Thank you for publishing Mr Sykes’ letter (Gazette, February 10) correcting MP Claire Perry’s comments about the Forestry Commission. In the Commons, on February 2, Mrs Perry claimed “we are doing a far better job to protect public woodlands than the
There was an excellent letter from David Rowlands in the January 27 issue, reference Station Hill, Chippenham. He could have added that over the past decade most traders have also had shopfronts damaged. One proprietor at the bottom of the hill was told
The Horseshoe Inn, Mildenhall, near Marlborough, SN8 2LR. (01672) 514725 We would normally be snuggled up on the sofa under a throw watching TV on a cold midweek evening but we decided to go out for a meal. We visited the Horseshoe Inn at Mildenhall
I applaud Malcolm Irons, the headteacher of Devizes School, for trying to solve the problem of the pupils running onto Nurstead Road through the side gate of the school. However, there was an alternative. That is to ask the council to put a rail outside
Following your coverage (January 27) of the plans to infill the old rail bridges at Hillworth Road and Southgate in Devizes, we held a residents’ meeting last Monday at the Heritage Museum, to discuss the implications for the neighbours of the works.
Having read James Gray’s column (Gazette, February 10), I was amazed that 400 of his constituents had written to him regarding the forestry sell-off. Mr Gray managed to fill his whole column with the party line as a defence of his view of the Forestry
We would like to convey our sincere thanks to the Devizes Police for their skill and efficiency in helping to locate our ten-year-old yellow labrador who went missing a long way from home. We also much appreciate the concern and phone call from the
In last week’s edition in an article entitled ‘MoD gets tough’ you outlined the actions that the MoD was taking to discourage their staff from parking in Westwells Road in Neston. In parallel Wiltshire Council is working to implement a cycle lane along
James Gray MP suggests in his column (Gazette, February 10) that the overwhelming public protest against the Government’s plans to sell off our national woodland is misguided. Like other writers to this page, we fear for future public access to our woods
I am interested in hearing from readers who have memories of the Birds’ Marsh area of Chippenham. Chippenham Museum published my book Birds’ Marsh, Chippenham An Unfinished Story, last year. I would be delighted to hear from readers with photographs or
As an out of towner I felt I must comment on the jaw-droppingly ridiculous, mind-numbingly nonsensical farce surrounding ‘jungle drumgate’. Does Wiltshire realise that the whole of the rest of the country is splitting its sides with laughter and amazement
I wrote to my MP James Gray recently to express my concerns over the Government’s plans to sell off the publicly owned forests in England. I received a somewhat patronising reply, implying that protesters are being rather silly in opposing what will
Readers who thought that the conclusion of jungle drums affair is the end of the matter are wrong. It will continue in another guise for Mrs Carr and her ilk are part of a monstrous regiment relentlessly searching for an ‘ism’ or a ‘phobia’ to expose
I trust that the actions of Sonia Carr and Wiltshire Council will do no harm to race relations and innocuous freedom of speech in our country. Pauline St John Osland, Downlands Road, Devizes.
I would like to make comment on the ridiculous situation that has been allowed to develop over the innocuous remark made by Mrs Farquhar in August. The phrase jungle drums is still used by most people in normal conversation and could never be considered
Wiltshire Racial Equality Council believes that we all need to be careful and sensitive when using words or phrases that others may find offensive if we wish to be effective communicators. This is particularly important for the Wiltshire Involvement
I pass along Station Road car park in Devizes every evening. After about 8pm, there is never more than a handful of vehicles parked in an area which can probably house several hundred cars. I dread to think what the bill is for this wasted lighting over
I would like to say a big thank you to the person who paid into the White Horse Vets £50 off my account in November 2010. It was very nice to find someone being so kind. I only found this out on Monday when I took two of my cats for their yearly vaccinations
Wootton Bassett has been the inspiration for a drama by youngsters from a mining village in South Wales. A new production by Caerphilly County Youth Theatre, entitled Bassett, opened at Blackwood Miners’ Institute on Monday. It closes tomorrow night.
