Archive

  • Instant Hero

    CHRISTIAN Roberts heads for Vale Park tomorrow night boasting a 100 per cent scoring record for Swindon Town and the striker is happy to cope with the pressure that instant acclaim inevitably brings. The 24-year-old became a County Ground hero with a

  • Scam in selling goods off the back of a truck

    RETAILERS in Wiltshire have been urged to carry out security checks on credit card orders to avoid falling victim to a new scam. Police say traders in the county have already been tricked by the fraudsters, who order goods on the telephone. A deposit

  • First loss in 135 years for giant

    SAINSBURY'S is expected to announce the first loss in its 135-year history. The new chief executive Justin King will unveil his review of the ailing group tomorrow. There is talk that it will create 3,000 jobs as it looks to improve services at its supermarkets

  • Resuscitating the high street

    Ref. 27977-16RUMOURS of the death of the high street have been grossly over-exaggerated, say Swindon business leaders. This week's news that Greenbridge-based WH Smith made a £135 million loss have seen the troubled retailer join a roll-call of struggling

  • Clowning around in the library

    Ref. 72779-5 Alan Carter and his son CalebIT'S not every day you see a unicyclist, a clown and a juggler in a library. But Saturday was an exception when North Swindon Library on the Orbital Shopping Park held a family fun day. Organised by the Swindon

  • 'I hate my life and I can't take it any more'

    Ref. 21953-59AS a child Kristian Andersen wanted to follow in the footsteps of world-renowned adventurer David Hempleman-Adams. But only a few years later his life had spiralled into heroin-fuelled chaos, leading to his suicide at the age of 20. His death

  • Facing the agony

    Ref. 72768-9To have a son die from a heroin overdose with suicide notes and a syringe nearby is something that most parents cannot even begin to imagine. But mother Jan Andersen had to face that nightmare. It was the worst time in her life and she still

  • 'I get nervous going through town at night'

    Ref. 72760-47Swindon's most senior Judge John McNaught has dealt with the foulest of crimes in more than 40 years in the courtroom. Today he says he feels nervous about walking through the town centre after dark. Recent fears about violence in Swindon

  • Hughes' reshuffle pays off in style

    BRIAN Hughes' midweek shake up had the desired effect as Cirencester destroyed the normally resolute Grantham at the Corinium Stadium. A mini clear out of personnel and a tinker with the formation worked wonders as Ciren romped away in the first half.

  • Cards for charities

    HELP more than 250 charities by buying your Christmas cards from Swindon Tourist Information Office. For every £1 spent on the Cards for Good Causes, 81p will find its way to the needy. Some of the charities benefiting are Barnardo's, the British Heart

  • Work to begin on new schools

    BUILDING work should start next month on seven new schools in north Swindon. A primary school, two replacement special schools and a secondary school on a campus site in Priory Vale, a new primary school at Haydon End, and a replacement school for Hreod

  • Pets on their best behaviour

    ANIMAL behaviour expert Gwen Bailey, will give a talk to pet owners in Liddington on October 31. Westie Re-homing has invited Mrs Bailey, who has written 10 books about animal behaviour. Mrs Bailey worked for the Blue Cross animal charity between 1988

  • Surgery to open

    A NEW Swindon surgery will open its doors later this month. The Taw Hill Practice will be one of the town's finest when it opens its two-storey building on October 28. Dr Peter Crouch and his team will have the choice of 10 consulting rooms, two operating

  • Attack on motorist

    A driver was assaulted by another motorist on Wednesday at 3.10pm on the A3102 Swindon road opposite the Prince of Wales pub in Wootton Bassett. The driver of a black Saab was arrested. Witnesses should call PC Mason at Wootton Bassett police station

  • Rooms for hire

    GROUPS in Swindon are reminded that there are 14 council-owned venues available to hire. Venues range from committee rooms seating up to 15 people to large halls which can accommodate as many as 300. For details call 01793 463000 or visit www. swindon.gov.uk

