HOME track hero Lee Richardson climbed off his sickbed to magnificently guide Great Britain into speedway's World Cup Final last night then admitted: ''I nearly didn't ride at all.'' Swindon star Richardson, shrugged off a stomach bug to storm to an amazing
YOUR Swindon Advertiser is getting ready to go on tour. We are visiting the towns and villages around Swindon to meet our readers in their communities. The Advertiser is read each day by around 63,500 people, many of whom live outside Swindon itself.
THE Chip and PIN programme has released the latest figures on the rollout of the system. At the end of June more than 107 million chip and PIN cards had been issued and it is estimated that UK retailers and other businesses accounting for 84 per cent
Nationwide financial management team workers decorate Gorse Hill Community Centre, from left, Mike Green, Chris Sumner, Paul McLaughlin and Paul Rogers Ref: 78643-22GORSE Hill Community Centre has a bright future after being given a much-needed lick of
A TEACHER who had an affair with a pupil is today beginning a 16-month jail sentence. Mark Medlicott had been 'warned off' by the youngster's father after a friend got wind of the couple's friendship. But the Wootton Bassett School teacher and the girl
Trust's human resources director Paul BentleyFEWER patients than expected are using the flagship treatment centre at the Great Western Hospital. The Brunel NHS Treatment Centre opened in April at a cost of £32m but not as many patients as anticipated
A UNIVERSITY of Swindon would be an asset but not a University of Bath in Swindon, and not at Coate Water. If Bath University wishes to expand let it do so in its own city. When the Great Western Hospital was built a promise was made that that would be
I WOULD like to make the following comments with reference to the planned development at Coate Water. 1. The people who are so desperate and hell bent on building at Coate Water and the Front Garden, obviously have no interest in the town of Swindon or
IT may, or may not, be good for Swindon to have a university. However, it is presumptuous for developers from the New Swindon Company and King Sturge (SA July 25 pg 4-5) to assume the case for one is proven, it is far from self-evident. They need to explain
I WAS reading your report about the university development proposed for Coate Water, especially with reference to what the students had to say about it. You see I am also a student at New College on an Access course for nursing, so would really like to
THERE is a tragedy taking place at the Coate Water site an intended plan to build an extension of Bath University. It seems short-sighted, ridiculous and even negligent. By ignoring the outrage of many well intentioned and responsible citizens, Swindon
MAGISTRATES took pity on a man who made a move on his sick wife's carer. Ian Wilmot, 53, of May Close, Gorse Hill, admitted a charge of common assault after drunkenly kissing the woman. The court heard how Wilmot, who had no previous convictions, lunged
Trust's human resources director Paul BentleyFEWER patients than expected are using the flagship treatment centre at the Great Western Hospital. The Brunel NHS Treatment Centre opened in April at a cost of £32m but not as many patients as anticipated
Anna Cornell with a piglet Ref: 78666-17THERE was plenty of forest capers at Roves Farm on Saturday for the start of its Robin Hood week. Robin Hood themed activities included making Robin Hood hats and tractor rides down to the forest to take part in
A CYBER cheat who pocketed thousand of pounds by offering festival tickets for sale on eBay has been jailed. Christopher Whitnall conned people into parting with cash for tickets for last summer's Reading Festival that he didn't have. And rather than
Whitehouse Bridge in SwindonA 51-YEAR-OLD Swindon man has died after his motorbike collided with a car last night. He was taken to Great Western Hospital with serious injuries and died during the night. The accident happened at 6.40pm at Whitehouse Bridge
A GROUP of Polish dancers from Torun gave a display of traditional dancing at the Polish Club in Swindon. The Kadzioleczka dance group have been spending four days in Cheltenham to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Rendezvous Society, a charitable
COST-cutting councillors have been attacked for "hiding" behind the excuse of receiving unfair grants from Whitehall despite the town's cashpot soaring by more than 82 per cent since Labour came to power. North Swindon MP Michael Wills has criticised
THE huge variety of wildlife in and around Swindon will be the subject of two talks next Monday. Neil Pullen, pictured, Swindon's wildlife officer, and Carolynn Jureidini, of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, will be speaking at Wroughton's Science Museum on
MOTORCYCLISTS can pick up useful tips and take a riding assessment as part of a scheme to improve safety on the county's roads. Bike Safe, which is organised by Wiltshire Constabulary, Wiltsire County Council and Swindon Council, is running courses on
THE British Heart Foundation is urging Swindon residents to hunt through their homes for much-needed donations. The BHF shop in Havelock Street is urgently appealing to members of the community for donations of good quality clothing, accessories, handbags
THE National Trust is suing an Asian airline over the crash of one of its aircraft in 1999. The organisation, which has its headquarters in Swindon, has issued a writ to Korean Airlines for more than £300,000 after a Boeing 747 jumbo jet freighter crashed
A SWINDON charity is appealing for people to hold fundraising tea parties. Home Start Swindon raises money to help support families and children in the town who may be struggling financially. It has organised the Big Tea Parties to bring in cash for families
