Archive

CROQUET: KINGTON Langley Croquet Club supplied two players to the Welsh team that regained the Atlantic Plate from Canada with a nail-biting 16-14 victory at Cardiff last week. John Grimshaw and Brian Shorney each contributed three points to the victory

JUDO: ON what turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far, 11 players and families travelled to Portsmouth to compete in the Hampshire Open. While the sun shone outside, inside the Devizes players shone on the Mountbatten Centre mats. Pammie

GOLF: THE Wiltshire county team, who defeated Glamorgan and tied with Cornwall in their first two fixtures, kept up their Daily Telegraph Channel League momentum with another 71/2-71/2 tie with Gloucestershire at Tidworth. In a close encounter, Wiltshire

DEVIZES SPORTS FESTIVAL: THE last Devizes Primary School Sports Festival has been held, with plans for smaller festivals coming to fruition. The festival is coming to an end to allow events to take place over the year, and to give children a broader

ATHLETICS: CHIPPENHAM Harriers chairperson Charlotte Watkins has challenged the club to be the biggest and best in Wiltshire.' It has been a hectic and exciting six months for the running club since moving headquarters from the Olympiad to the Chippenham

ATHLETICS: RUNNERS braved the heat and turned out in force for the second Kennet Kanter in Devizes. Sunday's run, which started on The Green, attracted more than 250 runners in the two races. Following the success of last year's Kanter it was decided

If you've ever faced a pack of hungry children you'll know it can be an alarming experience. This species, most commonly seen during the school holidays, demands food but often greets whatever you offer with piercing cries of yuk'!" All this can

TOBY Ulm is looking to enhance his reputation as he goes into another major competition in peak condition. Most eyes will be on the Swindon Harriers 400m hurdler at the English Schools Athletics Association Track and Field Championships in Gateshead

ATHLETICS: MALMESBURY School were both successful hosts and participants of the Area Athletics Championships as they collected a hoard of awards. The school's Year 10 girls team were the pick of the bunch as they won their age group. This is the

AIR RIFLES: Chippenham teenager Craig Latham has been targeted as a potential Team GB athlete at the London Olympics. Sports reporter Nick Mashiter found out what it will take to achieve his goal. CRAIG Latham is only 14-years-old but he already holds

GOATACRE'S run in the National Village Cup came to an end after they were beaten by Marshfield in the last over. In a low scoring game at Marshfield the hosts edged out the visitors with four balls to spare to meet Cornish side Paul in the last 16.

SWIMMING: CHIPPENHAM took a reduced team of six to the South West regional sprint finals in Gloucester at the weekend and returned with a staggering 25 personal best times out of 30 swims. Each swimmer competes in 50m sprints at all four strokes and

A DEJECTED Neil Shardlow admits he would do things differently if he could turn the clock back after his Wiltshire side again missed out on a Lord's final. Wiltshire's team manager believes, in hindsight, their decision to bat first was wrong as they

JACK'S back! With a swagger in his step and a flash of his gold in his teeth, salty seadog Jack Sparrow sets sail for adventure and mischief in this eagerly awaited sequel to the 2003 blockbuster. Fans of the first picture will find much to enjoy on

SATURDAY saw records tumble as Gloucester City Winget smashed Goatacre's bowlers to all parts in racking up an amazing 445-5 in their 50 overs. After Rhan Heer had removed openers Jon Tegg and Paul Carter, Will Steadman and Jason Hooper came together

BIDDESTONE captain Kris Boulton says it is imperative his side win their next game after they lost to table topping Westbury and District. Biddestone play three of the top four in their next three games, starting with Lydney on Saturday. Boulton

CHIPPENHAM slipped to another defeat which leaves them perilously close to losing touch with the rest of the league. Captain Paul Bates is ruing the lack of depth in his squad, which he believes is costing his side games. He said: "When I look at

WESTING HOUSE suffered a cruel last over defeat which leaves them at the bottom of the league. They only needed seven off the last over to win the match but, despite hitting a four off the first ball, came up agonisingly short. Losing in such a