  • Antarctic footsteps

    NOVEMBER 17, 2004: EXPLORER Stephen Venables, pictured, is giving a talk about his adventures in retracing Antarctic explorer Shackleton's footsteps. The talk illustrated with slides is called Enchanted Island and will look at how Stephen took the famous

  • Greavsie on the ball for Wyvern

    FORMER England player Jimmy Greaves will be kicking off a night of soccer talk at the Wyvern Theatre on November 8. Greavsie will be appearing with ex-Chelsea hard man Ron 'Chopper' Harris and compere Terry Baker. Tickets are priced between £11 and £15

  • Help the Scamps

    A SWINDON charity supporting disabled people is appealing for more volunteers. Scamp provides support to physically disabled or sensory impaired people who have difficulty communicating or socialising. More than 550 people use the service, which offers

  • Songsters in concert

    INTERNATIONALLY renowned singers performed in Swindon over the weekend. The Salvation Army's International Staff Songsters performed in a concert at Christ Church, Old Town, on Saturday. This was followed by a performance at St Barnabas Church, Gorse

  • Dutch visitors

    WILTSHIRE Constabulary has played host to seven senior Dutch police officers. The officers from the Drenthe region, with which Wiltshire police have had links for several years, looked at issues such as Wiltshire's crime and disorder partnerships.

  • Our finest families

    A COUGH medicine firm has launched its fourth annual quest to find Britain's finest families. The Veno's Family 2004 is intended to recognise families who stick together through thick and thin. Regional winners go forward to be considered for the national

  • Cannabis haul had value of £650,000

    POLICE have seized cannabis with a street value of £650,000 from the back of a car which was pulled over on the M4. Officers stopped the car, which they suspected was overloaded and had blacked out windows, as it was heading west between Membury Services

  • Villagers go to war as they step back in time

    Ref. 72770-59CIVIL War broke out in a village near Swindon as residents indulged in their local history. People dressed up in period costume to re-enact days gone by in Hinton Parva. As well as staging Civil War on Saturday, a Victorian day was held yesterday

  • Truck firm will need to recruit for £1.1bn contract

    A SWINDON truck company is to breath new life into old buildings following a £1.1bn deal for military vehicles. Man ERF, based at Blagrove in West Swindon, will also create a "significant number" of new jobs following the order for more than 5,000 new

  • Water on way to desert-dwellers

    A SWINDON charity's two-year quest to supply water to a desert village in Pakistan has moved a step closer to becoming a reality thanks to an £89,000 grant. The Future in Our Hands Education and Development Fund (FIOH) will use most of the money, from

  • Hunters bid for lots of bargains

    Ref. 72983-246CELEBRITY antiques dealer David Rolfe helped push up the price of bargains at a charity auction. Mr Rolfe, 51, star of the ITV West show The Bargain Hunters, was the auctioneer at Westlea Pre-school, Langstone Way, yesterday. Parents bid

  • Council faces fine of £28 million

    SWINDON taxpayers could face a bill of more than £28 million if the council does not improve the town's recycling facilities over the next 15 years. Swindon Council will face huge penalties in 2020 if it does not meet targets set by the European Union

  • Tots total totted up

    VOLUNTEERS at a toy library have just finished counting cash raised during an event held in support of cancer patients. The Phoenix Toy Library collected £36 by taking part in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief. And now

  • Marathon men and women

    Ref. 72982-39Hundreds of runners line up to make Swindon's biggest race event in 20 years a runaway success HUNDREDS of runners will be resting sore limbs today after completing Swindon's biggest running event for 20 years. After a cold start yesterday

  • All change

    Swindon is moving forward and looking at where and what it wants to be. It seems to me that the new look Advertiser needs to move on from some old ways. I would suggest that a) the anti-European rants you freely publish and b) the disgusting and constant

  • Grave concern

    I was extremely disturbed to learn through the Internet edition of the Evening Advertiser that gravestones at Wroughton Church had been flattened and that no one had advised me of this. My wife is buried in the graveyard and it was not until I was able

  • We may regret this loss

    I NOTED the feeble quibble of Derek Benfield (EA Sep 24) with some incredulity concerning the protest over Coate New Town plans. He hasn't quite grasped the plot has he? From Dayhouse Lane there is still an uplifting view of Liddington Hill in its rural

  • Why not employ toilet attendant?

