range to coincide with the launch of the '03' plate tomorrow. The 106 Independence is available with one year's free insurance with CD player, power steering, body coloured bumpers, driver's airbag and Opus wheel trims
A SERVICE marking Women's World Day of Prayer will be held in Bradford on Avon on March 7. Women from all over the world will join in prayer with a service prepared by Christian women in Lebanon. The service will be held at the church of St Thomas More
SIMMERING tensions between civic leaders in Melksham and Bradford on Avon have been rekindled in a row over a fried chicken takeaway. Melksham mayor Vic Oakman said he is fuming at a decision made by members of the northern area planning committee to
WORK starts on a new cycleway between Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon on Monday. The path along the A363 between Trowle Common and the canal bridge will be widened to two metres to enable cyclists and pedestrians to use it. The project is a partnership
RAIDERS targeted Lloyds TSB in Bradford on Avon on Wednesday, but failed to escape with any cash in what police believe was a professional bank heist gone wrong. It is thought the masked men, who rammed their car through wrought iron gates to gain access
Mr Tony Martin is a victim of modern society and what this country has become. It is our opinion that his case should never have come to trial in the first place as he was only exercising his ancient rural right to defend his property against thieves.
MAY I thank everyone for their support and donations for our highly successful event A Wiltshire Wedding at Seend. A special thanks to Tinkers Bag who provided the music and also to Hygrade Foods and all the other local firms who generously donated items
I AM a resident of Horningsham, where Mr Keith Widdows has lived with his wife and family throughout the 19 years that he was managing Oscars nightclub at Longleat. I have talked to many people who live here and know him well, and we are all appalled
VoteHere, the company, which ran Swindon's e-voting pilot project, is being sued by a former employee. Daniel Spillane, 38, from Seattle, a former employee of the American-based firm, claims that he was fired two years ago because he intended to expose
THIEVES made off with an authentic London market barrow worth £10,000 and stopped one of Swindon's most colourful street sellers trading for two days. A £500 reward is being offered for its safe return, and police forces throughout the country have been
THE DUKE of Edinburgh will spend today touring Swindon. Prince Philip is expected to be in the town from 10.45am until 3.30pm opening two new buildings and a town centre landmark. His day will start with the official opening of the £170m Great Western
AN "embarrassing error' has left some of Swindon's new bus shelters without seats. AdShel, which has been replacing the town's older shelters with new ones as part of a £4m project, has admitted that the error was the result of a manufacturing fault and
WOOTTON Bassett alter two-thirds of their front row as they prepare to face the might of Southern Counties South leaders Frome. Mark Roshier and Pete Franklin join the front row at prop and hooker respectively while there is also a change in the backline
SUPERMARINE Ladies could all but mathematcially sew up the Midlands One title on Sunday should results go their way. Alex Parker's side must start by completing their end of the equation, which means defeating Worcester II at South Marston on Sunday.