Councillors have been criticised for a ‘secret’ meeting with Blue Sky which is planning a housing development at Park Road, Malmesbury. Planning and environment chairman Ray Sanderson told town councillors on Tuesday that he had one meeting with the
Maintenance work at the Civic Centre in Station Road, Wootton Bassett, is likely to last until March 6. Temporary traffic lights are in place after work began last week to rebuild the lower section of the centre’s retaining wall and to reduce the bank
WE’VE got a little bit more competition for places now so we can start putting pressure on some of the lads to show the kind of form they did last season. If we can get back into players that they can’t rest on their laurels, then that bodes well for
The funeral of 19-year-old Jennifer Dietschmann is due to be held this Friday. Miss Dietschmann was found dead by her mother Sue on February 1 at her Chippenham home in Ayr Close, which she shared with her fiance Mat Thomas. Her three month old baby
Chippenham-on-Avon is the name residents would prefer for the town, according to a poll. Around 300 people took part in surveys conducted by Chippenham Vision. They attended four sessions at the town hall last week to decide how the town should retain
JOHN Bentley School’s Simon Nott marked his comeback from illness by taking the top prize at Sunday’s SMarTT Smasher 10k in Calne. The 17-year-old was first home in 34 minutes and 22 seconds at the memorial off-road race, which follows the training route
DAVE Turner is feeling sorry for the players of Ascot United after they were forced to turn up at Rylands Way for Tuesday night’s postponed clash. Bassett held a pitch inspection at 3pm with the match referee but were left shocked when the official refused
MALMESBURY Victoria finally picked up their second league win of the season on Saturday with a hard-fought victory over local rivals Cricklade Town. Simon Griffths put the Vics a goal up before James McCarthy also got himself on the scoresheet. Cricklade
JEFF Roberts claims Calne Town were unlucky to be beaten by high-flying Bridport on Saturday, after they battled valiantly with 10 men in the second half. Russell Legg slotted home to put Bridport a goal up and things got worse for the Lilywhites
PEWSEY Vale will have to wait for their chance to close the gap on second-placed AFC Portchester after their trip to Hampshire last Saturday was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Vale manager Adi Holcombe instead cast his eye over reserve side Vale
Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott will open the remodelled studio hall at Olympiad Leisure Centre on Monday. The area has become home for the Riverbank day centre for adults with learning disabilities and provides other council services including
MEL Gingell isn’t afraid to give youngsters a chance at Corsham. Young Chippenham Town full-back Ollie Webb, former Westbury United striker Tom Piotrowski and midfielder Mike Flynn all made their debuts in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Barnstaple Town, while
MELKSHAM Town bounced back from losing their 12-match unbeaten record last Saturday by thrashing Roman Glass St George on Monday evening. Adam Young’s side were beaten 4-2 by Keynsham last weekend but Gary Higdon scored twice, with Nick Ridout, Dave
MARLBOROUGH'S Megan Floyd again booked her ticket to the Royal Windsor Horse Show riding club championships, after success at a qualifying round organised by Bath Riding Club at Castle Cary. The club hosted two showjumping ‘Top Score’ qualifiers for
Libraries chief John Thomson can expect to be brought to book when he attends a public meeting in Aldbourne tonight at which the future of the village library will be discussed. The Gazette was invited to attend an impromptu show of strength
A play and activity area in Pewsey which opens next Wednesday is to be known as Colin’s Corner after one of the village’s longest serving councillors, Colin Lampard. Mr Lampard, 68, died of cancer in August 2009, having lived in Pewsey throughout his
Even though I’m the wrong side of 50 and pay taxes and sometimes watch Newsnight, I still can’t stop myself from taking the default position of a child of six in certain situations. And here we are in one of them– a medical examination. This is one
The European Court of Human Rights is too political and involved in things that are not part of its mandate, Devizes MP Claire Perry told the House of Commons. She was taking part in last week’s debate on prisoner votes, after which the House voted by
One of Wiltshire’s top cops, Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett, has retired. Ch Spt Howlett has served 30 years with the force. The officer, who lives in Devizes, started his career at Warminster. The majority of his career was spent in CID, which he
JOHN Atkins won Sunday’s Wilts Angling Open at Barton Farm with 13lb 10oz of chub, roach and bleak, ahead of Trowbridge’s Matt Skyrme. Trowbridge veteran Dave Baker was third with 9lb 8oz of roach. Other placings: 4. Pete Neate Holt 5 lb 4 oz; 5. Mick
NORTH Wilts continued their winning ways in the Top Club national mixed competition. They produced a stunning home performance in their third-round tie to whitewash arch-rivals and near-neighbours Clarrie Dunbar (Frome) 16-0. Chippenham-based North
FINDINGS from the investigation into the tragic incident at Newbury last Saturday have confirmed accidental electrocution was to blame for the deaths of two horses in the paddock. The Berkshire track has been officially cleared by the British Horseracing