    I AM complaining about the disabled toilet at Cavendish Square. My wife and many others have a disabled key for their own use of the toilet. Last week we discovered that the council or someone had added a second lock which makes it no good to us as we

  • Council lands a knockout blow

    Ref. 25209-07A FORMER heavyweight boxer has been dealt a knockout blow after one of his bitterest fights yet. Eddie Neilson, who was only defeated seven times in 40 fights, has lost a hard fought bout with Wiltshire County Council. The council's legal

  • Anne is ready for the fight ahead

    Ref. 72773-68A FORMER teacher is hoping to step into the shoes of South Swindon MP Julia Drown. Winning candidate Anne Snelgrove blitzed the selection process with an overwhelming majority. Ms Drown, who was elected when Tony Blair swept into office in

  • Going loopy over town's roundabouts

    Ref. 72748-1MIDLANDER Kevin Beresford loves Swindon roundabouts so much he has brought out a second calendar featuring his favourites. Last year his Swindon Roundabouts calendar sold out several times and 8,000 were eventually snapped up. Now his Swindon's

  • Thieves tie up and rob victim at knifepoint

    ROBBERS put a rope around a man's neck and bound his hands in a knife-point attack. Police are appealing for witnesses following the incident in which two men approached the victim while he was walking alone along a footpath at the back of Megabowl at

  • Council lands a knockout blow

    Ref. 25209-07A FORMER heavyweight boxer has been dealt a knockout blow after one of his bitterest fights yet. Eddie Neilson, who was only defeated seven times in 40 fights, has lost a hard fought bout with Wiltshire County Council. The council's legal

  • Johnston brace sets up triumph for College

    Swindon College Old Boys moved into the second round of the Dorset & Wilts Vase by dismissing Calne 22-10 at Anchor Road. A dominant 25-minute spell at the end of the first half, when College scored three tries, left Calne shell-shocked. To their

  • End of the Chippenham run

    CHIPPENHAM'S 100 per cent record in South West Two East was ended by a 19-3 defeat at Reading Abbey on Saturday. The game was abandoned earlier in the season when the match official got injured, but Chippenham failed to take advantage of their second

  • Poole get a pummelling as young Pailor grabs treble

    Swindon roared into the third round of the Powergen Junior Vase as they rattled up a century of points at hapless Poole. Having seen original opponents Cooper Avon thrown out of the tournament for fielding an inelligible player in the previous round,

  • New College winning

    New College, winning lots of friends with their brand of football, kept up the good work with a 4-1 away win over Melksham, writes RAY BURROUGHS. Their boss Pete Horwat was lavish with his praise for the side and said : "It was a fantastic all round performance

  • A fair Copp as late goal seals victory

    A 90th-minute wonder strike from Chris Copp secured a valuable three points for Supermarine in a feisty encounter at Corby that saw the home side finish with 10 men, writes LEIGH MOORE. Marine were without Gloucester-based pairing Steve Jenkins and Dave

  • Bore draw for Bassett

    Wootton Bassett Town continued their poor run of form as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to lowly Milton United in a disappointing Hellenic Premier encounter. Bassett had the better of their opponents early on but Milton had the first shot of the

  • Library books can be delivered to your door

    BOOKWORMS in North Swindon who can't get to the library can now have their books delivered for free. The library's new Home Delivery service has begun. It joins 12 other libraries across the town, already involved in delivering library items to people

  • £200 for homeless

    THE homeless will benefit from a church's latest round of fundraising. People who enjoyed the harvest festival celebration at Butterworth Street Methodist Church, Rodbourne, have announced a total of £200 through the sale of donated produce. It will go