CORSHAM'S improved form has continued as they made it four games unbeaten against Keynsham They have now had two wins, a losing draw and a winning draw to move them away from the bottom two. Captain Neil Shardlow has been delighted with his side's

BRUCE Martin, Swindon's South African overseas player, produced an outstanding innings of 143 on Saturday to help Swindon secure a 16-run victory over Hatherly & Reddings and move to fourth. Swindon opted to take only four specialist bowlers and include

DEVIZES lifted themselves off the foot off the table as they finally secured a win thanks to overseas star Nipuna Rathnayake. The Sri Lankan hit an unbeaten 83 and took 4-39 in his first real impressive performance since arriving to Wiltshire. Also

An unbeaten season came to an end for Marlborough when they eventually lost to Marshfield in Saturday's top of the table clash. The home team had won their six previous matches but narrowly lost by 33 runs to concede the league lead ership to their

CHIPPENHAM Town are close to securing a "major" signing, which will see the number of new recruits at the club swell to six. Manager Darren Perrin, who welcomes the squad back to training tonight, revealed he is on the verge of pulling off another

ATHLETICS: TOBY Ulm proved himself to be one of the best young athletes on the planet after winning gold at the World Schools' Championships. Ulm, 17, powered to victory in the 400m hurdles in a time of 51.97seconds, taking a massive 1.3 seconds off

CORSHAM Train Station on Pound Mead road was once a bustling centre of communication, which transported townspeople to almost anywhere in the country. The station was built in the mid 19th century at the time when the Isambard Kingdom Brunel railway

HELP and emotional support for the parents of twins or triplets is coming to Corsham this month. The Chippenham and District Twins Club is holding four sessions at Corsham Health Centre to offer advice to couples expecting a multiple birth. Mother

SIXTH form students from Malmesbury School said goodbye in style at their glamorous prom on Thursday. Held in the picturesque and grand surroundings of Grittleton House, the Year 13 students took the opportunity to celebrate the end of exams and school

AN eight-year-old boy with cerebal palsy has inspired villagers to help fund a £400,000 hydrotherapy pool for children with severe learning difficulties. Francis Clark attends St Nicholas School in Chippenham ,which wants the pool to aid the development

RUTH Hopkinson, the chair of governors at Corsham Primary School, is celebrating after winning a prestigious award. Mrs Hopkinson was nominated by headteacher Fiona Allen and the vice chair of governors, Elspeth Griffiths, for the Teaching Awards'

TOWN councillors in Marlborough are opposing the felling of a tree purely because it shades neighbouring property. The town council planning committee discussed the application for consent to fell the tree on Monday one of the hottest days of the

TEARS of sadness were shed as teenagers said goodbye to their friends at Lavington School's year 11 prom. Although the atmosphere was fun there was sadness at the thought that the prom would be the last time they would see each other. Around 100

SUPPORT for the annual strawberry cream teas in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support in Marlborough on Saturday was sadly down on previous years due to rival events on the sporting calendar. The teas are served every year in the Poulton Hill garden of John

AFTER months of revision for their GCSE exams, year 11 pupils at Devizes Schools let their hair down at their summer ball. The teenagers had been looking forward to the ball for months and planning what to wear and the transport to get there. Anne

CALNE Country and Western Festival kept its upbeat mood at the weekend in the wake of a knife attack on Friday night that left a 58-year-old man in hospital. Anthony Hares from Bristol suffered wounds to his chest, back and shoulders in the incident

RESIDENTS in Lacock fear a proposed rent rise could turn the picturesque village into a haven for second home owners. Properties are owned and let out by the National Trust, which was bequeathed the abbey and village in 1944 by the Fox Talbot family

FAMILIES in Winterbourne Monkton no longer need to be jealous of their neighbours at Avebury for having a stone circle. Winterbourne Monkton now has a henge of its own that has historic links. Four large Sarsen stones have been placed in the village