FIT-AGAIN Shelley Rudman will have one particular target in mind when she rounds off her winter campaign at the World Championships in Germany next week. The 29-year-old is reluctant to heap too much pressure on herself to claim gold at Konigssee after
INTERNATIONAL event riders Paul Tapner and David Doel got in some practice before the BE season starts next month, at the West Wilts Equestrian Centre’s BS showjumping day at Holt. Tapner, the reigning Badminton three-day event champion who is based
Hundreds of people saw what goes on beneath the water line of the Kennet and Avon Canal at Caen Hill in Devizes on Saturday. The famous 29-lock flight is undergoing a £1million makeover and new lock gates were craned in between Wednesday and Saturday
Wiltshire Police Authority has agreed to donate £4,000 towards a national monument to honour police officers killed in the line of duty. The memorial will be built at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and all police forces have
Pupils Queen’s Crescent Primary School in Chippenham have sent a book filled with photographs and details of their school to the Gambia. Pupils on the school council compiled the book to celebrate their ties with the Mahaad Primary School. Mahaaad Principal
BROAD Hinton trainer Andy Turnell is set to make a return to the Newbury paddock where his horse Marching Song died last Saturday tomorrow (Friday). Saturday’s meeting, which was abandoned after Marching Song and another horse Fenix Two died
Police are appealing for information after a man required hospital treatment for cuts and bruises after being attacked outside the Azuza club in Marlborough in the early hours of Saturday. WPC Emma Brown said the assault took place at around 1.30am.
Students at Abbeyfield School in Chippenham have planted trees to mark their ties with a school in the Gambia. The alders, Scots pine and cherry trees were planted during a visit by Lamin Bojang, principal of Mahaad Secondary School in the Gambia. Humanities
Delighted children tucked into chocolate brownies and flapjacks from Mark Maurice’s ready-meals store in Marlborough – all in the cause of art and education. Mr Maurice has volunteered his business for the Marlborough Children’s Arts Festival in April
West Indies banana farmer Philemon Allen will put the case for Fairtrade produce during Devizes Fairtrade Fortnight, which starts on March 5. She will address a town hall fashion show on March 9, after which Fairtrade fashions will be modelled. Organiser
The county’s brightest young workers were honoured at Wiltshire Enterprise’s Apprentice-ship Awards. Young trainees from across the area, as well as some of the most supportive employers, were presented with their awards by Nick Hewer from BBC1’s The
Violent crime in Wiltshire fell in the three months up to December, a meeting of Wiltshire Police Authority was told. The force recorded the lowest violent crime rate in the country between October and December with 2.5 crimes per 1,000 population, 14
Ramsbury's village choir Bella Voce will be joined by the White Horse Strings and guest players for its concert in Holy Cross Church on Saturday April 2, at 7.30pm. The choir was originally for women only but is now a mixed voice choir. Proceeds from
Devizes resident Jonathan Newman is appealing for witnesses to an incident last Friday night when £350 damage was done to his car. Mr Newman’s car was parked outside his home in Maud Close, Devizes, and he awoke on Saturday to find it had been damaged
Anna Farquhar, the charity boss who has been caught up in a race row over the phrase jungle drums, said she has been overwhelmed by the support she has received from the public. Mrs Farquhar and her organisation Wiltshire Involvement Network (WIN), a
Wiltshire Police Authority has frozen its element of the council tax bill for 2011/12. This means for a Band D property the authority will charge £157.77. In return for freezing council tax the authority will receive funding of almost £1 million from
MARLBOROUGH'S Chelsea Pearce is the latest local rider to triumph in the British Eventing (BE) Jumping and Style (JAS) series, a pre-event season warm-up open to all ages. The pupil of St Francis School in Pewsey has fine sporting pedigree
Urchfont comic Andrew Watts is bringing the best of stand-up close to home when he mounts regular comedy nights at the Churchill Arms in West Lavington. Mr Watts, who got to the finals of ITV4’s Stand-Up Hero, is organising the comedy nights at the pub
Three special charity screenings of the Oscar-tipped film The King’s Speech sold out within days of being announced. They were arranged thanks to former BAFTA chairman Richard Price, a long term resident of Aldbourne, who was involved in the early development
Race horse trainer Andy Turnell has spoken of his horror when one of his horses, the promising jumper Marching Song, died in front of him as he paraded for Saturday’s first race at Newbury. Marching Song and a second horse, Fenix Two, died within seconds
A grant of £3,400 has been made by the Marlborough Area Board to Ramsbury’s First Responder Team to provide four community access defibrillators in the village. The grant will also help pay for first aid and defibrillator training from the Community
MELKSHAM United U13s became the second team to clinch a championship crown this season. They defeated Highworth 7-2 to confirm the title and have now won their respective league in the last three seasons – losing just one game in that time.
