Ref. 74377-22 Amanda WilsonA WOOTTON Bassett woman had a lucky escape from the tidal wave that caused destruction around the Indian Ocean. Catherine Moss, 25, a former pupil at Wootton Bassett School, was on holiday from her job as an English teacher
Ref. 73912-86 One of the winners John Flatt with his wife Jane and son Robert plus friend as FrostyFACES were lit up almost as much as their houses as we announced the winners of our Light Up Christmas competition. Four families will now receive £300
Ref. 72982-46OLYMPIC athlete Matt O'Dowd still needs a sponsor to keep him on track for a medal. Matt, 28, pictured, who grew up in Rodbourne, became a local celebrity over the summer after completing the gruelling Athens marathon in stifling heat. But
HIGH-PROFILE dad Gordon Brown will be meeting young families when he drops into a Swindon nursery in the New Year. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is planning an informal visit to Swindon Sure Start on January 5. He will meet a group of parents to talk
Community projects are needed to claim church grants. The Church Urban Fund has given away thousands over the past 20 years. Projects must primarily serve people living in areas of social and economic deprivation and it must have a link with a local Christian
Ref. 74375-10A FOOTBALL fanatic who nearly died when she was a baby met her favourite Swindon Town player as part of a birthday treat. Thanks to the Adver, who set up the surprise, Charlotte Brewer met her idol Sammy Igoe before the match between The
AMBULANCE chiefs are to discuss plans to merge services across Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire next month. Representatives from Wiltshire Ambulance PPI Forum will meet at 12.45pm in Devizes on Wednesday, January 19. A spokesman for the forum said:
YOUNGSTERS are invited to enter teams in the 2005 Kielder Challenge an outdoor competition also open to disabled people. There are 200 places and applications should be completed and returned as soon as possible. Teams will take part in a one-day heat
CRICKLADE Garden Club next meets on Tuesday, January 11 in the town hall annexe. Guest speaker will be John Edgeley who will give advice on growing fruit in small gardens. For more information call 01793 751403 or visit www.crickladegardenclub.co.uk
THE Kentwood Choir, headed by Sheila Harrod is to perform a fundraising concert in aid of a community association. The cash will got to Rodbourne Cheney Residents' Association's initiatives such as its regular newsletter. The concert is on Friday, February
DOZENS of Swindon Scouts helped deliver Christmas cheer this year. This was the 22nd year that Scouts have played postman delivering Christmas cards across the borough. Co-ordinator Phil Prentice, who launched the service, said the operation went like
DIVERS will be taking the plunge and swimming a stretch of the icy River Thames at Lechlade on Sunday. A 30-strong team from the Swindon branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club hope to raise cash for the RNLI. The annual stunt starts near Inglesham Church
MORE than 3,000 copies of a calendar featuring Swindon roundabouts were sold over Christmas. Kevin Beresford of Redditch does calendars of different towns' roundabouts. He said: "This is the second year running Swindon has come top. They're wacky but
Ref. 74370-23Paddy Reid, 35 has been homeless for six years after his marriage ended and he lost his home and job. He has recently spent time in jail and came out in November. "At the end of the day people that live on the streets are quite close knit
In Parliament, in between General Elections, most changes occur in or near the front bench as Ministers are either sacked, resign, or leave to spend more time in their constituencies. (Often this is a euphemism for "I'm not up to it and I'd better leave
Billie PiperIT has been a rollercoaster of a year for Swindon singer-turned-actress Billie Piper. One thing that can be said is that the celebrity has definitely turned her career around having made the leap to the silver screen and having won a much-coveted
A MAN who stormed into an Indian restaurant and slammed his fist through a toilet door while a worker cowered inside has escaped a jail term. Terrance Alderton, who has a history of violence, was put on an 18-month probation order and told to attend an
Capital gains tax could be scrapped at a cost of £2 billion under proposals announced by the Conservatives today. The tax charged on assets such a investment properties and shares when they are sold or given away is one of eight identified as complex
A MEETING to discuss plans to merge ambulance services across Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire is being held next month. Representatives from Wiltshire Ambulance PPI Forum, which represents the community on health issues, will meet at 12.45pm in Devizes
LAST week the European Parliament voted to adopt biometric passports (the UK Independence Party voted against). The new passports will include a facial image, fingerprints and unspecified biographical data. However, the regulation concerned applies only
I'M sure the Evening Advertiser have got it right but I have a job to believe what I read in the December 20 edition (page 3). Quote: "Swindon Services is in the top third of unitary authorities when it comes to recycling waste." As I have no car, in
I HAVE to wonder at the point of having a park keeper to lock and unlock the gates to the Town Gardens. On Christmas Day, my family decided to walk off our festive dinner with a stroll through the park. There were six of us two were my young daughters
I RESPECT Derek Benfield (EA Letters) but regret that he is not well briefed on the internal working of the Conservative Party, particularly at local level. The Party has a policy of selecting the best candidate regardless of background, wealth, age,
