Archive

  • Savernake's famous old oak could be best tree in country

    SAVERNAKE Forest’s ancient Big Belly Oak is one of the famous trees that has been shortlisted by the Woodland Trust in its contest to find England’s Tree of the Year. The tree, which has a girth of 10.8m and could date to Saxon times, is well known

  • ‘Rags to riches’ as wiz’s hobby profits

    COMPUTER games wizard Gary Merritt has gone from barely being able to pay for lunch to having a worldwide online audience paying him thousands of pounds a month. The 21-year-old former Malmesbury School pupil has attracted more than half-a-million

  • Loved ones remembered at Devizes service

    A service to remember loved ones will be held at St James’s Church, Devizes, on Sunday. The All Souls service will start at 4.30pm for anyone who has been bereaved to remember loved ones through prayers and readings. There will also be hymns

  • Police name man who died in A429 accident

    Wiltshire Police have named a man who died in an accident on the A429 on October 23 as Anthony Edward Jeng, 38, from Crudwell, near Malmesbury. Mr Jeng died when his blue Audi A3 was in collision with a white Transit van and a lorry. The collision

  • Chance to get dancing at Marlborough classes

    Couples inspired by the moves of the Strictly Come Dancing stars have the chance to learn the waltz, rumba and cha-cha for themselves thanks to a new Ballroom and Latin American class launching in the town. In spring 2013 Amanda Gibson started

  • Rowde village in bloom for war centenary

    People of all ages have made poppies for a village trail which opened last Thursday to commemorate the First World War. Scores of Rowde residents have joined in the project to create a trail to make people think about those who died during the

  • Corsham school praised for being among best in test

    Holy Trinity Primary School in Great Cheverell has received a letter from the Government commending it on coming in the top two per cent of the country for Year one phonics screening. Minister of State for school reform, Nick Gibb MP, wrote: “To

  • CHIPPENHAM TOWN: On the road to recovery

    ALAN Griffin admits there have been times where he has opted to keep his distance from Hardenhuish Park this season, just to avoid the frustration of not being able to take to the field for the Bluebirds. The Chippenham Town striker has been largely

  • TRIATHLON: Harry's game after European call-up

    HARRY Palmer is out to prove a point when he slips on a Great Britain race suit and jumps into the fray at next year’s European Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships in Geneva. The 17-year-old, from Chittoe, will be jetting off to Geneva in July

  • Warmest Halloween on record, says Met Office

    THE record for the warmest Halloween in Britain has been shattered, forecasters say. The mercury reached 23.5C (74.3F) at Gravesend in Kent, beating the previous high of 20C (68F) set at Dartford in Kent in 1968, the Met Office said. Charlwood

  • 'Decoy' police car vandalised

    Vandals lashed out at a decoy police car which was in Biddestone to deter speeding motorists. The marked car had been put in a 20mph zone at the request of residents, who were fed up of people speeding in their village. It had been there for

  • Rowde school says au revoir to teacher

    French teacher Jayne Andrews-Wheeler has said au revoir to the school where she has taught for 34 years with a tea party with a Gallic twist. Staff and pupils at Rowdeford School special school, in Rowde, all dressed in red, white and blue, wore

  • Oliver! Wyvern Theatre, Swindon.

    SALOS, founded in 1952, continued its stunning success story this week with Lionel Bart’s musical version of Dickens’ novel. The rapturous response of audiences at the Wyvern was well deserved by the large cast, orchestra and stage crew, all deftly

  • VIDEO: Spooky Halloween skydive

    If you saw anything unusual in the skies above Salisbury Plain don't worry, it was probabl skydivers from the GoSkydive company. They jumped from an airplane which took off from the Old Sarum airfield, Salisbury, decked out in Halloween costumes

  • Firework displays in north Wiltshire

    Firework displays in north Wiltshire include: Friday, October 31 ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: A Halloween and fireworks event, Royal Wootton Bassett Academy in aid of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for children. For

  • Fire service's safety tips for bonfire parties

    WITH Bonfire Night fast approaching, Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service is warning people not to take risks with fireworks. A spokesman said: “While most people treat fireworks with respect, a small minority treat them as toys and forget that

  • Have a blast in the sand

    If you are currently spending more time in the sand than David Hasselhoff,then the following tip is for you. The key to great bunker play is to hit the sand instead of the ball. To do this you need to make the low point of the swing to the right

  • New helicopter for air medics

    Patients rescued by Wiltshire Air Ambulance were reunited with the crew members who saved them at the unveiling of its new £5 million helicopter. The state-of-the-art Bell 429 – the first of its kind to operate as an air ambulance in the UK – arrived

  • Joy for Chippenham girl as op is moved forward

    The family of cerebral palsy sufferer Kitty-Boo Cox are celebrating after having her life-changing operation scheduled for almost a year sooner than expected. The eight-year-old ’s operation, which is hoped will allow her to walk unaided, has been

  • 18th century records lost in Bowood blaze drama

    Lord Lansdowne was among those who rushed to help when fire ripped through Bowood’s estate office in the early hours on Sunday, destroying irreplaceable records. Six fire crews were called to the estate at Derry Hill and a salvage operation was

  • Malmesbury man faces trial over ABH claim

    A Malmesbury man who has admitted carrying out an assault will still face a trial after disputing the circumstances of the incident. Samuel Parker pleaded guilty to a charge of actual bodily harm when he appeared at Swindon Crown Court in July.

  • Pub grub to boost Great Bedwyn school

    The Three Tuns in Great Bedwyn is donating 50p of every children’s meal served to the village pre-school. Pre-school committee member Francesca Shepherd said: “I’d like to thank the pub for the support they are offering the pre-school. “In