Thank you to the 1,900 customers who came and supported the 23rd CAMRA Chippenham real ale, cider and perry festival held at the Olympiad. Not only were we blessed with wonderful weather, but everyone demonstrated that a festival such as ours becomes
I was appalled at the photograph in last weeks Gazette & Herald of Councillor Philip Whitehead pointing to a pothole and laughing. Does he think that there is one person in the whole of Wiltshire, if not the whole country, who doesn’t know
May I through your newspaper convey my thanks to all those involved in our recent win in the Hardens and England (Chippenham) by-election. Firstly to the electoral services team for the efficient manner in which the election and subsequent count
An easy way to establish how many ‘real’ shops there are in Chippenham would be to close all the charity shops, burger bars, mobile phone shops and estate agents and see what was left. I accept that we would still have banks and coffee shops but
About 20 years ago my nan’s house in Church Lane in Melksham was broken in to and several items where stolen. One of things taken were my late grandfather’s two medals for his service in the First World War (they were the standard British War Medal
Reading about the dangerous things that many young people do these days reminded me of some of the silly and dangerous things my friends and I got involved in when we were young. One such act of recklessness was climbing up the scaffolding to the
I’m concerned about the lack of serious local debate on the homes we need in our community when there’s clearly a big problem. Many of us are finding it really hard to save enough money to get on the housing ladder, or are struggling with increasing
I’m hoping that I can encourage your lovely readers to donate some of their beloved but now unwanted quality items of clothing to Age International’s stock appeal which runs until April 13. The money raised will be matched by the government which
I recently parked my car at the side of Marlborough High Street at a very busy time of day, then got out and locked it. When I returned, to my dismay, I realised that I had lost all my keys. More in hope than expectation, I tried the driver
The soaring price of energy is affecting everyone, and the hardest hit are the poorest, who cannot afford to turn on the heating. If we continue to rely on fossil fuels, bills are likely to rise in the long term as coal, oil and gas become more
WIGS, wacky hairdos and hats were the order of the day at Rushall Primary School last Wednesday as pupils raised money for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent. Pupils and staff were invited to come to school wearing the fun head gear in exchange
‘What matters to you in the Marlborough area’ was the title of the Area Board meeting in the town hall last Monday, but what the large turn-out was treated to was a display of rigged voting in order to extract Wiltshire council tax payers community
A big congratulations to residents in the Hardens and Englands area for the resounding victory given to the Lib Dems in last week’s local by-election and a warm welcome to new town councillor Terry Gibson. The result, with the Lib Dems polling
Strong community spirit and excellent entertainment were rife in the Bouverie Hall in Pewsey on Saturday, March 22. A big thank you to audience and participants alike who supported the Pewsey Vale Bowls Club fundraising event on that evening.
As announced in this year’s Budget, it is good news that the economy is continuing to recover and that the employment rate is on the rise. However, this will be of little comfort for the millions who are struggling to meet the rising cost of living
We are urging people to blaze through the beautiful Bristol 10k to help beat meningitis. Runners will join Meningitis Now’s team for the popular race that passes iconic landmarks such as the harbour, SS Great Britain, and twice under Brunel’s historic
A family-owned business based in Chippenham has been sold to its management team with help from advisers at Withy King and Baker Tilly. The Woods Group provides fund-raising fulfilment services to charities and has an annual turnover of more than
Students at Devizes School showed their skill at journalism when they took part in the BBC’s School Story initiative. A total of 25 students from Years 7 to 12 took part last week, as well as 11 pupils from Bishops Cannings and Nursteed primary
A cheque for £1,000 was handed to Devizes Floral Art Club’s charity of the year Open Door by vice-chairman Di Remlinger. The club was founded in 1980 and meets at Devizes Town Hall, St John’s Street, having about 70 members. An annual open
Children's artistic talent was well to the fore this week as their work was displayed in St Mary’s Church, Bishops Cannings. The ninth Young People’s Art Competition and Exhibition showed off the talent of all who took part and is well worth a
Children from Nursteed Community Primary School in Devizes discovered how exciting a career in engineering and science could be when they visited Cross Manufacturing last week . Year 3 teacher Alison Hodges said: “This week we have been celebrating
Children and parents at Sunny Days Pre-school in Lyneham tracked down eggs hidden by the Easter bunny and took part in a bonnet parade last week. The Easter bunny left a note for children, who followed clues and footprints to the field at Lyneham
Children at Heddington Pre-school enjoyed splashing through muddy puddles during a sponsored welly walk in early March, which raised £400 to pay for outside equipment. The children, aged two to four, took home forms and gained sponsorship from
CALNE Town scored twice midway through the second half to decide the fate of the three points in their Wiltshire derby at Warminster Town. The home side were left to rue a succession of missed chances as the Lilywhites bagged the victory at Weymouth
Our ability to deal with domestic abuse has once again been brought into question. Over the 25 years I’ve been a journalist, we’ve improved our response to this plague in our society. When I first started it was very common to hear police officers
Our ability to deal with domestic abuse has once again been brought into question. Over the 25 years I’ve been a journalist, we’ve improved our response to this plague in our society. When I first started it was very common to hear police officers
A popular Devizes carpet retailer has opened a new showroom thanks to support from Barclays Bank. Mike Mitcham Carpet Supplies has transformed its 100sqm premises at White Horse Business Centre, at Hopton trading estate on the outskirts of Devizes
Corsham could have a working railway station again within five years, according to railway minister Stephen Hammond. Mr Hammond MP visited the town on Thursday to discuss reopening the town’s abandoned station with campaigners and gave his backing
It will not surprise you that I love our language – and the thing I really love is the fact that it’s evolving constantly. I recently listened to a parent bemoaning the text-speak used by young people when they communicate by text and social media
What a chilly week, ending with a cloudy, damp and thoroughly miserable day. On a walk across the grass fields on Manor Farm, there were signs that some of the growing leaves were also feeling a little cold, as the tips were tinged with blue.
month – but Hayley was not in and no further appointment has been made. “GreenSquare are doing nothing constructive about this. They are not taking me seriously and I want an investigation done into what’s causing this build-up of mould and their
JOE Hughes got his hands on the first title of his professional career when he lifted the International Masters light-welterweight title last night. The 23-year-old, from Malmesbury, comfortably worked his way past tough Bulgarian Kristian Dochev
Teams from across Marlborough are gearing up for the town’s first soapbox derby which is set to take place this summer. The event will take place at The Grand Avenue, in Savernake Forest, on August 24, in aid of Tesco’s charity of the year, which
What a chilly week, ending with a cloudy, damp and thoroughly miserable day. On a walk across the grass fields on Manor Farm, there were signs that some of the growing leaves were also feeling a little cold, as the tips were tinged with blue.
There are very few plants that can compete in the scent-stakes with Daphnes. On a warm early spring day, their delicious fragrance fills the air and stops one in one’s tracks, nose a-sniffing. But what a complete pain they are to grow. Expect to
Having been involved in several serious emergencies, I have noticed the way that both man-made and natural disasters bring out both the worst and the best in human nature. We have just endured a winter that will long be remembered for the violent
Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers was impressed by a tour of the Alford Technologies headquarters at Chippenham last week. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland visited to see how the firm produces counter-terrorism and battlefield clearance
CLOGS Musical Theatre gave an enthusiastic and entertaining performance of this musical, the story of New Yorkers Sky Masterson, a rich gambler, and Sarah Brown, a young missionary, who fall in love despite their obvious differences. Sky pursues
