Archive

  • A shoulder to lean on

    JOHN Mills says he wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Macmillan nurses. The 63-year-old was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer last year. Macmillan nurses helped him come to terms with the disease immediately after the diagnosis and they have

  • Service for our senior citizens

    AGE Concern Swindon has been working to improve quality of life for older people for more than 50 years. The charity believes older people should be treated as equal citizens and is campaigning to make age discrimination illegal. Based in offices in Milton

  • Weekend results

    Division One: Westinghouse 101-2 (24), Bath Civil Service 99ao (2); Beanacre 156ao (D Langfield 5-23) (7), Collingbourne 244-7 (G Khan 73, G Chandler 65, R Howard 5-55) (21); Nationwide House 181-7 (6), Biddestone 182-2 (D Perry 102no) (22); Potterne

  • Chippenham go through in Knockout

    Chippenham overcame Swindon in an exciting first round match of the Under 13 ECB National Knockout. Batting first, Chippenham had to work hard for their runs against accurate Swindon bowling. A second wicket partnership of 54 between Jonathan Day (27)

  • Report the vile abusers of animals

    A BRITISH person of average intelligence supposedly has a vocabulary of about 10,000 words. And yet none of those words seem quite up to the job when reacting to the news that someone took it into their head to coat a family of swans at Peatmoor Lagoon

  • Kop Kid is in

    ANDREW Nicholas has been thwarted in his bid to become a 'Kop idol' but the Liverpool youngster would love to give Swindon Town fans something to sing about next season. The 19-year-old left-sided defender met Andy King yesterday and a verbal agreement

  • David's still on standby for take-off

    BOX adventurer David Hempleman-Adams is still waiting to begin his epic balloon flight across the Atlantic. David, 46, hopes to become the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from west to east in a balloon with a traditional open wicker basket

  • Construction sites safety check underway

    Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors are visiting construction sites in Swindon during the first two weeks of this month. They will be checking on the risks of falls from height, which remain the single biggest cause of death, disability and injury

  • Big tick for its literacy project

    SWINDON-based WH Smith has been named as a finalist in a national community awards scheme. The Business in the Community Awards for Excellence 2003 is the UK's most prestigious awards ceremony for companies able to demonstrate a successful series of community

  • A chance to show you care

    SWINDON CARES is a new campaign which aims to raise funds for three worthy causes in the town, and has the backing of major organisations locally. BHAVANI VADDE reports. The launch of a new fundraising drive is set to give a further boost to the Swindon

  • Would you know dirty -nailed attacker?

    POLICE are continuing their appeal for help in tracking down a man who attacked and robbed a woman in her home. Dee Tinsley, 46, was punched in the face and robbed by a man claiming to be armed while alone in her house in Collingsmead, Eldene, Swindon

  • Buyer beware

    A shop has opened up in Regent Street claiming you can purchase top brand electricals at knock down prices. Now Swindon's trading standards officers are warning people to be cautious of sales like these. TRADING Standards officers handed out warning leaflets

  • A real downer

    RUGBY'S annual league restructuring lottery has returned with Swindon being the latest local club with a hard luck story. The Greenbridge Road club have been dropped a division following more tinkering by the Rugby Football Union administrators. They

  • Swindon eye feeder link for juniors

    SWINDON RFC hope to give their blossoming junior section a big boost by linking up with a major professional club side. The Greenbridge Road club hope to follow the example of Chippenham, who have close ties to Zurich Premiership side Bath. Talks are

  • Happy Wanderers grab late winner

    TROWBRIDGE Wanderers snatched the Mid Wilts Youth title in the most dramatic of circumstances with victory over chief rivals Green Baize. Hosts Trowbridge had to claim three points to overhaul the Swindon club at the top of the under 11 table, and they

  • Festival celebrates historical treasures

    Wiltshire's archaeological treasures will form the basis of a week-long festival this summer. The Wiltshire Archaeology Festival is bringing a jam-packed programme of events to the county aimed at opening up our ancient world to children and adults alike

