Police have described as despicable the theft of ornaments from graves in Devizes Cemetery. A 12in white alabaster statue of Jesus, a white lamp and two statuettes of the Virgin Mary were taken from graves some time between May 2 and 5 and police
Real Paintbox Company staff in Christian Malford will model funky hairstyles for this year’s Wig Wednesday on May 21, to support CLIC Sargent. See www.clicsargent.org.uk/wigwednesday or call 08451 212492.
A free family activity, Museums at Night, takes place tomorrow at Chippenham Museum from 4-6pm. Find out what goes on when the lights go off with Rag and Bone Arts theatre group. Call (01249) 705020.
Police in Calne have warned of the dangers of shining laser pens at drivers after two incidents. A woman was driving in the Blacklands area, past the North Wiltshire Golf Club, on Saturday, May 4, around 9pm when someone shone a green laser pen
The Chippenham Cancer Care fundraising group and Majestic Wine hold a wine-tasting, supper and quiz on Wednesday, May 21, at the Constitutional Club, Foghamshire, at 7.30pm. Call (01249) 464111 or 658231.
WILTSHIRE law firm Awdry Bailey and Douglas has joined the campaign to make England more dementia friendly. Two staff at their Devizes office have become Dementia Friends champions, an initiative by Alzheimer’s Support to help members of the public
Anyone who supports the British Heart Foundation, or is interested in its work, is invited to attend the AGM of its Chippenham and district branch. This takes place on Tuesday, May 20, at the Jubilee Rooms, Market Place, Chippenham, at 7pm.
Little Scarlett Reed went to the hairdressers for the first time in her life to have her waist-length hair cut into a short bob so she could help another young girl. The five-year-old, of Freestone Way, Corsham, heard about the work of the Princess
Visitors to a charity event in aid of a special school in Rowde will be able to meet some furry and fluffy friends. Rowdeford Garden Fair is held in the grounds of Rowdeford School on Sunday and it will have specialist bedding plants, shrubs and
People looking to help their community can find out about volunteering opportunities in their area next month. Volunteer Centre Wiltshire is running drop-in sessions during Volunteers Week, from June 1-7. They are at Marlborough Library on
Royal Wootton Bassett is preparing to welcome a new mayor at its mayor-making ceremony today. At a special meeting, which will also include the town council’s annual general meeting, the town will say goodbye to outgoing mayor Linda Frost and welcome
Chippenham Sailing and Canoeing Club is inviting people to have a go at sailing and paddling on Sunday. The club wants people of all ages and abilities out on the water for the Royal Yachting Association Push the Boat Out weekend. From 11am
DEVIZES judoka Tom Reed hopes his call-up by England for this summer’s Commonwealth Games will be the precursor to an Olympics appearance in two years’ time. The 27 year old, who trains at Team Bath, will represent his country in the U81 kgs category
WHILST his schoolmates are turning their attentions to further education or the beginning of their working lives, Tom Alsop is coming to terms with the start of life as a professional cricketer. The 18-year-old, from Rowde, celebrated his first-class
HARRY Meade says his fairytale third-place finish at the Badminton Horse Trials felt like ‘it had been scripted’. The 30-year-old, who lives in West Littleton, near Chippenham, rounded off his spectacular comeback from two shattered elbows by securing
1: Urchfont’s scarecrow festival was the first in Wiltshire and probably the south of England. 2: The inspiration behind the first first event in the 1990s was a festival in Derbyshire which was mentioned by a friend to villager Jean Thomas, who
Chippenham Auction Rooms will play host to the BBC antiques programme Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is on Saturday. Celebrity antiques experts, including Jonty Hearnden and David Harper, will face off in a challenge to make a profit, with their
LOCKERIDGE figure skater Alicia Boyer is aiming to continue rising through the ranks after enjoying a successful few months on the ice. The 10-year-old, who is a pupil at Kennet Valley School, earned a place on the on the NISA (National Ice Skating
Wiltshire Council deputy leader John Thomson is unrepentant after the authority was branded the worst culprit in the country for short changing motorists who use its car parks. A nationwide survery has revealed that Wiltshire made an extra £730,000
A village cricket club will be in with a shot of raising £30,000 for charities including the Gazette’s Give Us A Chance appeal when it holds a clay pigeon event tomorrow. Bishops Cannings Cricket Club chairman Ed Davies said: “There will be 180
A race night at a Devizes pub has added £310.50 to our Give Us A Chance appeal. Regulars at the Black Horse in Bath Road bet on televised horse races to raise money for Devizes Opportunity Centre. Landlady Fran Cooper said: “We like to do our
Little Freddie Scratchley put up with aching feet to complete a two-mile welly walk to raise £1,000 for his friends at Devizes Opportunity Centre. Freddie, five, told his mum Jade Elliott he wanted to help our Give Us A Chance appeal when she told
Calne’s annual duck race takes place tomorrow and volunteers have cleared the River Marden to provide a smooth journey from start to finish for more than 3,000 ducks. The duck race is in its 28th year and is organised by the Lions Club of Calne
A choir from Devizes will hope for harmony in Europe when they set off today for a twinning weekend in Waiblingen, Germany. The Sing Alive choir will perform alongside Chante-maine from Mayenne in France and Philharmonis-cher from Waiblingen during
Father-of-two Stephen Baker completed an exhausting four-day cycle ride from London to Paris on Friday to raise money for his youngest son Ollie. Three-year-old Ollie has spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, and needs an operation to help
