GAZETTE &HERALD: Calne Football Club has been inundated with offers of help a week after its vintage tractor was set alight causing £3,000 damage.

Football club chairman Steve Walker said members had been astounded with the support local people have pledged since an article in the Gazette last week described how vandals had destroyed the tractor, leaving no way to cut grass on the pitch.

The club has received offers from ex-player and retired farmer Paul Candy, who has offered to cut the grass, from Autoguide Equipment of Heddington, which will donate tractor parts and tyres if the vintage tractor works, and members of the public who have donated money to help pay the bill to fix the tractor.

Calne Town Council has also offered the loan of a tractor.

Mr Walker said: "We are extremely happy with the excellent coverage. We are very grateful for it and the fact it was on the front page had a good effect.

"Our immediate crisis is over. We are able to cut and roll the grass for the next few weeks and by then it will have stopped growing.

"We are absolutely delighted with the response from local people."

Mr Walker said of the new security fence: "We are delighted with the fence. It gives us more sense of security and the fencing company repaired some of the holes where people could get into the ground. Eventually we would like it all the way around.

"Now we would like to concentrate on winning the Western and Wiltshire Leagues. We have got a good chance of doing very well this year."