  • Learning about children's play

    PARENTS have just one more day to sign up to a new Play to Learn course. The free course run by the NSPCC and the Pre-School Learning Alliance aims to give parents a greater appreciation of the importance of play in their children's lives. The course

  • Help to ease the pain of arthritis

    Arthritis Care is to run a series of workshops, called You Can Break the Pain Cycle, in Wiltshire. They will help people learn techniques to manage their pain more effectively. The free two-hour sessions will be led by volunteers who themselves have arthritis

  • Knockout date

    FORMER world heavyweight boxing champ Frank Bruno is visiting Swindon next month. Frank (pictured right) will be meeting fans and signing autographs at the Infinitely Better shop on the first floor of the Brunel shopping centre on Friday, November 19.

  • BBC man takes a look at journalism

    JOURNALISTS and their profession will be the subject of a forthcoming lecture in Swindon. Tony Worgan is responsible for local BBC services as managing editor of BBC Radio Wiltshire and Swindon and the interactive BBCi Wiltshire. He will be asking why

  • Firefighters tackle blaze in a garage

    FIREFIGHTERS used a thermal camera to tackle a garage fire in Swindon. Crews from Swindon and Stratton were called to the blaze in Kimmeridge Close, Nythe at about 11pm on Saturday. They used the specialist equipment to see whether there were any hotspots

  • Nicaragua trip

    PLACES are still available on a trip to Swindon's twin town of Ocotal in Nicaragua. The Swindon Ocotal Link is taking 12 people on a study trip between November 25 to December 9. It costs £1,100. Call Bruce Clarke on 01793 466042 if interested.

  • Police do the rounds

    WILTSHIRE police's mobile inquiry office will be doing the rounds this week. Tomorrow evening it will be in Hullavington, on Wednesday evening it will be in Purton and on Thursday night it will be in Ashton Keynes. It will be open for people to visit

  • Warning about mobile extras

    PARENTS in Swindon are being warned to be on the lookout for mobile phone offers which have hidden extras. One Swindon mum, who did not wish to be named, said she was shocked to find her 11-year-old son had spent more than £10 in a month on ring tones

  • Magistrates set to be sworn in

    SEVEN new magistrates will be sworn in tomorrow at Swindon Crown Court. But Swindon Magistrates' Court is still calling for more people to take up the unpaid role. Since a story appeared in the Adver last month calling for volunteers to take up the post

  • MP in call for bus services

    Ref. 72758-02DEFLATED Swindonians have rallied behind a bid to get pensioners free transport to the post office once three branches in Swindon are axed. North Swindon MP Michael Wills believes elderly people will be the biggest losers when counters in

  • Fun runner Vic aims for the big one

    RUNNING any distance on Sunday morning deserves a round of applause. And the Swindon crowds were out in force to give just that. I plumped for the 4.2-mile fun run but wished I went for the big one because the atmosphere was so fantastic. Even without

  • Standing up to be counted

    Ref. 22968-43 Andy Newman secretary of the Swindon Stop The War CoalitionTHE mood was definitely subdued as our coach pulled away from Swindon College and there was quiet chatter as we made our way to the capital. For many of the Swindonians it was the

  • Get writing!

    HERE is an update of the information I have so far, about Sky viewers being switched to ITV Central. Julia Drown MP, kindly sent me the letter that she had received back from ITV Central. Apart from a lot of technical jargon it said that the switch has

  • Single mums aren't scroungers

    WITH reference to the letter published in the Adver on October 14 (Unwed mums should pay up), I find the writer offensive how dare they say we're all the same, I don't see myself as a scrounger. Before I met my ex-partner I used to work full time, I was

  • Connolly feels the sting at The Rec

    Bath coach John Connolly felt that his team had not enjoyed the rub of the green after they slipped to a 19-16 defeat against champions Wasps their second home loss of the season. Olly Barkley kept Bath in touch with three penalties and a conversion following