TOWN'S two-course festive feast has breathed new life into the club's promotion push with manager Andy King confident that his team is back in business. The men in red saw off Peterborough for 'starters' on Boxing Day and followed it up with a mouthwatering
Ref. 74377-22 Amanda WilsonA WOOTTON Bassett woman had a lucky escape from the tidal wave that caused destruction around the Indian Ocean. Catherine Moss, 25, a former pupil at Wootton Bassett School, was on holiday from her job as an English teacher
Ref. 74372-28 & 74376-3 Henry Quinn and Barrie PaddonA FORMER factory worker says working for a Swindon company for just nine months left him with a severe hearing impairment. Henry Quinn, 77, is just one of hundreds of former Swindon Pressings workers
ATRONOMERS will be celebrating the New Year with Mother Nature's very own fireworks display, thanks to a Swindon research council. The spiral galaxy NGC 6946 which lies between 10 and 20 million light years away in the constellation Cepheus, is ablaze
Ref. 74377-22 Amanda WilsonA WOOTTON Bassett woman had a lucky escape from the tidal wave that caused destruction around the Indian Ocean. Catherine Moss, 25, a former pupil at Wootton Bassett School, was on holiday from her job as an English teacher
David Kennedy in happier times onboard the yachtA FAMILY have spoken of the moment when the Boxing Day tidal wave tossed their yacht like a matchstick in the Indian Ocean. The Kennedy family, who were on board when the tsunami struck, cannot believe they
WOOTTON Bassett residents looking for an environmentally-friendly way to dispose of their Christmas trees can take them to the chipper in Borough Fields Car Park, near Hills Waste Recycling Bins, on Saturday, January 8, 8.30am-1pm. There is also a collection
IT'S panto season and organisers of the Cricklade United Church's Snow White expect a good turnout. The family fun gets its airing on February 10, 11 and 12 at 7.30pm at the church hall. There is a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets will be available
Nationwide Building Society Martial Arts Club has donated £1,920 to the charity Cancer Research after an event held at the Pipers Way offices in the autumn.
CRICKLADE Historical Society has an exhibition on the war years in the New Year. Anyone with vivid memories or old photographs is asked to call Chris Morley on 01793 750686.
RESIDENTS of Swindon's twin town of Salzgitter will visit in the summer. In May a group of Swindonians including Swindon-Salzgitter Twinning Association founding member Reg Clarke spent a week touring Germany. John Hamilton, spokesman for the Association
A STAR from the hit sci-fi series Stargate is coming Swindon. Tony Amendola played Bra'tac, mentor of Teal'c, in the Stargate series. He will appear at Infinitely Better in the Brunel Centre on Thursday, February 17, from 4.30pm to 7pm. Entry will be
A MAN has appeared in court following a ram raid which ruined a young man's Christmas. Owen Bygraves, 34, of Falconer Mews, appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court on Monday charged with burglary. He was remanded in custody and will appear again in the
HONDA has seen three of its models placed in a list of the 10 worst-selling cars. The list, compiled by industry analysts JATO Dynamics, paints a bleak future for the Legend/Smart Crossblade, Insight (pictured above) and the NSX models. Honda makes its
FIREFIGHTERS were called to put out a car fire which was believed to have been started deliberately. A crew from Westlea took 30 minutes to extinguish the flames shortly after 3am yesterday. The car, which was parked in Ely Close, Toothill, was severely
ARTISTS and photographers are invited to take part in a competition capturing the magic of North Meadow Nature Reserve. The beauty spot near Cricklade is recognised as one of the finest examples of a lowland flower-rich hay meadow in Europe. Traditional
A DAY care centre for the homeless is to be set up in Swindon on a double decker bus. The bus, donated by Thamesdown Transport, will be parked in town during the day and a range of professionals will be on board including chiropodists, doctors, dentists
Ref. 74370-07Over Christmas, good food and a warm welcome were on the menu for homeless people in the town. DIANA MILNE reports HOMELESS people from Swindon were given food, warmth and festive cheer thanks to a team of dedicated charity volunteers. The
With this year dominated so much by the war, diversions were welcomed whenever they presented themselves. It was a group of men in tights who mustered up public sympathy on home soil. They were the superheroes the Fathers 4 Justice campaign gained maximum
SHEILA KINSELLA looks back at the last 12 months in politics I think they were called 'Weebles', those children's toys that bounced upright after being knocked over. But Tony Blair proved to be the greatest 'Weeble' of them all. In a year of drama and
Ref. 74301-05A CRICKLADE shop has been targeted by graffiti protesters for the second time in three months. Anti-globalisation graffiti was daubed on the Tesco Express store in the town on Christmas Eve. The words 'Tesco's need stuffing shop local not
SWINDON'S answer to David Hasselhoff and sidekick KITT can't wait to roar into the fast lane in the New Year. Nick Gilchrist, 40, from Middleleaze, has spent a staggering £20,000 transforming his Toyota MR2 into something resembling KITT star of the 80s
For the spokesperson of the NatWest bank to call the failure of the doors to open in the Regent Street branch a technical glitch (Adver December 27) defies belief. It was an accident waiting to happen! The doors have been a problem for weeks if not months
I reply to D Reeve's letter (EA December 23) in which he places the responsibility for the formula for Council Tax in the hands of the civil service. On assuming power in 1997, this Labour Government viewed the civil service with a great wariness. This
