Archive

  • Hi Jenks!

    TOWN boss Andy King has turned to former Welsh international defender Steve Jenkins to add an injection of experience to his back four. The 32-year-old right-back has signed a one month loan deal with a view to a permanent switch from Peterborough United

  • Wiltshire open Liberty challenge

    WILTSHIRE open their bid for glory in the inter-county championship today. They face Warwickshire in the Liberty Trophy with three rinks being played at both North Wilts (Chippenham) and at Avon Valley (Lighthorne Heath). Westlecot supply the bulk of

  • Is Goldiggers hiding proof of castle myth?

    CHIPPENHAM NEWS EXCLUSIVE: EXPERTS are a step nearer solving the mystery of an ancient castle hidden underneath Chippenham town centre, which has baffled experts for two centuries. Archaeologists have completed their first search for the 900-year-old

  • Birthday bike is stolen

    73138-105HEARTLESS thieves stole a bike destined to be a schoolboy's 13th birthday present. Callum Stirton was devastated when his present was stolen from the family's garage in Conisborough, Toothill, days before his birthday. He was looking forward

  • A different stroke

    73149-23GOLFER Tiny Spires faced another type of water hazard when he swam 331 lengths of a pool. He needed a stroke of different kind yesterday to complete a fundraising swim in two hours and 13 minutes. Mr Spires, captain of the Wiltshire Golf Club

  • Customers tuck into pink doughnuts for charity event

    73159-12 A SWINDON coffee shop turned pink in aid of the Breast Cancer Campaign. Boswells Coffee Company in the Brunel Centre raised at least £100 by taking part in Wear It Pink Day yesterday. Staff dressed in pink and Swindon Mayor Coun Peter Stoddart

  • Something to chew on for these raiders

    INTRUDERS who broke into an industrial unit in Wootton Bassett only had time to take some sweets after activating an alarm. The thieves broke into the premises of Plantronics on the Interface Business Park at 11.50pm on Tuesday October 23. Insp Mark Levitt

  • Fred's festive duty

    SWINDON town crier Fred Ferris, pictured, will ring in Father Christmas at the Brunel Centre in November 13. Santa is to arrive between 9.30am and 10am. Mr Ferris will also be taking part in two events in West Yorkshire on November 20 and 21. Four days

  • Vaccine could be a life-saver

    THOUSANDS of lives could be saved by a new vaccine, which cuts women's chances of contracting cervical cancer by combating the sexually transmitted virus which triggers most cases of the killer disease. Cervarix, which could be available inside three

  • Losing weight for good cause

    A SPONSORED slim in aid of the NSPCC will be kicking off next week at a Swindon slimming club. Slimming World, which meets in the Toothill Community Centre, will be holding the slimming event from Monday during the weeks leading up to Christmas. All those

  • Keeping a watch on motorway motorists

    THE Highways Agency is reminding drivers safety cameras are in use along the M4 between junctions 16 and 18. They are being used to remind drivers of temporary speed limits on roadworks to upgrade communications cables. Dave Frampton, Highways Agency

  • Is time running out for the President?

    Swindon student Alex Ogle, who met Senator John Kerry last week, went to a George Bush rally this week to get the other side of the story. The 21-year-old went to Greendown School and Swindon College, before spending a gap year travelling the world and

  • Lay workers joint church training is a landmark

    TWO churchgoers from the Swindon area helped make history when they were licensed as Readers in the Church of England. Katy Bell, of St Sampson's, Cricklade, and Phil Bradley, of St Michael's, Highworth, were among the first six lay people to be licensed

  • Super size dog needs a new home

    A GIANT dog which got too big for its owner needs a new home. Shamus, a 14-month-old Irish Wolfhound cross with a Great Dane, was a present for a single mum living in Basingstoke. But as the dog got bigger she realised she could no longer handle him and

  • One World celebration was a joy

    TO celebrate One World Week at the morning service in the Pilgrim Centre on October 24, the congregation of Central Church was joined by the New Life Christian Ministry and the Brazilian Assemblies of God, both of whom worship in the Pilgrim Centre. This

  • Where is fun in Halloween?

    At 7.30pm recently we had an insistent ringing on the door by children dressed for trick or treat. When we did said we did not "do" trick or treat they were abusive. In past years we have had our car paint scraped and chaining taken away from the garden

  • CCTV watch on church vandals

    73156-125HIGHWORTH mayor Gordon Jefferies says plans for closed circuit television in the parish churchyard are a sad reflection on modern society. St Michael's Parochial Church Council has been forced to consider extending its security system to combat

  • School celebrates day of the dead

    73137-22CHAOS reigned supreme at Swindon Art and History Museum as children of all ages celebrated Da de los Muertos the Mexican Day of the Dead. Rather than being a morbid occasion, the Day of the Dead is a time of celebration in Mexico. The children

  • Stadium plans score with fans

    73150-63THE CAMPAIGN to turn the County Ground into a first-class sports facility is gathering pace with thousands of signatures collected on the petition. So far, more than 2,800 people have signed the petition to show their support for the plans to

  • ASBOs not the answer to yobs

    WILTSHIRE'S chief probation officer has attacked the use of Anti Social Behaviour Orders. Diana Fulbrook's comments come as Swindon is praised by Home Secretary David Blunkett for combating yob culture. Ten ASBOs have been dished out in the borough over

  • A prize in paradise!

