Archive

  • Gloucestershire hold on for a draw

    Gloucestershire hung on for a draw at the Brit Oval against Surrey, who would have claimed a straightforward win if they had caught their catches. Trailing by 230 after their first innings, Gloucestershire finished the day on 255 for nine with Jonathan

  • Waiting Game

    ANDY KING will not necessarily adopt a 'like for like' approach if Tommy Mooney and David Duke choose to pursue their respective careers elsewhere. The Town boss is still hoping that both players will agree to sign on the dotted line but it won't be a

  • Young skaters to lobby town council over plan

    HIGHWORTH'S bid to build a skate park reaches a crucial stage tonight. The Highworth Sk8ters are due to meet town councillors to lobby for support. Campaigners say the best location would be on the Rec near the youth shelter. But the plans are expected

  • Dyer's rink leads rout but Wiltshire face qualifying mountain

    WILTSHIRE bounced back in the Middleton Cup with a comprehensive 59-shot victory at Ross-on-Wye. They easily overcame the challenge of Herefordshire 162-103 in their latest inter-county championship match. Wiltshire took the honours on four of the six

  • Fresh faces recruited by two major law players

    TWO major legal firms with Swindon offices have announced new faces will be joining them. Alistair Henry, formerly a partner at City firm Speechly Bircham and niche property firm Maxwell Bat-ley, has joined Withy King Commercial's property department.

  • A night to savour!

    Ref. 31016-24The Roon Army was out in force last night as England took a giant step towards bringing football home. Wayne Rooney and the England boys stormed to a 4-2 victory against Croatia earning themselves a spot in the coveted quarter finals of Euro

  • Singers and actors wanted to step into spotlight

    Amateur singers and actors are needed for a new production by the Ridgeway Theatre Company. The group gives regular and highly-regarded performances of dramas of all kinds. The last was George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion the basis for the film My Fair Lady

  • ST MARY'S FIND LONG WAIT IS WORTHWHILE

    St Mary's School, Swindon triumphed in the annual Westrop Primary School tournament nearly three months after their quest for the trophy began. The competition was originally scheduled to take place on April 5 at Highworth Rec. But heavy rain caused the

  • Blunsdon plea

    Due to the increased size of next season's under 12 league, Blunsdon Colts require additional players to join their small squad. The Colts have only 13 players, and would like to invite anyone looking to play and enjoy playing football to come along to

  • Boom time as Sunday league adds extra division

    AN eighth division has been added to the Swindon Sunday League next season following the acceptance of 13 new clubs. All of the newcomers including Adver FC will play in the bottom division. The season will commence on September 5 and finish no later

  • Same Again at Sixes

    Tony Adams was a welcome guest at the Highworth Town junior tournament at the weekend and, in the true tradition of his legendary Arsenal side, every one of the six-a-side finals finished 1-0. Adams, who lives near Cirencester, was cheering on his son

  • Young people are being invited to become web wise

    YOUNG people who are using the internet are being urged to log onto Wiltshire police's website first to help them stay safe in chatrooms. Wiltshire Constabulary launched the Who's Web Wise campaign in partnership with Wiltshire County Council, Swindon

  • Passport to child safety

    MOVES to make anyone working with children carry a child safety "passport" under new security measures in the wake of the Soham inquiry have been welcomed by headteachers in Swindon. The Home Office is today due to publish the report into how Ian Huntley

  • Have your say over cemetery

    Wootton Bassett residents are being urged to give their views about creating new cemetery space. The town council has started a public consultation on whether to create double-decker graves at the existing Downs View. This would mean re-siting existing

  • French connection

    Ref. 25077A UNIQUE joint flypast by the Red Arrows and the Patrouille de France display teams is being planned as the highlight of an Anglo-French aerial spectacular at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, on July 17 and 18. To mark the

  • Artists learn to brush up on technique

    ARTISTS are being invited to a group painting session. The Big Paint coincides with Swindon Open Studios when 54 artists have opened their homes and workspaces to the public. The Big Paint takes place on June 27 at the recently painted Old Railway Museum

  • A shocking education in poverty for teacher

    Ref. 31009-97A SWINDON woman has been touched by the plight of a Kenyan school where there are no books for the children and teachers are lucky to have a blackboard in their classrooms. Former teacher Helen Thomas, 63, was so moved by what she saw on

