An application to build a £1.9 million sixth form centre at St John’s Academy in Marlborough has been given the green light by Wiltshire Council. Around 20 residents attended the eastern area planning meeting at the Corn Exchange in Devizes tonight
Teachers from around the UK came to Royal Wootton Bassett Academy this week, for a two-day conference on empowering children. Expert speakers talked about how they motivated people to become passionate about campaigning and social justice issues
Pupils in Calne will perform with the Bath Philharmonic on June 12 as part of a £10,300 lottery-funded project reflecting on the centenary of the First World War. The pupils from John Bentley, St Mary’s and the Springfields Academy, have researched
Pupils from the Springfields Academy in Calne joined builders from construction company Kier for a charity cycle ride in aid of the RUH Forever Friends Appeal on Tuesday. Three pupils took part in the cycle ride in support of the construction company
Charity bike ride Wrong Way Round returns to Yatton Keynell this Sunday, after a break last year. The event was inspired by a milestone in the village that reads 97 Miles to Hyde Park Corner. David Else, one of the volunteer organisers, said
Chairman of Whitehall Garden Centre, Christopher Self, who ran the family firm for almost 40 years, died on May 22 after suffering a heart attack, aged 76. Born in Lacock in 1937, he worked on the family farm before taking on the fledgling shop
Major Alan Graham and his unit parachuted into Normandy under cover of darkness for Operation Overlord as part of the D-Day landings. Now, 70 years later, the 89-year-old, who lives near Pewsey with his wife, Mary, is returning to Normandy to mark
A colourful project to plant 28,000 poppy seeds has been launched in Royal Wootton Bassett to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. The seeds are being planted around the town’s trees and flowerbeds with hopes that they will flower
D-Day veteran Ken Scott is back in Normandy and has packed his original British army uniform for the trip. The 98-year-old, of Royal Wootton Bassett, is with fellow veterans of the Wiltshire Normandy Veterans Association for the 70th anniversary
In Aldbourne many people still refer to the playing field as The Camp. The name is a clue to the key role the village played in some of D-Day’s most pivotal Allied successes, writes BARRIE HUDSON. So were the bullet holes found in the old weathercock
A team of Corsham cyclists has touched down in America ahead of a coast-to-coast challenge and after a send-off at a gala dinner. The four Spinhalers will take part in the 3,000-mile non-stop Race Across America to raise funds for Asthma UK, in
November 1, 1943, was just a normal day in the village of Imber until its inhabitants were given news that would change their lives forever. They were called to a meeting by the Ministry of Defence and told their village was going to be used by
This weekend will see hundreds of cylists taking part in a ride from Wiltshire to London as part of the Help for Heroes fundraising challenge, Hero Ride 2014. On Saturday fundraisers will join servicemen, women and veterans with life-changing injuries
I FINALLY started my rehab last Friday – it was great to get out of the house and get myself doing some work in the gym. I’ve been doing some body weight work on the legs, a bit of light cardio and also a bit of work in the pool, just to take the
Police have thanked members of the public in Calne who helped them track down a 51-year-old man thought to be over the drink-drive limit. Two people phoned and described the man to police. He was later arrested on suspicion of being in charge of
The Allies landed more than 130,000 troops on five beaches on D-Day in the biggest seaborne invasion in military history. Spread across 50 miles of coastline in Normandy, the five beaches – known by codenames – were: Sword: The easternmost of the
Like many soldiers taking part in the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944, Jack Woods of Devizes spent D-Day in a rain-sodden transit camp somewhere on the south coast of England. Mr Woods, 89, of Downlands Road, was a private in the Coldstream
At the helm of a double decker-sized artillery tractor, gunner Clifford Jones was poised at the front of the landing ship, waiting for the double doors to open. He felt the bottom of the boat scrape the sand and knew he would soon meet whatever
Police concerned about youths in Calne using laser pens have spoken to an 18-year-old days after releasing a CCTV picture of a man in a grey top. The picture came from Calne Town Council’s CCTV team who spotted a group of youths with a laser pen
WHEN you are out on the course, you can get situations where you find yourself at a distance that doesn’t suit you. This is usually in between two different clubs, leaving you with the quandary of hitting a harder, shorter club or hitting a softer
A community fund is to be set up in memory of Christopher Self, chairman of Lacock’s Whitehall Garden Centre, who has died, aged 76, following a heart attack. Born and raised in the village, he managed the family-run firm for almost 40 years alongside
A wounded war veteran came to see me in my surgery last week. He described his Iraq and Afghan experiences: fighting alone in a downed helicopter for four hours; hand-to-hand combat 250 feet underground; defusing countless roadside bombs; 250 military
This week’s Queen’s Speech marked the start of the final session of this Parliament, before the General Election next May. Her Majesty set out details of the bills the Coalition Government is tabling, and which my colleagues and I will debate,
The message is very simple: just ring the box office on 01635 46044 and book your tickets now. Warm and very funny, this play is a delight. Don’t just take my word for it; Ian Hislop, co-writer with Nick Newman, was heard to say that the actors
The Wharf’s production coinciding with the Devizes Festival always offers audiences a different and often challenging approach. Women Alone is no exception. This collection of entertaining and striking one woman plays explores the vicissitudes
This is the world premiere of a show by Annie Siddons about escape, love, survival and art. And pigeons. Raymondo and Sparky have been locked in the cellar underneath their house for six years. An accident involving a pigeon enables their escape
A phrase often used in the political world at the moment is ‘Zombie Parliament’, which is not a reflection (although it could be) on the appearance of members after a late-night sitting when, if only our co-ordination was a little better, we could
JORDAN Smith hopes his current experiences at the top end of professional golf can inspire him to success in the major amateur competitions this summer. The Derry Hill player, 21, was teeing it up alongside some of the continent’s finest today
It takes a special kind of talent to have an audience in fits of laughter for the best part of two hours but Jenny Éclair has that in spades. Ms Éclair, 54 and celebrating 30 years in showbiz, brought her one-woman show Eclairious to the Corn Exchange
Thousands of Tweeters have joined a heart-warming internet campaign - to reunite a lost Woody from Toy Story with his real-life Andy. The incredible tale - which mirrors the plot of the Hollywood movie - began when motorist Bev McNeill, 50, saw
Engineering giant Dyson has been granted outline planning permission for a £250m expansion of its Malmesbury headquarters, which promises to bring 3,000 jobs to the town. Members of Wiltshire Council planning committee last night voted unanimously
COLLINGBOURNE Ducis trainer Hannon's big guns are nearing their return to action at Royal Ascot with Toronado and Sky Lantern coming to the boil nicely. Toronado has not been seen since August when he failed to stay 10 furlongs in the Juddmonte
Ten veterans will pay their respects to fallen comrades during a three-day trip to Normandy this week organised by the Wiltshire Normandy Veterans Association. They left for France yesterday and will join organised ceremonies at some of the key
Police officers were on hand to ease traffic through Box this morning, after a single-vehicle collision on the A4. A Toyota Celica came to a halt in the middle of the carriageway shortly before 6am this morning, before the turning to Shockerwick
Pupils from local schools in Calne and Chippenham attended an academic bursary assessment day at one of Wiltshire’s top independent schools. St Margaret’s Preparatory School, Calne, runs the day for children who are interested in obtaining a place
New permitted development rights on farms may have removed one element of planning difficulty but they have delivered another of a different kind, says a surveyor. Farmers and rural land owners who want to use new permitted development rights to
Campaigners trying to save bus services in the Pewsey Vale are urging the public to have their say after Wiltshire Council agreed to extend a consultation period. The council is proposing major money-saving changes to the Connect2Wiltshire bus