Plans to extend a workshop at Whites Farm at Grittenham for a road haulage business were reluctantly approved despite parish councillors' concerns about traffic. Members of North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee granted permission

CHILDREN at St Joseph's School, Malmesbury, got into the World Cup spirit on Friday in aid of Dorothy House. Twelve teams of pupils took part in a World Cup Challenge, raising £69 for the charity in the process. Team members paid £1 to dress in

THE woman behind the £2 million expansion of Dorothy House Hospice retired last week. Jennie Flory, who set up the Space to Care Appeal in 2004, had worked as campaign director at the Winsley hospice for five and a half years. The project was set up

THE organisers of the Kennet Kanter ten-mile run around Devizes are considering changing the date of the event after runners suffered in temperatures up to 90 degrees F on Sunday. One man was taken to hospital with suspected heat exhaustion after collapsing

VINTAGE vehicle enthusiasts were in car heaven on Sunday at the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum's classic car day in Calne. Cars, motorcycles, commercial classics and vintage tractors attracted more than 500 visitors to the Studley Lane museum. Among

AN increase in the number of TV programmes about history and archaeology and more people-friendly exhibits have been praised as raising the popularity of museums in Wiltshire. Nearly 334,000 people came through the doors of the county's museums, increasing

The Open Studios event that gives the public an annual opportunity to see artists at work in the Marlborough area is underway. This year almost 50 artists living within a 20-minute drive of the town are opening their studios and galleries to the public

The Jazz Festival at Marlborough will be tinged with sadness this year because one of its most popular performers, Sheena Davis, is having to quit singing. Her concert with the Sheena Davis Group on Sunday, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm in the Withy King/Monahan

DEVOTED brother Shane Funnell is planning a football match to raise money for the Middlefield Adult Training Centre in Chippenham where his handicapped sister Sherrie-Lee is a student. Car mad Mr Funnell, his girlfriend Denise Gillam and members of

Here are some tips on how to cope with the British summer. Remember, if you live in the Thames Water area, that it's not directly their fault that the nights are so unbearably hot. That's just the heat muddling your thinking. Thames Water are the people

KEEN photographer Ali Pearce, who has Downs Syndrome, has snapped her way to a national award and all because of a fight with her father. Miss Pearce, 21, and dad Tom, 56, both amateur photographers were in the midst of a camera fight when Ali's winning

REGARDING the disposal of our redundant dustbins, I asked a councillor what I should do. He told me that as I had bought it, it was my responsibility. I should put it in my car, add to the pollution and congestion in London Road, burn half a litre

THE organisers of the Marlborough Charities May Ball wish to announce that the profit from this enjoyable event was distributed to the following local charities: SHAC (Age Concern) £500, Oxfam £1,000 and East Wilts Mencap £1,600. We wish to thank

LAST Wednesday I stopped in Marlborough with my mother, who has a disabled parking permit. We parked on the edge of the street, which has a normal 30 minute limit. On returning to the car, a young female parking attendant was walking along the line

BILL Chadwick, a former chief fire officer of Wiltshire, enjoyed his 90th birthday with colleagues. A celebratory luncheon was arranged by the Wiltshire branch of the Fire Brigade Pensioners' Association. Mr Chadwick, of The Ark, Devizes, was chief

I HAVE just received the latest newsletter from the Chippenham Town Council, which proudly announces on the front page that in a recent poll 89% voted for Cepen Park North to become part of Chippenham Town. Well surprise, surprise! What they failed

IT is important your readers are aware of the effect on disabled people of the fallout from the Wiltshire County Council deficit of £3,000,000 in the Department of Adult and Community Services and Ray Jones departure as director. Last week disabled

CONGRATULATIONS on the coverage you gave to the group of young people from St John's School and Marlborough College who are travelling to Marlborough's Link town of Gunjur in The Gambia. This is the tenth such visit of young people from Marlborough

WHEN Nick Glenister went out on one of his first shouts as a retained firefighter in Devizes 28 years ago, he didn't expect to have to deal with a serious accident with two people trapped. "It was quite an initiation," he recalled. He had been working