  • Weekend tailbacks likely

    SOUTH Wiltshire is bracing itself for long traffic tailbacks, following an announcement by highway chiefs that they are to close the A303 near Amesbury this weekend. The closure on the hectic holiday route has been ordered to enable the safe removal of

  • Pensions despair may spark strike

    SWINDON could be paralysed by strike action if a pensions row is not cleared up. The Government is trying to change the rules for public sector pensions, which has led to Unison, the public workers' union, baring its teeth at a national conference. The

  • Mark is a whiz in new chair

    Ref. 31013-30TEENAGER Mark Huggins had a fantastic surprise when a specialist sports wheelchair was given to him after he lost three chairs to thieves. Mark, 13, is a talented athlete but had no wheelchair to compete in the paralympic games. Now the Royal

  • Roadworks are to go ahead on A419

    TWO weeks of roadworks on the A419 will go-ahead despite promises that main routes in the Swindon area would remain clear this summer. The Highways Agency said the resurfacing work had always been scheduled as part of the cur-rent time-table. But spokesman

  • Homeless man died from drug abuse, inquest hears

    DRUG taking paraphernalia was discovered after a 38-year-old man died in a room at a Swindon hostel for the homeless. Hilton Blandford had checked in to Davis House, in Fleming Way, on November 4 last year for a week, an inquest in Salisbury heard yesterday

  • GAP WIDENS AT THE TOP

    With Great Bedwyn and Marshfield both winning, the gap between them and the chasing sides in Division One has grown to 40 points. Bedwyn gained a further four bonus points on Marshfield as Neil Maycock scored 107 not out and Rob Palmer 52, in a total

  • Daring raid on tycoon's home

    Ref. 23103-22RAIDERS have hit the former home of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. In a meticulously-planned operation, villains made off with a haul of priceless antiques from the country pile in Sevenhampton, near Highworth. The gang bypassed a high-tech

  • Weekend tailbacks likely

    SOUTH Wiltshire is bracing itself for long traffic tailbacks, following an announcement by highway chiefs that they are to close the A303 near Amesbury this weekend. The closure on the hectic holiday route has been ordered to enable the safe removal of

  • Singing salutes the solstice

    MUSIC and impromptu dancing heralded the sunrise at Stonehenge when more than 20,000 people gathered for the midsummer solstice on Monday. Some 150 police officers were on site and a handful of arrests were made but for the most part it was a joyous and

  • Keith the boss is one of best

    SWINDON-BASED First Great Western can boast one of the best bosses in Britain. Keith Owen is a former train services manager in Exeter and now oversees 150 customer hosts and train managers in Worcester and London Paddington. He is now through to the

  • Firm is on a high over its 'dope' drugs

    A WILTSHIRE firm developing cannabis-based drugs has shown it is anything but dopey. GW Pharmaceuticals of Salisbury posted slightly higher half-year losses of £6.9 million in the six months up to the end of March, compared to £6.7 million last year.

  • Builder Bluestone lands swag of new contracts

    BUILDING firm Bluestone, which has offices in Ashworth Road, Swindon, is celebrating new contracts in and around Swindon worth more than £1 million. The work includes a project to carry out internal refurbishment and roofing work at the Bible Society

  • Whizz kid is award finalist

    Ref. 31011-17A SWINDON businessman who aims to take the pain out of buying a house has been nominated as entrepreneur of the year in a national competition. Steven Foster, chief executive of TM Property Services in the Delta Business Park, is a finalist

  • Daring raid on tycoon's home

    Ref. 23103-22RAIDERS have hit the former home of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. In a meticulously-planned operation, villains made off with a haul of priceless antiques from the country pile in Sevenhampton, near Highworth. The gang bypassed a high-tech

  • New landlords bowl in with lots of ideas for fun

    THE new landlords at The Bell, Purton Stoke, near Cricklade, are calling for cricket-loving customers to dust off their bats and balls, and form a cricket team. Teresa and Steven Cleverly, who took over behind the bar at the Arkell's pub last week, are

  • Paying tribute to fallen comrades

    VETERANS of the Korean War are to join with former comrades from around the UK after being given a grant to travel to national commemorations of the conflict. This is the first time members of the Swindon Branch of the British Korean Veterans' Association

