SHERSTONFEST 2014 has announced its long awaited line-up for this year’s weekend of music, cider and events near Malmesbury. Among those taking to the stages in Sherston from June 13 to June 14 will be popular local singer Ami Kaelyn, as well as
With reference to the applications for more housing in Devizes, Lay Wood has been approved, meaning 250 houses and Coate Road, if approved, will add another 350 houses. The government says that Wiltshire has to have more houses than originally
I can’t let David Powell’s letter pass without comment (letters, February 27). David has apparently lived and worked in a very sheltered environment. May I open his eyes to the real world of Chippenham? Chippenham now has become a dormitory
It is with the greatest pleasure that Mr Ian Philpott is welcomed as the newly elected president of The Marlborough Players. He is a co-founder of the society and, over the years, has done more to keep it going and enhance it than anyone else.
I’m marking International Women’s Day on Saturday by committing to walk 10,000 steps a day for a week, in solidarity with women worldwide. I will be joining hundreds of women across the UK taking part in CARE International’s ‘Walk In Her Shoes’ campaign
Your Marlborough & Pewsey edition on February 20, page nine, carried a brief note about improvements to the Marlborough Town Hall screening sound system. This item could not be further from the truth. Why? I saw the latest KVAT screening
There was a Wiltshire Council van parked all day on Saturday in the pay car park at Sainsbury’s Devizes. No parking ticket was displayed which did not attract the attention of the traffic enforcement officer I also saw wandering around the car
The recent renovations to Pewsey Post Office have included the removal of the traditional style Pewsey Post Office signage. It has been replaced by mundane and dreary corporate branding. The removal of the existing sign is a great loss to the character
Further to a meeting with Claire Perry on February 28, it would appear that there is still no coherent plan for health provision for the town. It may also be that the old hospital site, where our few clinics still operate from, could be sold for
I am writing to ask your readers to support people with epilepsy and celebrate the international day of epilepsy awareness. Purple Day, on Wednesday, March 26, is now in its sixth year and has fast become a fantastic way to raise awareness and funds
There were times before the Second World War when airfields were built and the people living in the area were moved off with little or no compensation. Today the idea that a road could be closed for six months and people could as a result lose
I had an experience on February 21 which I have never had before in my life and that was to do a sleepout to raise money for the charity Opendoor for the homeless people of Devizes and the area. I have never worn so many clothes in my life, not
I read with some interest in the Gazette recently about the road crossing on the A429 in Corston. I congratulate Andy Hatherell and the parish council. Common sense has prevailed after 30 years, even if it appears to be a trade-off. Picking up on a
S50 Entry of Royal Navy Artificers are trying to contact Colin Vincent Palmer who joined the Royal Navy at HMS Fisgard, Torpoint on January 6, 1964, direct from Royal Hospital School, Holbrook. They are holding a 50th anniversary of joining reunion
If any service or civilian person who served at the Royal Air Force bases Seletar and Tengah in Singapore would like to join the RAF Seletar Association, with a view to possibly renewing old friendships, please contact me at the address below, or telephone
It’s unfortunate that James Gray’s latest column reinforces misunderstandings about the relationship between farmers, the weather and solar parks. “The huge weather challenges” facing farmers are very likely due to climate change, the Met Office
Husband and wife Matthew and Jenny Snell have received a top industry award, just 12 months after bringing a new pet food franchise to north Wiltshire. Mr and Mrs Snell, who run their Trophy Pet Food franchise from Calne, were chosen as the firm
ST Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Devizes celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, and it continues to attract pupils of all faiths from across the Devizes area. Bishop Declan Lang took a Mass in the neighbouring Church of Our Lady
Children from Chippenham delved into their heritage with a mini archaeological dig at the museum over half term. It was part of a week activities based on the canal, including making model narrow boats, tying knotted key rings and painting canalware
Local chef Peter Vaughan is showing pupils at a Calne school that baking bread is great fun as well as being a healthier way to eat. Mr Vaughan is holding four master classes at St Margaret’s Preparatory School as part of a national project organised
Children's activity group Tumble Tots is reinforcing the importance of combining physical exercise with a healthy diet. Tumble Tots centres across the UK, including Chippenham, have given out booklets containing healthy recipes by nutritionist
Once again another week has passed with a mixture of weather systems. We have experienced everything from warm, windy stormy conditions to frost and sunshine, but I have to wonder out that if March has “come in like a lamb” perhaps it “will go
A WILTSHIRE charity is getting behind apprenticeships as a way of tackling a high number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs). Develop: Enhancing Community Support, which helps voluntary and community groups, employed
Wiltshire will take part in a coordinated global ceremony tomorrow, as flags are raised across the world to celebrate Commonwealth Day. The Queen will ‘break’ the Commonwealth Flag outside Westminster Abbey on Monday, with over 500 flags then raised
The thorny issue of taking holidays in term time has recently been raised in Parliament again. MP Justin Tomlinson, of North Swindon, was gathering parents’ views across social media before taking part in the debate which was triggered by an e-petition
TO mark National Apprenticeship Week Marlborough-based Haddon Training is encouraging young people to look at the schemes they have to offer. The work-based training organisation was established in 2001 by Chris Hewlett and has built up an outstanding
It’s long been known that being lonely and isolated can have a major impact on mental health. However, research is now suggesting that, for older adults, it can also have a physical effect and could increase the risk of premature death by up to
Debi Evans, from Marlborough, is launching her new series of books this week entitled The Secret Adventures of Rolo: Athelstan and the Time Tunnel. Based upon a Jack Russell dog, the books recount time travel adventures where Rolo pops up during
Our doorstep recycling regime has changed thanks to the local council’s efficiency savings. Now we get collections every fortnight. On the first week of this new system, I received a note telling me a whole orange bin had not been taken as the
DEVIZES company Cross Manufacturing prides itself on taking on apprentices and is asking school leavers to apply for this year’s programme. The company originated in Bath and one apprentice there, Ralph Flower, started up the Devizes factory in
Once again another week has passed with a mixture of weather systems. We have experienced everything from warm, windy stormy conditions to frost and sunshine, but I have to wonder out that if March has “come in like a lamb” perhaps it “will go
Bushton & Clyffe Pypard WI met at the village hall for a fascinating presentation by David Waters and a colleague on the reintroduction of the great bustard to Salisbury Plain. Excellent photography, including the sight of these huge birds
I know what you’re going to say: what is she talking about gardening for when my garden is a swamp? I have been telling people, and myself, that this will all end and that we must look forward and onwards. And so we must, for gardeners are nothing
Heroes and villains will be the theme of the third Christian Malford scarecrow trail, to be held at the end of this month. There are already 40 scarecrows planned for the trail around the village, which starts at the recreation ground and takes
Friends and family gathered on The Green in Marlborough on Saturday for the unveiling of a memorial bench for Vicky Philpott. Mrs Philpott died of cancer aged 48 and the bench was unveiled by her daughters Mollie, 11, and Hattie, 10. Mrs Philpott
Diminishing stocks and high demand saw prices driven higher at the end of season Carter Jonas hay and straw sale, with the top price for wheat straw going to a Devizes farmer. The amount of straw entered for the sale was typical for the end of
Wadworth Brewery has been told by Wiltshire Council planners that it can remove some outbuildings at the rear of the Black Swan Hotel, Market Place. The buildings are now largely redundant and in poor condition and the hotel wants to use the area