YOUR editorial comment on the story of alcoholic Sandra Clifford, who it appears was refused treatment by Green Lane Hospital, is just another nail in the coffin of our mental health service. Surely alcoholism is another example of a personality disorder

MY family have just moved back to Devizes and found that the council is starting the wheelie bin scheme. Having moved from Melksham where the scheme has been in use for a number of years, may I point out good and bad things about the system. Good points

BULKINGTON enjoyed its fun day complete with scarecrow trail at the weekend. The village is renowned for its scarecrow trail and the team of volunteers spend six months making the scarecrows. Sue Noad, who leads the team of volunteers, said: "People

VILLAGERS at Yatesbury will meet tonight in the first of two meetings to discuss the future of Hangar 45 on the disused airbase. Landowner Jamal Khanfer, owner of the site, will present their proposals for the re-use of the hanger to help the wider

FORMER pupils and parents were among those attending a party at Derry Hill School on Friday held to show off the newly revamped building. The youngest and oldest pupils at the school rang the school's refurbished Victorian bell to start the event and

NSPCC Calne Family Centre is celebrating a decade of work supporting local families. Lady Lansdowne, the former president of the Wiltshire branch which opened the centre, joined children and parents at the birthday celebration on Monday.. She cut

NOW that it is becoming clearer and clearer that whatever the desires or requirements of the public, Devizes Community Hospital will be closed down. What is the jointly agreed plan of the various surgeries and individual doctors in the town to ensure

I AM writing to thank all those who generously made donations to the British Heart Foundation street collections that were held in Devizes and Marlborough on Saturday, June 3, during our Help a Heart Week 2006 campaign. The total raised was the magnificent

FANCYING myself as something of an expert at the ten-pin variety of bowling, I headed to Sherston for a taste of the phenomenon that sweeps the town each summer boules. Every year, on the Saturday closest to July 14's Bastille Day, the village takes

AS a past president of the British Parking Association, perhaps I can offer some hope to the victims of the clamper in Snuff Street car park. The clamping company, Premier Parking Services is listed as being a member of the British Parking Association

HEALTH chiefs have said they will reconsider their plans to retain just one maternity unit. Kennet and North Wiltshire and West Wiltshire Primary Care Trusts had proposed closing Devizes and Trowbridge units, leaving just Chippenham. But at a public

ON behalf of the organisers of Combe Sunday 2006, I would like to thank everyone who so generously supported, sponsored and donated their time and money or came to the musical extravaganza which was held in Castle Combe on Sunday May 28th 2006. The

I WONDER whether Coun Chris Humphries, leader of Kennet District Council, is enjoying his holiday while most of us remain here enduring the fiasco that is Kennet's newly implemented alternate weekly refuse collection? Here in Marlborough we have experienced

THE public attendance at the two meetings in Marlborough should be a very strong indication to the Wiltshire County Council and the Government of the feeling over the closure of many NHS services. The suggested closure of the Savernake Hospital is

EAGER youngsters tackled a huge climbing wall at Bishops Cannings Primary School summer fair. The climbing wall was supplied by Wiltshire Army Cadets along with mini tanks and an obstacle course. More than 300 people attended the fair, on Saturday

DEVIZES police are appealing for witnesses to two apparently unprovoked attacks in the town within hours of England crashing out of the World Cup. Both occurred at around 2am on Sunday morning. A 38-year-old woman from the Hillworth Road area was

Woodlands Stores proprietor Phyllis Knaggs has vowed to lie down in front of diggers if a controversial road calming scheme goes ahead, because she fears it will put her out of business. Wiltshire County Council has drawn up plans for road safety improvements

DESPAIR may be sweeping across the nation following England's World Cup exit, but there are a few who are breathing a secret sigh of relief. England's games have wreaked havoc with a number of events, as people chose to head indoors for the football

SOLDIERS from the hit television show Bad Lads Army were in Corsham over the weekend to put pupils through their paces at Box Highlands summer fete. The special guests were invited along to help the school's Friends group raise money, as well as ensuring