Mum Maureen Sargent took her own life because she could no longer stand the chronic pain she had been living with for 11 years, an inquest has heard. Mrs Sargent, 57, was found dead by her husband Larry on August 17 last year at their home in Kingston
MARK Collier, the boss of Chippenham Town's Zamaretto League Premier Division rivals Swindon Supermarine, has quit the club. Assistant boss Tom Jones is also believed to have left. It is thought that Collier was unhappy with a proposed
Photographer Tony Green of Conock, near Devizes, this week heads off to Switzerland to tackle the longest toboggan run in the world to raise funds for Help for Heroes. The course, which starts 9,000ft up on Faulhorn, Grindelwald, is 15k (9.3
Their word is their Bond at the Lamb Inn in Urchfont, which has just handed over more than £3,000 to Help for Heroes raised at an 007 party in the pub last November. Regulars dressed in costumes from the hit series of films featuring the secret
* March 12, The world renowned Central Band of the Royal Air Force will perform at Bath Abbey. The concert will also recognise the outstanding work carried out by RAF Lyneham and the Wootton Bassett Royal British Legion Branch in supporting the
The annual Christmas Day lunch for pensioners in Marlborough, which had to be postponed because of ice and snow, will be taking place on Sunday May 1, two days after the royal wedding. The organisers postponed the lunch on December 25 because
Nearly 70 Marlborough traders have signed a petition demanding fairer parking prices in the town. Coun Peggy Dow, one of Marlborough’s two Wiltshire councillors, told the town council on Monday she would present the petition to Wiltshire’s
A parking protest backed by more than 4,200 Devizes people but thought not big enough to be considered by Wiltshire Council will be presented – thanks to the Gazette. Officials have backtracked on a petition against a cut in free parking in
This picture is another sent in by Peter Preston and shows the wedding of his wife’s grandparents, Lilian Mary Russ and William Charles Patten. The wedding took place in Marlborough on Boxing Day in 1911 and Mr Preston is appealing for information
For 30 years Corsham Windband Association has entertained audiences as far away as Germany and Norway, but its roots will always be firmly in the town where it was started. The group celebrates its 30th anniversary next month with a weekend
Former registrar Gordon Clifford Perkins, who was regarded as a true gentleman, has died at the age of 89. Mr Perkins, who lived in Chippenham, leaves his son Roderick, 56, daughter-in-law Fiona, grandchildren Christina, 24, Stephanie, 22,
Former Chippenham mayor John Brian Ovens has died aged 73. Mr Ovens, who lived in Barons Mead for 48 years, will be remembered for his passion for the town. The grandfather-of-three, who was often seen around the town wearing various
Roger Hiles, 64, whose enthusiasm for Scouting began when he became a Cub at the age of eight, will be missed greatly by the movement in which he gave outstanding service. Mr Hiles died within three weeks of cancer being diagnosed and, at his funeral
The bodies of five British soldiers, including one based at Hullavington, who died in Afghanistan within a week of each other will be repatriated to the UK today. Private Lewis Hendry, Private Conrad Lewis, Private Robert Wood, Private Dean