  • Chefs cook against the clock

    CHEFS from across Wiltshire are battling it out in the county's very own Ready, Steady Cook-style competition. Five teams are taking part in the event that is being organised by the Wiltshire Food Links Partnership to promote local produce and the talents

  • Catch up with old friends

    Veterans from Swindon who served with the 1st Battalion of the Dorset Regiment in Austria, Hong Kong, Korea or Minden between 1950 and 1959 are being invited to join a reunion. The event will take place at the Dorchester TA Centre on July 19. Last year

  • Find out how you can enjoy award scheme

    LAST September Lawn Network Club became a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Access Organisation and can now provide other sections of the award through the club. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme is run for young people aged between 14 and 25. A group of girls

  • Dream for riverside arts centre unveiled

    A state-of-the-art theatre and cinema could be built on the banks of the River Kennet in Marlborough. Plans for the 300-seat venue have been unveiled but a trust must raise £4.5 million over the next five years for the project to materialise. The Riverbank

  • On the mountain

    Kilimanjaro stands 205 miles south of the equator, in Tanzania's northern border with Kenya. It is the highest mountain on the African continent, standing 19,340 ft high and is composed of three volcanoes; Kibo (19,340ft), Mawenzi (16,896 ft), and Shira

  • Carla is set to face a challenging trek

    MOTHER of two Carla Delicata is getting into training to climb the highest peak in Africa despite having a painful medical condition. Mrs Delicata, 29, from Beverly, Toothill, works in the customer services department of Nationwide Building Society. She

  • Foxacre Treize is a hit at royal show

    FARMER Ann Orr-Ewing was thrilled when one of her pedigree heifers won first prize at The Royal Bath and West of England Show. Foxacre Treize, a 14-month-old maiden heifer, beat seven other entrants in her class at the show. Mrs Orr-Ewing, who runs Fox

  • Medical aid is shipped to Belarus

    MORE than 4,000 items of medical equipment from the former Princess Margaret Hospital have been delivered to a small town in Belarus. The items, which were surplus to requirements following the move to the Great Western Hospital, was donated to the Zaslowya

  • Display extended

    AN exhibition dis- displaying the assort-ed styles of the Coleshill Group of Artists is to remain open for a further two weekends. The display was originally to finish last Sunday, but will now be open for the next two weekends. The event has been extended

  • Got any leads?

    POLICE officer Barry Reid wants to become a dog handler but he has not got a dog. The one he was assigned, Max, was too docile and not suited to police duties so he was returned to his owners. Now PC Reid needs to find another dog before his training

  • Teenagers get a helping hand from mentors

    MENTORS of the SMASH youth project are now fully prepared to help young people in Swindon. Mayor Derek Benfield presented 14 mentors with their course training certificates at the civic offices in Euclid Street over the weekend. SMASH, Swindon Mentoring

  • Stan's the man for making new friends

    Former Swindon mayor Stan Pajak returned from Poland with thousands of new friends. Coun Pajak (Lib Dem, Eastcott) signed a friendship and co-operation deal with his Polish counterparts in the medieval town of Torun. It means that the town, which lies

  • Driver tried to kiss his passenger

    A TAXI driver who indecently assaulted a female passenger has been given a two-year community rehabilitation order. Faisal Jameel, 29, formerly of Portal Road in Swindon but now living in Blackburn, picked two women up in Regent Circus last June, after

  • Splashathon to aid baby charity

    Babies and toddlers made a splash for charity at Cannons Health Club in Greenbridge. The annual event, held at swimming pools across the country, raises money for the baby charity Tommy's. Tommy's helps fund research into premature birth, stillbirth and

  • Councillors argue over housing plan

    A DISPUTE has broken out over the number of houses that should be built on Swindon's outskirts. Swindon Council has formally objected to North Wiltshire District Council's Local Plan 2011 - a document which provides a development framework up to that

  • Irish dance troupe to entertain crowds at festival

    THIS year's Old Town Festival has had a cash boost from a dance troupe which will be part of the celebrations. More than £400 was handed over by the Moloney School of Irish Dancing following a fundraising evening at the Thistle Hotel. Several medal-winning