    73148-122AS soon as Sue Mowat heard a competition on the radio to win the chance to broadcast live from the Maldives to Tony Blackburn she was convinced she would win it Now she is off to a paradise island after beating 1,200 other listeners who applied

  • Fixed fines are saving police time

    FIXED penalty fines for drunken yobs are saving resources and court time, say the police. In the six-months since on-the-spot fines were introduced, 166 tickets have been issued. Police say 139 were the lower £40 tickets issued for offences such as being

  • Girl, 15, hurt in terrifying attack

    Charlotte JonesA SCHOOLGIRL has been left bruised and battered after she was subjected to a 10-minute beating by a gang of girls. Charlotte Jones was punched and kicked. The girls had also removed their shoes and beaten their victim with them. The attack

  • Night of reel fun

    AN evening of Irish music and dancing will be held at Grange Drive Sports Centre, Stratton, on Saturday, November 6. The event, which is being held by the Moloney and McInerney Schools of Irish Dancing, will star Brendan Shine. Tickets, at £10, are available

  • All is set for a fair

    THE Charles McPherson Gardens sheltered housing centre in Eldene is holding its annual autumn fair on Saturday, November 20. There will be a wide range of goods on offer. Doors open at 2pm and the event runs until 4pm. Admission costs 20p. The event is

  • Witches to be given pardons

    A town is to mark Halloween by officially pardoning 81 witches executed more than 400 years ago. The pardons were granted under ancient feudal powers due to be abolished within weeks. Descendants and namesakes of those put to death in the town of Prestonpans

  • MP Julia backs campaign for deaf

    SWINDON MP Julia Drown has thrown her weight behind a campaign to improve facilities for deaf children in local and national schools. More than 900 schools, including Shaw Ridge Primary School, are taking part in the Deaf Friendly Schools Pledge, which

  • Walk takes you back to old haunts

    A HALLOWEEN tour of the spooky spots and haunted places of Cricklade takes place this evening. The town crier, Clive Smith, will be leading the walk and he will be talking about some of the places as he goes. The walk, originally planned as part of the

  • Brush up on art ...

    WATERCOLOUR artist Terry Harrison is giving a demonstration to Highworth Artists' Society on Tuesday, November 16. It starts at 2pm in the town council community room, and entry is £2. Before then, members of the group are holding an autumn exhibition

  • Boost for Prospect

    WEIGHT losers have raised more than £100 for the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton for people with life-threatening illnesses. Glynis Thorne, of Weight Watchers, said that her members who attend classes in Highworth, Stratton and Gorse Hill, have been donating

  • Choir's TV spot

    SWINDON'S Kentwood Show Choir are singing on BBC TV's Songs of Praise on Sunday. The choir sang in Malmesbury Abbey and the host of the programme is Olmypic gold medalist Johnathan Edwards, pictured, world record holder for the triple jump. The choir

  • Hairdressers reunited

    THANKS to an appeal through the Evening Advertiser, former staff of Cordelia's Hairstyles are getting together for a reunion at The Buck, Ewen near Cirencester on Sunday. Any former Cordelia hairstylists are welcome from 7pm. For more details telephone

  • Bishop's new job

    THE former Bishop of Swindon Michael Doe is to be formally commissioned into his new job on Monday. Bishop Michael left Swindon in May to take up the position of General Secretary of the United Society of the Propagation of the Gospel. He will be commissioned

  • Santa is set to visit the bazaar

    A VISIT from Father Christmas will be one of highlights at a Christmas bazaar in Lawn next month. It will be held at the Lawn Community Centre in Guildford Avenue on November 27 from 10.30am to 1.30pm. There will be stalls offering Christmas goods and

  • Your clutter can help raise cash for pool appeal

    IT'S amazing how much clutter gets accumulated in the average home. It may be disused fitness equipment, untouched kitchen gadgets or scores of unwanted CDs and books. Now, Highworth residents are being urged to gather up their unwanted possessions and

  • Swindon will build 200 new affordable homes

    AN EXTRA 200 affordable homes will be provided each year under Swindon Council's new housing blueprint. Measures to tackle homelessness and stop people sleeping rough in the town are also included which was launched yesterday. The housing plan lasts for

  • Forget witches enjoy a fairytale

    This Halloween weekend interactive theatre gives youngsters an alternative to spooks and witches, something a little less scary with the story of Pinocchio. This coming of age story is presented by the Derek Grant Organisation and follows the adventures

  • Cash taken from OAP's charity box

    73147-13THIEVES have stolen cash from a charity box which a pensioner was collecting in memory of her dead husband. For the last four years Iris Calver, who lives in sheltered housing at George Hall Court, Welcombe Avenue, has been collecting cash for

  • Please help sick children

    AS a father of a child who has had leukaemia, I have experienced that sense of devastation, bewilderment and fear parents feel when they find out their child has cancer or leukaemia. Thankfully cancer and leukaemia in children is rare. But because it

  • Money wasted

    I find it difficult to believe that we cannot find £35 million for new schools which is a much needed and worthwhile cause, yet we can afford to pay two Swindon MPs £57,500 each a year and expenses totalling £226,893 for last year. Also asylum seekers

  • Our MPs are cashing in

    AFTER studying the meagre expenses claimed by our MPs I can understand why Tony Blair is going to investigate people lounging on incapacity benefit. Are they Loungers now instead of Claimants? Some benefit payments maybe saved and taxes collected if he

  • Problems of canal's restoration

    L J Dalby's book, The Wilts And Berks Canal describes how people wanted better and quicker cross-country transport as the Industrial Revolution gathered pace. They wanted to connect London with Bristol for commercial reasons. Canals were the answer. The