COUNTY council leader Jane Scott has been asked to justify spending £6,000 on a new carpet when the council is trying to save £7 million. The new carpet is being put down in the council chamber and replaces one which is frayed. Liberal Democrats

Young people have been speaking out about life with epilepsy in an on-line e-poll. Two thirds of young people with epilepsy say their independence has been affected by their condition. Around 66 per cent feel their family and parents are over protective

OWNERS of Stockley Farm in Heddington near Calne had a lucky escape when their barn caught fire and 200 tonnes of hay and straw went up in smoke. Helen Cole, who looks after horses kept at livery on the farm owned by her parents, said: "Thankfully

This week, in an unprecedented partnership, the history sector will launch its biggest joint campaign, called History Matters Pass It On. The campaign was set up in a bid to celebrate and promote the importance of history, and it is led by the National

SKATEBOARDING, musical theatre, freestyle dance and mini-orienteering are among the new activities in Kennet District Council's Activate summer programme for young people. There are also Egyptian and Roman themed arts and crafts sessions in this year's

Connexions Wiltshire and Swindon has money to help vulnerable young people and is inviting eligible organisations to apply. But the deadline for new applications is tomorrow so interested groups will have to be quick to get in on time. All organisations

Door-to-door salesman Matthew Adair who left a 92-year-old wheelchair bound woman terrified after he stole from her, has been sent to jail. The 23-year-old was trying to peddle his wares on the streets of Chippenham when he knocked on the door of Marjorie

CHILDREN and teachers at Little Alberts Pre-school in Lyneham are celebrating this week after scooping a nationally recognised certificate. The pre-school was praised for helping the children take responsibility at mealtimes. The school's new snack

THE Archdeacon of Wiltshire, the Venerable John Wraw, spent last Thursday offering his support to businesses in Wootton Bassett. Mr Wraw had lunch with members of the town's chamber of commerce . They were joined by the Rev Thomas Woodhouse, from

BRADON Forest Comprehensive School in Purton has been given the green light to build a new sports pavilion. Members of North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee agreed on Wednesday last week to approve the plans, despite concerns

WOOTTON Bassett mayor Percy Miles was on hand to perform the official opening ceremony of Allsorts Pre-School's new play area on Friday. The artificially grassed area features a range of equipment and toys, including a summerhouse. The pre-school

The town's first art and craft market last week was such a success its organisers have decided to run it as a regular monthly event. Calne High Street was filled with stalls selling art and craft work including canvas paintings, cards, woodwork, patchwork

VOLUNTEER CCTV teams in Calne were celebrating this week after an operation to pin town thieves was a success. Thhree offenders, all youths, stole keys from a car parked in the town hall car park on Friday June 22. The keys were snatched from the

STUDENT cyclists in Calne can now secure their bikes in style in new Perspex storage sheds at John Bentley School. The sheds are the first milestone in a project aimed to get youngsters active. In 2004 the school applied to Wiltshire County Council

PARENTS in Lower Compton are launching a campaign to reinstate their boarded-up play park. The park, sited amidst the ex-military married quarters, was boarded up in May by housing management company Mitie Scotgate after the area was deemed unsafe.

THREE pupils at Lavington School proved they have business acumen by winning a competition. They were among gifted and talented pupils from 16 schools in Wiltshire and further afield taking part in the Aim Higher course, sponsored by NatWest. The

PARENTS with children in Year 7 or under at St John's are invited to a meeting to discuss new exams being introduced from September 2007. St John's School and Community College is introducing the universally recognised International Baccalaureate exams

KENNET District Council has been inundated with calls from residents unsure about the new rubbish collections. In Devizes wheelie bin collections begin next week and then every fortnight. On the alternate weeks black recycling boxes will be collected

THERE was the expected confusion when the new wheelie bin rubbish collection started in Marlborough on Monday. There was a mix-up in some streets as to whether it was the day to put out bins or the recycling boxes that have to go out alternate Mondays