A FIRE in a fusebox has left residents in a Swindon road without street lights for three weeks. Now they want them repaired because the road is unsafe. Lights went out in Shelley Street when flames leapt from the fusebox at the former Radnor Street Stores
SOLARIS was a big disappointment when it opened in the US . . . and it's not hard to see why. With George Clooney starring and director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean's Eleven) at the helm, big things were expected of the sci-fi movie. And they were
Chippenham 1st v Amersham & Chiltern (away, meet clubhouse 10.45am, ko 2.30pm): B Stephens, T Spence, J Pratt, K Thornton, N Watkins, P Baker, A Mings, I McNerlin, G Trewartha, T Lloyd, D McMillan, R Crockett (capt), M Spurway, J Barnard. Subs: Wes
Michael EphgraveCARPENTER Michael Ephgrave was today sentenced to seven years' jail for the manslaughter of Swindon labourer Mathew Hornsby. Nineteen-year old Ephgrave, of Holbein Close, Freshbrook, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Mathew, of Holbein
THE Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment have the chance to claim the Army Rugby Cup on home turf next month. The squad will tackle the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in an all-Infantry final next Wednesday. The squad, which includes players
A GROUP of Swindon youngsters have returned to the UK after successfully spreading the rugby union gospel in the United States. Supermarine's under 16 side swept the board at the World Festival of Youth Rugby in Florida and became local heroes in the
PEOPLE flocked to Trowbridge on Friday and Saturday for the town's first street arts festival. The Springtime Street Arts festival kicked off on Friday morning with street performers including jugglers, stilt walkers and singers entertaining people as
A TEENAGER who robbed an 80-year-old old lady of her handbag has been told it is almost certain he will be sent to prison. Wayne Gulliver is only still free because a judge agreed to adjourn sentencing adjourned so a psychological report can be prepared
TODAY is the last day teams can register for the annual Trowbridge pancake race to be held on Tuesday. For an entry form call Trowbridge town council on (01225) 765072
POLICE armed response teams were called to Trowbridge on Monday 24 February after three incidents involving a potentially lethal ballbearing gun. The first two shots were at people driving along Church Street, the third shot was fired into the Millets
PEOPLE interested in foster caring can find out what is involved at an open evening being held in Trowbridge on Wednesday. The talk, organised by Wiltshire County Council, aims to give people an insight into what it is like to care for children on a temporary
Wootton Bassett ended a run of fixtures against the top sides in the section in midweek when they held title contenders Yate Town to a goalless draw, writes RAY BURROUGHS. With fixtures in recent weeks against North Leigh, Carterton, Highworth, Didcot
GAMBLING addict Richard Mizon stole hundreds of pounds from his grandmother's bank account to pay off a mountain of debt. Slot machine addict Mizon, 21, used his grandmother's cash card 16 times to withdraw money from her account to pay off gambling losses
SWINDON Supermarine's win against Warwick last week might have given the club fresh hope of avoiding a return to the Hellenic League, but survival is still a mammoth ask. Marine visit fellow strugglers Shepshed in another big relegation tussle tomorrow
Swindon Schools under 15 boys team face Mid-Oxon next Wednesday, March 5. The match will be played at Highworth Town's ground and kicks-off at 7.30pm.
On Sunday a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Westbury will be standing in front of a live studio and television audience and singing her heart out. Mimi Kevan, from Westbury, who uses the stage name of MiMi, hopes to be chosen to represent the UK in this year's
A breakaway group of the Bristol-based Kingswood Disabled AC is forming a new club called the West Country Disabled Angling Association. The Association will cater for both pleasure and match anglers and is open to disabled and able bodies anglers on
A FORMER Swindon MP has spoken out against war in Iraq and condemned Tony Blair's arguments for conflict as absurd. Lord Stoddart of Swindon, the town's Labour MP for 13 years until 1983, intervened in the House of Lords to attack the government's willingness
BRAD Pitt has been revealed as the famous man most women would like to accompany them on a dream road trip. A survey carried out by Diamond, a direct motor insurer specialising in car insurance for women, questioned female customers about their fantasy
A PLEDGE by the Government to produce more energy by renewable sources may pave the way for a controversial wind farm in Watchfield near Swindon. The Energy White Paper, which was unveiled by trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt last week, contained
A FOOTBALL hero and a best-selling novelist have added their support to the Abby Smith Cancer Fund. Gary Lineker and Jilly Cooper have both sent donations to be raffled in a fundraising event for children suffering from cancer. The fund, which was set