  • Revamp for town station

    THE NEW platform at Swindon train station has opened to a mixed response from passengers. Trains have started arriving at Platform 4, which is on the Station Road side of the tracks. The platform is the result of a multi-million pound joint venture between

  • A chance to show you care

    Swindon cares is a new campaign which aims to raise funds for three worthy causes in the town, and has the backing of major organisations locally. BHAVANI VADDE reports The launch of a new fundraising drive is set to give a further boost to the Swindon

  • House felled

    UNBEATEN sides Biddestone and Westinghouse, along with Calne, are the early pacesetters of Division One of the Wiltshire Cricket League. Biddestone visited Nationwide House and kept them to 181-7, Kevin Flay 46, and Mick Harris 46 not out shining for

  • Firms set up new charity

    FOR years it has been fashionable to slate big business, local government and professionals as being cold and distant, divorced from the real world and its problems. It is therefore fortunate that we have Swindon Cares, a new charity fundraising campaign

  • Highworth hits the broadband target

    INTERNET users in Highworth will soon have the option to switch to broadband after the town reached its trigger level set by BT two weeks ago. Trigger levels are set by service providers such as BT in order to be sure that there is enough interest in

  • Wiltshire hoping for some family fortune

    A FATHER and two sons playing in the same county bowls side is certainly a rarity. But this coming Saturday the Snell name features prominently on the Wiltshire team sheet to play Warwickshire at Stoke Bowls Club (Coventry) in the group stages of the

  • Westlecot four to represent county

    WESTLECOT'S rink of Neil Hope, Ian Jefferies, Mel Biggs and Mark Dyer will represent Wiltshire in this year's National Inter-County Top Four competition. They will face the winners of the Devon and Hererfordshire match. The date and venue to be arranged

  • Water firm wins national safety award

    Thames Water has won a National Safety Award from the British Safety Council. It is the first time the company, which has a customer service centre based in Kembrey Park, Swindon, has received the award. It acknowledges a commitment to improving systems

  • Securicor unloads Wiltshire business

    Cash transit-to-security guards group Securicor has sold its loss-making IT consultancy business for just over £30 million. The group sold Securicor Information Services (SIS), based in Chippenham, to its management and private equity backers. SIS, which

  • An additional sign of customer care

    SIGNING in for work means just that to Brenda Fortune, who works at the Regent's Street branch of the Abbey National in Swindon. A customer adviser for the high street building society, Brenda offers a sign language facility for customers who are deaf

  • David's still on standby for take-off

    WILTSHIRE adventurer David Hempleman-Adams is still waiting to begin his epic balloon flight across the Atlantic. David, 46, hopes to become the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from west to east in a balloon with a traditional open wicker

  • A shoulder to lean on

    SWINDON CARES: JOHN Mills says he wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Macmillan nurses. The 63-year-old was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer last year. Macmillan nurses helped him come to terms with the disease immediately after the diagnosis

  • Cygnets die in horrific attack

    FOUR cygnets are feared drowned after a family of swans was coated in cooking oil. Sue and Roger Hulbert, who run the South West Swan Sanctuary in Swindon, are disgusted by the attack, which took place at Peatmoor Lagoon, West Swindon. Mrs Hulbert, 50

  • David's still on standby for take-off

    SWINDON-born adventurer David Hempleman-Adams is still waiting to begin his epic balloon flight across the Atlantic. David, 46, hopes to become the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from west to east in a balloon with a traditional open wicker

  • Up in arms

    AROUND 40 pupils at Dorcan Technology College face disciplinary action after a protest caused chaos. Pupils marched out of lessons and staged a noisy protest around the school grounds in St Paul's Drive, Dorcan. The protesters, aged between 12 and 15,

  • Charity is looking for new centre

    AGE Concern Swindon has won a lottery grant that will enable it to move to accessible offices in the centre of town. The charity has been awarded £70,284 from the lottery's Community Fund towards refurbishing and equipping premises that disabled people