LANGLEY Burrell youngster Jamie Phillips is backing himself to beat the nerves when he competes in the BMX World Championships for the third time. Phillips, 11, who is a pupil at Kington St Michael School, represented Great Britain at the 2012
A Sutton Benger singing group performed in front of thousands of people at a First World War memorial in Belgium. The Village Singers took two coachloads of 100 people to sing at an emotional ceremony in Ypres at The Menin Gate, whose walls record
GIRLS from St John’s Academy in Marlborough are celebrating after clinching the runners-up spot at the U16 England Basketball National Schools Championships. The 11-strong group of Year 8 to Year 11 girls, coached by John Pearson, had battled through
IT started off shrouded in secrecy. The Gazette was told on Wednesday that the Prime Minister would be in Chippenham the following morning – to launch the Conservative Party’s poster campaign for the European elections – but we were not allowed to
Royal Wootton Bassett is getting geared up for carnival day tomorrow with teams around the town vying to win the float competition. Each year hundreds of people turn out to view the procession, which starts at 4.30pm in Marlowe Way and travels
A FAIRYTALE came true for local rider Harry Meade, who completed his recovery from horrendous injuries to ride long-time partner Wild Lone into third place at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. As if triumphing over two shattered elbows
Families are expected to flock to the Malmesbury area for the first Wild Sherston nature event this weekend. Bat walks, snail racing, live animals, crafts, a ‘bat poo challenge’, photography and expert talks on wildlife are just some of the attractions
Guitarist Richard Durrant will stop by The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham today as part of his Cycling Music tour of the country. He will ride the 1,000 miles between concert venues with his entire stage show, guitar and lights, packed into panniers
MARK Rudd is hoping he can take a step towards his dream of making it to the top of the world by hitting the mark in the Archery World Cup. Rudd, 48, who lives in Beechingstoke and has been competing internationally since 2012, the same year he
Business owners losing out on trade due to road closures caused by the shutting of Dauntsey Lock Railway Bridge have welcomed a move to re-open one of the routes. The bridge shut on March 8 for electrification works, and a month later three lanes
Not all is well in the Garden of Eden for Malmesbury’s naked gardeners Ian and Barbara Pollard after she asked him for a divorce and accused him of being a womanising alcoholic. Now Abbey House Gardens is up for sale and the future of the 20 peole
NEIL Loader, backs coach for Dorset & Wilts rugby thinks his side have a “tough ask” in qualifying for the Championship Shield semi-final. An 18-37 defeat for the young Twin Counties side in their opening game against Berkshire means that only
Retirement apartment developer McCarthy & Stone has revealed proposals to convert the Clarke and Rodway Garage on Granham Hill, Marlborough. Residents can see the McCarthy & Stone proposals at a public exhibition on Tuesday, May 27, between
WILTSHIRE captain Mike Coles isn’t paying too much attention to their Unicorns Knockout Trophy group position as he focuses on helping extend their winning run. Wiltshire, who sit second in Group One, notched up their fourth victory of the summer
People in Wiltshire will shape the future of the next European Parliament by voting at one of 354 polling stations across the county next week. Roughly 353,774 people are eligible to vote and can choose from eight parties on Thursday. Their choices
Sir James Dyson, the man behind the bagless vacuum cleaner, is the richest person in the south west, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2014. With his fortune remaining unchanged at £3billion this year, he is one of 104 British billionaires
A motorcyclist riding a Kawasaki motorbike was taken to the Royal United Hospital Bath this morning with a suspected broken wrist, after he collided with a Mercedes on the A420. The collision just after 7.30am at the crossroads with Biddestone
The new mayor of Chippenham got the fright of his life last week when Russian police arrested him as a suspected terrorist. Councillor John Scragg has just got back from Russia, where he said he was detained for five hours. He was on an organised
GOATACRE captain Brad Dawson was relieved his side’s efforts to stave off the elements weren’t in vain as they bounced back to winning ways against Ilminster. Goatacre put the work in to ensure that their Premier Two clash was the only local game
Charity stalwart Margaret Spackman held her last ever plant sale at the weekend after nearly 30 years of fundraising. Grandmother Mrs Spackman, 72, has raised thousands of pounds for charities over the years but is having to call it a day because
Overnight work to maintain the M4 junction 18 slip roads and roundabout starts on the evening of Monday, May 19. The work will take place between 8pm and 6am from Monday evening until Saturday morning. It includes resurfacing the road, repainting
Brownies from Devizes, four Guides and seven leaders went on an amazing centenary adventure to Paris. Pam Ridley, Brown Owl of 1st Devizes Brownies, said: “We travelled by coach and Eurotunnel. For some Brownies this was their first trip abroad
The skull of an executed Chippenham felon is up at auction next week, with a guide price of £2,000 to £3,000. The skull dates from the early 19th century, when John Parker, 36, born in the parish of Langley, was hanged for a burglary in Bristol
A group of 50 students will be performing on stage in front of hundreds of people at Disneyland Paris. The students, aged 11 to 13, were chosen to perform after auditioning for the Disney Performing Arts Outreach Programme. They will perform
The Duchess of Cornwall is to visit the Royal Bath and West Show on the opening day of the 151st show - May 28. She is president of the Royal Bath and West of England Society, which stages the show. The Royal Bath and West Show is the only