PLANS to renovate the chapel at St Mary's Church in Cricklade are vital to preserve the medieval heritage of the town, says a parish priest. The north chapel is believed to have been built in the 15th century, but without the installation of anchors which
A PARLIAMENTARY bill to help reduce the number of accidents with needles is being sponsored by South Swindon MP Julia Drown. The bill, called the Needle Stick Injury Ten Minute Rule Bill calls for increased use of safer needle practices, impr-oved monitoring
SWINDON Council, in partnership with British Gas, is undertaking a pilot scheme to improve the energy efficiency and security of 275 homes in Penhill. All those involved in the new Here to Help scheme will be offered a free and confidential benefits health
Newly-diagnosed epileptics in Wiltshire are likely to benefit from a cash lifeline by the Government. The Epilepsy Information Service has been awarded a grant of £288,000 at a time when its funding was running out. Trevor Hatton, area co-ordinator for
MP Michael Wills is saving taxpayers £20,000 a year by refusing a ministerial car and catching the Tube or a bus instead. The North Swindon MP is a minister in the Home Office, which clocked up a staggering 17,542 miles in chauffeur-driven rides in a
DEDICATED Marie Curie nurse Lindy Horden radiates good cheer and humour. Twiggy, as she prefers to be known, is a beacon of light during people's darkest moments. As a Marie Curie nurse, she is called on to bring comfort and support to the dying and their
RECORDED complaints about Swindon's hospitals have increased dramatically since last year. While formal complaints, which usually involve written letters, against the former Princess Margaret Hospital and the new Great Western Hospital, which opened in
THE Orbital Retail Park in West Swindon is home to the first interactive travel agent in the country. The Lunn Poly shop, which opens tomorrow, will be a total holiday experience, complete with Mediterranean- style lighting, swimming pool floor, sand
POLICE were today continuing to hunt two men who indecently exposed themselves to girls in Swindon. The latest incident happened when a teenager exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl as she walked along Elgin Drive, Elgin. And a man who has done the same
Julia Drown, MP for South Swin-don, has met a number of activists from Zimbabwe, many of whom have suffered torture under the regime of president Robert Mugabe. The activists visited the House of Commons to present a petition with more than 15,000 signatories
SIR Ewen Cameron visited Faringdon in his capacity as Rural Advocate, to discuss governance issues with representatives from Vale of White Horse District Council and Faringdon Town Council. Sir Ewen Cameron met Faringdon residents informally in the Market
MORE than half the truants stopped in a Government crackdown at Swindon were out of school with their parents' permission. Figures released today show that 120 children were stopped in a week-long truancy sweep. Some 38 of these were truants off school
DRIVING through Swindon at the moment is proving difficult for most motorists. Roadworks on several of the town's major routes are making travel a nightmare. But if it was not for the foresight of Swindon Council's environmental services department things
I DO not know how this council has the nerve to increase council tax by 15 per cent when it continues to waste money on hideous items such as the recently installed clock. Then should be a public inquiry into the dreadful waste over the years, either
I THOUGHT the idea of a four-sided clock was to be able to see the time from four directions. However, on approaching the clock from the top of Regent Street which is the main shopping area one cannot even see the clock. One has to reach Canal Walk before
THERE has been a great deal of bad press in the paper about the Great Western Hospital. Well, I would just like to say that on Saturday, February 15, my little boy Oliver (17 months) had a temperature of 40C. We rushed him to the hospital and on arrival
I have been reading with interest readers' letters and your features and comments on the council's obsession with traffic lights. We should all remember that a few years ago the council advertised a position on the road planning team for someone with
BATH have suffered a serious blow ahead of tomorrow's must-win Zurich Premiership clash with Saracens after hearing that playmaker Mike Catt is unlikely to be fit. The England man has injured his hamstring and the prognosis from the Rec's medical staff
CHIPPENHAM Town Football Club is looking to the youngsters in the area to help it design a new stadium. The club has launched its Design A Stadium competition to get ideas from children and adults. The challenge is to draw a leisure complex, which includes
WORK has started to convert a 16th century barn in Lacock into a new education centre. Lacock Estate has received funds from the National Trust to renovate the Manger Barn in the High Street into a large teaching space for schools and colleges. The first
RABBITS are to star in a competition to find the cutest bunnies in west Wiltshire. Sarah Hawker from Chippenham came up with the idea with two friends, and they decided to hold a postal rabbit photo show, and they are looking for more entries. Any money