SWINDON is radiating good news to distant parts. Research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council at North Star suggests that climate change could increase yields for Scottish farmers. The research analysed the effects of projected changes
THE Samaritans Collectables Day takes place on Wednesday this week. The staff have collected together the more valuable donations from the past few months, such as pottery, china, gold and silver jewellery and are selling these from 10am to 4pm, at the
A CHURCH is planning to sing some of the finest songs of praise this month. United Songs of Praise will be held at St Augustine's Church in Summers Street, Rodbourne, on Sunday, August 21. The church will be open from 5.30pm with events beginning at 6.30pm
A SEARCH has been launched to find Swindon's happiest cat. A cat food company has launched the first online purr-o-meter designed to help owners gauge just how happy their cats are. Whiskas has examined a number of different purrs and tried to work out
KENNET and North Wiltshire's primary care trust has been slated in a report by the Government's Audit Commission. The trust, which looks after surgeries, has spent £10.2m over budget, and the commission said it was because of "poor initial budget setting
THE M4 is the second favourite motorway for motorists, a survey has found. The M1 came top in the poll, carried out for the RAC Foundation. The M25 was voted the least favourite, with a third of drivers expressing their loathing for it. According to those
Melinda Messenger is one of the nominees in the Celebrity Hat Wearer of the Year 2005 contest. The Swindon star joins Joanna Lumley, Victoria Beckham and Sir Sean Connery in the list of celebrities that have been nominated. The competition has been organised
A NUMBER of Swindon groups are working together to make sure the International Day of Peace becomes part of the town's calendar. Swindon Film Society, Swindon and Marlborough Amnesty, Swindon Fair Trade Coalition, Swindon Churches Together, Swindon Oxfam
A JUDGE has issued a warrant for the arrest and detention of a man who burgled his mum's Park North house. Christopher Mackie was released on bail by Swindon Crown Court last month to see if he was suitable for a drug treatment and testing order. But
A MOPED rider who gave his best friend's name when he was stopped by police has escaped a prison sentence for a second time. David Mansfield was ordered to do 120 hours community service when he was sentenced by a judge at Swindon Crown Court in December
BURGLAR Ian Pounds has been jailed for 10 months for stealing a friend's CD collection. He scaled a fence and went through an unlocked back door as his pal slept upstairs at his home. But the 34-year-old came unstuck because the occupant had looked through
At Matalan, photographer Sarah Johnson snaps one of the final entrants in this year's Swindon Advertiser Baby of the Year competition Ref: 78670-42PARENTS and their children queued for the last chance to enter the 2005 Swindon Advertiser's Baby of the
Chinese student Chen Ying who is translating a book by Richard Jefferies Ref: 78669-13SWINDON...AND PROUD OF IT: SWINDON'S foremost man of letters Richard Jefferies could soon be receiving acclaim in China. Jefferies is well known across the world for
THE regional assembly should take its strategy for homes in the south west, rip it up and start again. That was the message from Swindon councillors and environmentalists who were united in their hostility to proposals which could dictate the speed at
Residents, who don't want to be identified, are unhappy with children playing ball games outside their home Ref: 78660-32A GROUP of residents are appealing for football games to be banned outside their houses because they say the noise is driving them
YOUR features on university proposals for Swindon seem to indicate a general opinion that a university would probably benefit the town. It appears however, that only Mr Grant of Swindon Chamber of Commerce and Mr Lingard of Swindon Initiative specifically
THE recent statement issued by the World Health Organisation warns us that a pandemic of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in this country is inevitable. This will have the potentiality of causing up to 50,000 deaths in the UK alone. This cheerful prognostication
THE letter from Roger Averies, Unison Manual Convenor, describes Swindon Services as an archetypical workers utopia where redundancies are unknown. I was so impressed by Mr Averies portrayal of such a philanthropic management that I was left wondering
Hilary Martin and Scott Landis perform Making your Mind Up at the Thomas Hunter Charity Show Ref: 78673-160THEATRE fans packed into Highworth's Warneford School at the weekend to help an autistic boy. Highworth Amateur Dramatic Society hope to have raised
A REVIEW of public transport safety, pensions, equal pay, parental leave, age discrimination, working hours and climate change are amongst the 90 motions published today in the Congress 2005 preliminary agenda. Between September 12 and 15,800 delegates
WILTSHIRE was flavour of the month after boasting several winners in the recent Taste of the West food and drink awards. The awards aim to help define the best edible products across the region. Arkell's Brewery in Swindon won two bronze awards with its
OXFORD, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op is to be merged into the West Midlands Co-op. The move has now been confirmed after being announced at the end of June, after a series of members' meetings last week including one in the Goddard Arms Hotel in Old Town
YOUR Swindon Advertiser is getting ready to go on tour. We are visiting the towns and villages around Swindon to meet our readers in their communities. The Advertiser is read each day by around 63,500 people, many of whom live outside Swindon itself.