  • Chairman Kaljusko calling it a day

    PETE Kaljusko has stepped down as chairman of Corsham Rugby Club after 28 years' service. In his playing days, Kaljusko served as second team captain, before becoming fixture secretary, president and chairman, and a driving force behind the club's move

  • Beginning of a dream

    Highworth Junior Football Club's eight-year dream of a pavilion finally got under way yesterday. Highworth Town Council member Maureen Dilley and football club chairman Bernard Berry got the building work underway with the ceremonial 'first dig'. The

  • Eldene on lookout

    FOOTBALL: Cirencester & Distrct League side Eldene Colts Under 12s require experienced players to bolster there squad for next season. Any players interested, should go to Eldene Primary School every Saturday from 10 to 11am. The club also requires

  • Leaflet drop shows how kind you are

    SWINDON CANCER APPEAL: Macmillan leaflets have been landing on the doormats of more than 50,500 homes over the last few days. The mass mailing is the latest effort by supporters of the Swindon Cancer Appeal. Appeal manager Graziella Campisano is hoping

  • Ahhhh! Creepy crawlies pop down the pub to sup a pint

    LIZARDS eating snails, and millipedes supping on a pint is hardly a typical scene at anyone's local pub. But it has become the norm at The Victoria in Victoria Road, Old Town, where a bunch of creepy crawly fans meet up once a month. The Swindon Tarantula

  • Police assured that new radios are safe

    A NEW radio system due to be used by police officers across Wiltshire by the end of the year is safe, according to its manufacturer and the officer responsible for its introduction. The controversial system, called the Terrestrial Trunked Radio Network

  • Endometriosis facts

    Endometriosis is caused when cells that should exist in the womb lining migrate to different parts of the body. These cells, despite being in the wrong place, respond to a woman's normal hormonal changes and can cause internal bleeding. Sufferers have

  • Vicar all set to welcome her flock into new church

    THE Reverend Ruth Cram is thrilled with the community spirit in Taw Hill and cannot wait for its new church to be built. Work on the 200-seat church, called St Francis Taw Hill, begins in October. The church will serve the growing new estate in north

  • Drugs driver jailed after trail of terror

    A DRIVER high on heroin and crack cocaine who left a trail of terror behind her as she piled into the central reservation on Fleming Way has been jailed for a year. Melanie Wynne who doesn't have a driving licence caused chaos on the short journey from

  • Scrapstore gets a royal honour

    ORGANISATIONS and individuals have been queuing up to congratulate a Swindon charity which has been honoured by the Queen. The Swindon Scrapstore in Pinehurst has been granted the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award in recognition of its outstanding commitment

  • Booters' bonanza

    AN upmarket car boot sale will be held in Coleshill on Sunday. China, furniture and Sheffield cutlery will be some of the items available. The sale will be held in Coleshill Park, and other stalls will include stamps, candle holders and tapestry. Children

  • Highworth hits the broadband target

    INTERNET users in Highworth will soon have the option to switch to broadband after the town reached its trigger level set by BT two weeks ago. Trigger levels are set by service providers such as BT in order to be sure that there is enough interest in

  • Remembering Korean War

    A historic flypast will honour the heroic actions of the 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment during the Korean War at this year's Cotswold Show and Country Fair in Cirencester Park. An aerobatic display featuring aircraft, tanks and equipment

  • No longer any help for Neighbourhood Watch

    SEVERAL years ago I became co-ordinator for a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme which included about a dozen households in Burden Close. I used to receive from the Wiltshire Constabulary a quarterly bulletin which gave crime statistics for the various areas

  • It's the pharmacy's fault

    HAVING spent several visits now as a patient at our great new hospital, I feel I can now put my finger on the problem of bed blocking and it's not the patients. No it's the pharmacy department. Now let me explain. Myself and several other patients have

  • Do not believe every statistic

    THE article headed "Move to new hospital helps bring down waiting lists" and mentioned that the waiting list for cataract surgery had been reduced from 18 months three years ago to just three or four weeks now. My recollection is that there was a big