TOWN councillors in Marlborough have welcomed plans by the town's public school to install a stairlift to aid disabled access to its Memorial Hall. The hall in Bath Road is used for numerous community events as well as Marlborough College activities

LONGEST serving Marlborough councillor Stuart Dobson has called for a halt on knocking down small homes to build larger ones. However, he failed to find support from his Marlborough Town Council planning committee colleagues on Monday. The committee

WORLD War One veteran Captain Kenneth Cummins was missing from ceremonies to mark the first Veterans' Day held last week. There are only seven known survivors from what was dubbed the Great War that lasted between 1914-18. Capt Cummins, from Great

A 28-YEAR-OLD driver has been told he has escaped a jail sentence for his third drink driving conviction in ten years because of his early guilty plea. Neil Leithes, of Minty's Top, Bromham, admitted being more than twice the legal limit when he was

DAVID Sibun, the headteacher of the newest school to be built in Devizes, is retiring this summer. Mr Sibun, 58, has been head at Nursteed Community Primary School since it opened in September 2002. He always intended Nursteed would be his final

WOOTTON BASSETT brewer Jolyon Gibbs will be part of a group of peace campaigners heading to the war-torn Palestinian town of Beit Fajjar to promote friendship links in October. Situated in the Bethlehem district, the small town has a population of

DEVIZES Guides helped their campaign to build their own guiding centre in Devizes by taking part in Market Lavington's open gardens on Sunday. They sold preserves made by district commissioner Ann Lovelock and garden ornaments. Event proceeds go towards

MORE than 500 people attended the first flower and craft festival at All Cannings. The theme of the flower festival was The Wonders of Wiltshire' and featured creations depicting a canal boat, Salisbury Plain training area and the Fox Talbot photographic

COLERNE Church of England Primary School is playing host to a special afternoon of awards on July 13. The school is celebrating being made ambassadors of software company Esspresso, as well as being presented with a cheque by the 21 Signal Army Regiment

MALMESBURY gym Focus on Fitness has celebrated its ninth birthday. Based in Stainsbridge Mill, it was started in 1997 by manager Ric Bulzis. Mr Bulzis estimated that, throughout each year, the gym's members raise over £10,000 for charities through

MALMESBURY could soon be losing high-performance car business David Hendry Cars which is considering relocating and building five houses on the site of the showroom. The plan is to build four three-storey terraced houses, along with a two-storey detached

THE Neston Women's Institute welcomed BBC news presenter Chris Vacher to host a special social evening. Around 130 group members from the Grace Methuen WI group met at Neston Memorial Hall for a talk by Mr Vacher last week. WI president Joan Maciver

CHILDREN, staff and parents turned out for a sports themed summer fundraiser at St Patrick's RC Primary School in Corsham on Saturday and helped raise more than £3,000. The World Of Sport fete, organised by The Parent Teacher and Friends Association

PARENTS in Colerne who have campaigned fiercely for a new children's play park, are crossing their fingers for an eleventh hour solution. North Wiltshire District Council has approved plans for a revamp of the recreational area in Pinewood Way, which

CRICKET lovers at Malmesbury School have been left devastated after vandals destroyed their practice nets. Over the last two weekends, members of the PE department have discovered damage to the nets on their return to school. Two weeks ago, the

BRINKWORTH Earl Danby's Primary School has been connected to broadband, becoming the final link in Wiltshire County Council's scheme to give every pupil in the county access to the technology. The link up completed a six-year project to connect all

POLICE are hoping the public can help them track down whoever was responsible for poisoning three buzzards near Pewsey. Police have revealed this week that two of the birds of prey, which are protected by law, were found dead in the Manningford Bruce

A summer festival on Saturday launched a bid to raise £100,000 to save Minety Village Hall. The festival raised an initial £2,000 to go towards the refurbishment package. The hall committee is desperate to upgrade the dilapidated building. Members