PHIL Baker, a teaching union representative, says teachers need the support of their colleagues to help them stay on the straight and narrow after a Wootton Bassett teacher was jailed for having an affair with a pupil. Mark Medlicott, 26, who taught at
I FEEL very strongly about the proposal to build the Bath University, and housing in the Coate area. I feel that no building work of any sort should take place in this area. First of all the buffer zones proposed are nowhere near big enough. Build the
SO many letters recently about Coate, and so many putting the points beautifully, answering the rubbish put forward elsewhere in the paper by proponents of the Swindon Gateway development. Only two things for me to say. I've got loads of signatures on
OF course Swindon needs a university. Few would deny it, but we are outraged by the arrogant demand of Bath University to take over Coate and the Great Western Hospital. I wonder what the people of Bath would say if a Swindon University demanded Bath
I HAVE never written to a newspaper before but the Coate Water debate is such a fundamental issue that I feel I must put pen to paper. My interest is that I spent the first 18 years of my life from 1938 to 1956 living at Woodbine Terrace, Coate. As far
ARTHUR Tayler fell in love with Coate Water when he came to live in Berkshire as a boy. And he has painted an idyllic scene of the beauty spot. He moved from West Bromwich to Lambourn and would think nothing of walking to Coate from the Berkshire village
Trust's human resources director Paul BentleyFEWER patients than expected are using the flagship treatment centre at the Great Western Hospital. The Brunel NHS Treatment Centre opened in April at a cost of £32m but not as many patients as anticipated
Bill Farmer, Doreen Taylor, Carly Taylor, Shaun Taylor, Jamie Taylor, Ken Taylor, Sue Taylor and David Lewis Ref: 78659-3IT'S the end of an era for a Swindon social club which is closing its doors at the end of the month. The 700 members of the Great
YOUR Swindon Advertiser is getting ready to go on tour. We are visiting the towns and villages around Swindon to meet our readers in their communities. The Advertiser is read each day by around 63,500 people, many of whom live outside Swindon itself.