  • Driver released on bail over crash which killed health boss

    A MAN has been arrested in connection with a fatal crash on the M4 which killed a leading health executive. The collision, just before 7pm on April 20, involved three vehicles between junctions 17 and 18 at Nettleton. A Citroen van and a Renault car transporter

  • Vandals put angling club's future in doubt

    Kevin Maddison and Mark Hawkins with some of the damage caused by vandals. Ref. 31010-1VANDALS could force a Swindon angling club to close. Enthusiasts who manage the lake at Mouldon Hill Country Park have forked out £20,000 in repairs and they say members

  • Daring raid on tycoon's home

    Ref. 23103-22RAIDERS have hit the former home of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. In a meticulously-planned operation, villains made off with a haul of priceless antiques from the country pile in Sevenhampton, near Highworth. The gang bypassed a high-tech

  • Town sees drop in dumped cars

    Ref. 13983-14SWINDON is no longer among the dumped car capitals of the UK. Two dumped cars are being cleared from the streets of Swindon each day, according to new figures. Last year we revealed more than three cars a day had to be cleared from the streets

  • Teenager arrested for indecent photos

    A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of taking indecent photos of children in a toilet at Swindon's Megabowl. Police were called to the bowling alley complex in Shaw Ridge after a group of seven-year-old boys reported that a teenager had taken

  • Badgers are on the lookout . . .

    SWINDON Badgers are looking for a manager for their under nine side next season. Anyone interested should contact Paul on 07763 321862. Under 11 players are also required for a new team in the North Wilts League. Last season the team finished fifth in

  • Have fun at fete

    Pony rides, puppet shows and live music are just some of the treats promised at this year's village fete in Aldbourne. The annual event will take place on Saturday. Visitors will be able to enjoy a cream tea in a cottage garden, browse around the stalls

  • Family's pub party turns into a brawl

    POLICE were called to a party at the Patterns Store pub in Churchward after family tensions boiled over into a large fight. They arrived in the early hours of the morning, not long after it happened , to see the host Michael Deller hit another man, a

  • Robbery witnesses sought

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a robbery at a Salisbury bookmakers. The incident happened at 6.20pm on Sunday, when the man walked into William Hill, in the Cheesemarket, and demanded the manager hand over money from the safe, before leaving

  • Campaign for skate ramp hits the skids

    Ref. 30052-17PLAY equipment has arrived at Liddington playing fields following a lottery grant and celebrations are planned for next Sunday with a picnic for villagers. The Friends of Liddington Playing fields has spent £27,000 on equipment for young

  • Singing salutes the solstice

    MUSIC and impromptu dancing heralded the sunrise at Stonehenge when more than 20,000 people gathered for the midsummer solstice on Monday. Some 150 police officers were on site and a handful of arrests were made but for the most part it was a joyous and

  • Young skaters to lobby town council over plan

    HIGHWORTH'S bid to build a skate park reaches a crucial stage tonight. The Highworth Sk8ters are due to meet town councillors to lobby for support. Campaigners say the best location would be on the Rec near the youth shelter. But the plans are expected

  • Vandals need to be punished

    I DO hope those dreadful vandals who caused so much damage to the hydrotherapy pool, realise just what benefits they have deprived so many disabled children and elderly who use the pool. If they are bored, they would be better employed helping these poor

  • Thanks for all your donations

    THE Alexandra Rose Day Collection held in Regent Street on Saturday, June 5, and the house to house collection in Wootton Bassett raised £306.10. The money was shared between Pathfinders (£214.10) and Alexandra Rose Day Special Appeal Fund (£92). I am

  • Could this be one answer to the housing shortage?

    WHEN Sir Winston Churchill engaged Lord Beaverbrook to take charge of the Ministry of Aircraft production in the days of World War 11, they also had to house thousands of workers. They did this by bringing about the production of MAP houses and bungalows

  • Blair and Bush ought to be put on trial

    PERHAPS now after losing out to the ballot box, even Mr Blair must realise the repulsion the electorate feel towards him, mainly I believe, because of the Iraq war. He blames the Cloud of Iraq for the poor results. The Cloud of Iraq as he so glibly puts

  • We should make sure crime does NOT pay

    IT is reported in the National Press that the whereabouts of Maxine Carr had been located after her release following the Soham trial, and that she was evacuated by helicopter at a cost of £15,000 to the tax payers. Further, with a new identity, passport