MEMBERS of the Somerfords Gardening Club welcomed a contingent of their French counterparts from Malmesbury's twin town Gien at the weekend. The club hosted 27 guests from the Gien branch of the Societe Horticultural d'Orleans et du Loiret. The

STUDENTS have been skipping away to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. All 200 in Year 7 at Malmesbury School took part in the sponsored skipathon on Friday and they all put in five minute sessions in the hour-long event. It is hoped

IT consultant Antonio Siddle is to take double-glazing fitters Safestyle UK to the High Court, after he claimed they ruined his house. Mr Siddle, of Malmesbury Road, Lower Stanton St Quintin, moved into his home three years ago and decided to have

All the students in Years 5 to 8 at St Francis School in Pewsey are taking part in its end of term production of Oliver! The show opened last night in the Hemery Hall at the Marlborough Road prep school and there is a second performance tonight.

PRINCE Philip will be the guest of honour at a family fun day at Wiltshire College Lackham on Saturday. He will meet young people in the county and also plant a tree to mark the 50th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The visit is part

CONTROVERSIAL proposals for new security at the Reybridge home of the Duchess of Cornwall are expected to be given the go-ahead next week. Camilla, who has owned Reybridge House since she divorced Andrew Parker Bowles, wants to replace five existing

WILTSHIRE'S police and ambulance helicopter with its high-tech search gear has saved three lives recently. In less than 36 hours it saved a walker who had collapsed with a stroke, a lost walker who had an ankle injury and dehydration, and located a

WILTSHIRE'S police and ambulance helicopter with its high-tech search gear has saved three lives recently. In less than 36 hours it saved a walker who had collapsed with a stroke, a lost walker who had an ankle injury and dehydration, and located a

Wessex Water has begun essential work to tackle sewer flooding in Chippenham High Street. The company is investing £200,000 to replace the 19th century storm culvert and install a new tank beneath the High Street to solve the problem. The existing

BUDDING Delia Smiths and Gordon Ramseys from Chippenham's three secondary schools battled it out in the Rotary Young Chef Competition on Tuesday night. Adjudicator Jacqui Stephens simply could not decide between the delectable recipes devised by Abbeyfield

A DEVIZES man was yesterday found guilty of raping an eight year-old girl and sexually assaulting her five-year-old sister. Earlier the court was told he had attacked the five-year-old girl during a sleep-over at his home. Roger Comley, 27, from

FIVE soldiers have been arrested at Tidworth following the death on Monday of Private Gavin Williams who was in detention. Police are investigating allegations that Pte Williams, 22, from Glamorgan died during gruelling punishment in temperatures of

A VINEYARD near Devizes is to be featured on a prime time TV programme to show how the continental lifestyle is now firmly entrenched in middle England. A film crew from Talkback Thames, makers of Escape to the Country, descended on the A'Beckett's

RUBBISH bins will be emptied just once a fortnight in a bid by Swindon Council to overcome the town's £2.9 million failure to recycle enough. The council's draft rubbish and recycling plan says Swindon will get wheelie bins for general waste under

THERE were a few heart stopping moments for the proud mums and dads of St John's School leavers on Friday at the way they turned out for their proms night. Gone were the jeans, flapping shirts and blouses and well worn trainers. Instead the young

ARMY job cuts at Upavon could affect the vitality of the village and a much wider area of the Pewsey Vale where workers live, it is feared. Rumours of redundancies at the Adjutant General's HQ offices at the village's Trenchard Lines have been going

NO services are to be provided on the old Malmesbury Hospital site while it is being redeveloped, it was announced yesterday. Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust had promised to run some services at the site, while work was taking place.