78667-11THE Town Gardens were transformed with a touch of Asia spice at the Swindon Mela. The all-day celebration of Asian arts and culture on Saturday had something to tempt every sense. Despite the odd spot of rain, around 1,500 people flocked to this
The eighth generation of the Honda Civic takes a bowTHIS is the first glimpse of the car that Honda hopes will accelerate it to the forefront of upmarket motoring. Such is the esteem in which Honda's 4,000-strong Swindon workforce is held that the factory
Zimbabwe dictator Robert MugabeA FATHER blames his son's death on the Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe's brutal regime. Robin Vetch's family say he lost everything after being forced to leave the African country. He was found dead in his car he had suffocated
SECOND home ownership is increasing across Swindon, prompting fears that first-time buyers are being priced out of the housing market. The number of second homes in the town jumped by more then 229 per cent in only two years. Government figures revealed
THE verdict was met with shock in Old Town pubs where Mick Love used to enjoy a pint. Sarah Townsend, landlady of The Prince of Wales pub in Union Street, was shocked that Mr Love's killer was still on the loose. Mrs Townsend barely knew Mr Love but she
COLIN Lewin warned that the killer is "still out there" as he was cleared of murdering Swindon father-of-two Mick Love. The verdict was met with gasps of shock from the Love family who were sat on one side of the court room while cries of relief came
A FATHER and son from Stratton St Margaret begin their 8,500-mile trip to Mongolia today in a Reliant Robin. Mark Barker, 30, and his dad, John, 58, will take it in turns to do the driving. Last night they journeyed to London the start of the trip to
TICKETS are selling fast for The Duke of Wellington Golf Society's annual ball. The event takes place on September 17 at Blunsdon House Hotel. A four-course meal will be followed by entertainment from Locomotion and a disco. Tickets are £40. For information
LIBRARIES in Swindon are planning to expand their Home Library Service with the introduction of new routes. To do this they need Home Library volunteers who can offer a minimum of at least one morning or afternoon every three weeks. The service is looking
IRISH sitcom star Ardal O'Hanlon, is to appear in Swindon this autumn. The star of Father Ted and My Hero will be bringing his show to the Wyvern Theatre on Thursday, October 6. The show will look back at his lost youth, and explore man in the modern
SCIENTISTS backed by a Swindon research council have investigated the atmosphere of one of Saturn's moons. Two weeks ago NASA's Cassini spacecraft made the lowest altitude flyby so far of Enceladus, at only 108 miles above the icy surface. Professor Michele
A SWINDON charity is offering elderly people free thermometers to stop them from getting food poisoning. Each year one in 10 people in the UK suffer from food poisoning with a large percentage of these cases caused by refrigerator temperature control.
DAREDEVILS are being asked to take part in a corporate firewalk challenge that is being held in aid of charity. The event on September 23 at the County Ground has been organised by GWR FM's Community Trust. Anyone who takes part can do so in the knowledge
ROYAL Mail is launching a special set of stamps this week to celebrate Britain winning the Olympic bid. Six stamps depicting events such as swimming and diving, will go on sale on Friday to coincide with the World Athletic Championships in Helsinki. London
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a skip fire near the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon town centre on Saturday evening. Crews were alerted shortly before 8pm to the skip beneath the raised theatre building. They had to use breathing apparatus and hoses to put out
ORGANISERS of the Royal International Air Tattoo have already announced the main theme for next year's show. Just two week's after the event, preparations for next year's show are already under way. The theme will be global mobility and organisers are
Steve Rayner, Nicola Frost, Nigel Kimber and Andy Frost. Front row, from left, Wendy Frost and Sam Rayner Ref: 78664-18CHISELDON'S first-ever music festival was a resounding success. More than 500 people turned out on the green, near the Elm Tree pub,
PARENTS are being urged to keep a watchful eye on their children this summer to avoid a trip to casualty. Each year the Great Western Hospital notices a marked increase in injuries to youngsters during the holidays. Ailments range from broken limbs and
Rebecca Ireson collects her trophy for being best recruit from Brigadier Simon CaraffiSWINDON...AND PROUD OF IT: AN ARMY private from Swindon has done the town proud by becoming the best recruit in her platoon. Rebecca Ireson, 19, from Lawn, took the
IN Isabel Field's report 'Town needs a university' (SA Monday, July 25), there are comments from David Spencer, partner at King Sturge: "A carefully-managed campus can be quite a nice environment," and "I just think it is small-minded and narrow-minded
THE plans to build a university are a great idea but its location fails to be as impressive. Coate Water is a special site which needs protection, a university will only bring problems for its environment as it will surely affect all the wildlife in the
As manager of Headway Swindon & District, The Brain Injury Association, I was pleased to see the photograph of the First Swindon Sea Scouts all wearing cycle helmets. Well done boys for setting such a good example. Statistics show that 70 per cent
I AGREE with the recent readers' letters regarding Swindon Borough Council's lack of integrity and incompetence. On their web site the council "honours the (Rio) pledge to protect the environment and improve society" while planning to destroy the remaining
J WOODMAN (SA July 27) would like us to believe that fishing is an innocent pastime, beneficial to wildlife. Fishing tackle is the cause of death and injury to many thousands of animals every year. Then what about the poor fish? There have been a number
I WOULD like to respond to comments in the Evening Advertiser that there has been "inadequate consultation" with Swindon's taxi drivers in regard to delimitation. I also noted suggestions made that Swindon Borough Council is "evading" its responsibility