POLICE in Malmesbury are on the hunt for a peeping tom who was caught commiting a sexual act while spying on a young woman sunbather. The incident happened between midday and 2pm on Sunday in the Parklands, Newnton Grove area. A man returned home

HE has a past darker than the colour of his feathers, but Alderton's famous black swan Charlie is not letting villagers take him away from the love of his live without a fight. For 16 years he has lived on the village pond, just south of Luckington

A SHELDON School parent was punched to the ground, breaking his jaw in a road rage incident on Friday. The incident happened at about 5.25am outside the school in Hardenhuish Lane. The 44-year-old parent was pulling into to the school parking area

COUNTRY and western fan Anthony Hares is recovering from stab wounds he received during an incident at a festival in Calne on Friday. Festival goers watched in horror as Mr Hares, 58, was wounded during the opening night of the annual country and western

CHEESEMAKER Ceri Collingborn has scooped a £1,000 prize after winning the Malmesbury New Business Award. Miss Collingborn, 26, has been making and distributing cheese from her home at Hill End Farm, Brinkworth, since November. The business is a

BAKERY owners Jackie Perry and Tia Lang and their staff are celebrating after winning the Corsham heat of the North Wiltshire New Business Awards. My Loaf bakery in the Martingate Centre beat women's clothing shop Madison and the deli at Corsham for

A TEAM of consultants from Peter Brett Associates got stuck in to the canal restoration project at Dauntsey Lock near Chippenham to help make the stretch navigable again. The 15 partners donned their wellies and braved the heat, mud and water to build

AN historic town centre building is about to enter a new era after work began to transform it into Chippenham's latest bar and restaurant. Around 25 jobs will be created when national pub chain Barracuda Group opens its first Wiltshire venue in New

FRENCH food giant Danone has signed up the expertise of Chippenham data management firm Decisions Made Easy. It is a major deal for the sales and supply chain data company, known as DME, which is based at Avon Reach. The company will track how well

STUDENT Peter Singlehurst is once again looking forward to taking part in an 8,000 mile drive to Mongolia after mechanic Tony Hutchings came to his rescue. Mr Singlehurst, 20, and his Durham University roommate Richard Knock are due to take part in

DOG lover Debbie Mackay had her own problems when she was made redundant by the RAC but she solved them by tackling other people's. She has set up her own business, Doggy Dilemmas, helping owners who have problem pooches. Ms Mackay, from Worton,

THREE farmers' wives have scored a winner at Wimbledon with their new drink. Blooming Sensation impressed bosses at the tennis championships so much it will be stocked in hospitality boxes for the semi-finals and finals. The drink is one of several

MORE than 70 firefighters from all over Wiltshire fought a fierce blaze last Friday which totally destroyed a thatched cottage in Worton. The alarm was raised just before 11am and the first crews on the scene used ladders to direct hoses on to the

Two VIP tickets for the entire duration of any sporting event in the world is topping the lots at a charity auction at the Beaufort Polo Club. A pair of tickets for all four days of the 2008 Ryder Cup is also being offered at the auction. Or perhaps

THE 1st Crudwell Guides may have to close after 32 years unless a new leader can be found. Pam Wortley, who has been in charge for 17 years, is moving to Scotland and no one has come forward to replace her. The group has 28 guides, with many more

Sovereign Housing Association has been given permission to build five new affordable homes in the village of Minety. The plans came before members of North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee on Wednesday last week. The site

TERMINALLY ill cancer patient Terence Hutchins is hoping his newly published poetry anthology will raise money to help other sufferers. Seven years ago, Mr Hutchins, 75, was diagnosed with colon cancer, which eventually spread to his liver. He has

POETRY and story writing will feature again in Chippenham's community festival programme this November. The successful Chippenham Write event is already in its third year. Now local poets and writers of all ages are being invited to send poems and

WHEN Abbeyfield School's sixth form students turn up for lessons in September they won't be studying in classrooms but on a nearby sports ground. In an unusual collaboration between the school and Chippenham Town Council, three portable buildings

STUDENTS at Sheldon School, Chippenham, celebrated the founding of the modern Olympics on Friday with a visit from bronze medallist Helen Reeve. The canoeist showed off her medal and posed for pictures with pupils before they set off on a 3km fun

The major redevelopment of Chippenham's former cattle market site has finally received the green light from North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee. The approval opens the way for 256 new homes to be built to ground-breaking