Charlotte Pratt is far from impressed with the new minimum wage. "That's really stupid," said the 17-year-old when told it will be introduced at a level of £3 an hour. "It's incredibly low. It's like going back to Victorian times when people didn't have
FIVE Swindon women were celebrating after achieving their gold level Duke of Edinburgh awards. Jennifer Gray, Emma Greenwood, Sabrina Sheikh, Stephanie McNicoll and Joanne Kilburn took the prestigious awards at a special ceremony at the headquarters of
A MAN branded a nuisance neighbour because he spits on his balcony says the habit is the result of chronic lung disease. William Brooking, 53, is being evicted from a Penhill tower block following a string of complaints. Besides the spitting problem,
SWINDON: Tickets for this year's Swindon Festival Of Literature are selling briskly, according to festival director Matt Holland. Celebrities appearing at the festival, which is set to run from May 1-14, range from Whitbread Prize-winner Mark Haddon to
CASTLE COMBE: People who want to try their hand at karting are invited to get in touch with the Castle Combe circuit, which is planning a public karting grand prix on April 3, at 1.30pm. The event is open to individuals or groups, and full details of
WILTSHIRE: Join The Sarsen Trail Walk or Neolithic Marathon on Sunday, May 2. These two sponsored events are organised by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Money raised will go towards nature conservation in Wiltshire. The route joins Avebury and Stonehenge
WEST SWINDON: Can you help the little rabbits to find the Easter Bunny? Lydiard House is running an Easter Bunny Trail from Saturday, April 3 to Sunday, April 18. For more information telephone 01793 770401.
CHISELDON: Anyone interested in writing for the parish magazine The Ridgeway Bell can contact Dave Roberts on 01793 740247 or email copy to ridgewaybell@skillsplus.com
PENHILL: A pizza deliverer was robbed at 9pm on Wednesday in Seagry Court, Penhill. The victim was left unhurt but shaken. The two robbers, who were armed with an unknown weapon, escaped with a mobile phone, a coat and several pizzas. The first man was
RODBOURNE: An elderly couple were robbed of their life savings by three bogus callers who claimed to be from the Water Board. The burglary happened at 10.20am yesterday. One of the men was in his 20s, about 5ft 10in and had a moustache. He was thin with
PUPILS from Haydon Wick Primary School stopped, looked and listened to help them take first prize in a junior road safety quiz. Eighteen schools took part in this week's final, when teams of Year Six pupils were tested on their knowledge of the Highway
STAFF from the Ministry of Defence's Research Acquisition Organisation have moved to Shrivenham. The staff from London and other locations across the UK have moved in order to allow the organisation to work more closely with the many other organisations
VOLUNTEERS cooked more than 200 breakfasts and raised £800 for charity. Several members of the Cricklade branch of Cancer Research UK got up at the crack of dawn to rustle up the full English breakfasts at the town's United Church Hall. Now in its sixth
THE consumer story of the week for people with a sweet tooth is that the humble Smartie, the chocolate bean which has been part of the fabric of British life for almost seven decades, is to come in a chocolate-free version for the first time. Purists
SUPERMARKET giant Asda has denied its labelling of mangoes broke the law by making claims the fruit can cure cancer. The North Swindon branch of the supermarket chain is being prosecuted by Swindon Council's trading standards department. The council claims
Rees Holgate, a 16-year-old Greendown School pupil, does not have a job but says a minimum wage for younger people is a good idea. "We should get paid the same amount as adults because we do the same amount of work," he said. Rees, who lives in Grange
EDDIE HOWE is quite prepared to break the hearts of fans who view him as a legend if it means leading Swindon Town back to Division One. The 26-year-old has yet to kick a ball in anger at the County Ground but his thoughts are already turning to a potential
POORLY paid young workers in Swindon are in line for a pay rise. The Government has announced it is broadening the National Minimum Wage to include 16- and 17-year-olds for the first time. A new youth rate of £3 an hour will be introduced on October 1
A HAULAGE boss has been fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of more than £3,000 after he allowed more than 60 tonnes of rubble to be dumped at a beauty spot. Roger Trimmer, of Peregrine Close, Covingham was ordered to pay £18,377.88 at Swindon Magistrates
A COUPLE who had a calamitous start to their honeymoon are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary today. Margaret and Arthur Hobbs, from Grange Park, in West Swindon, headed off for a honeymoon in Brighton. Margaret said: "It had been a lovely wedding
THIS is the man killed in an attack in Swindon last week. John Goldman, 34, of County Road, was stabbed to death on the afternoon of Saturday, March 20. He was taken to the Great Western Hospital at 3.30pm but died several hours later from his injuries
ARCHIE Farrow was not even supposed to have been born when he starred in TV hospital drama Casualty. But the five-month-old baby, who lives in Crombey Street, Swindon, with parents Julie Molloy and Mark Farrow, will appear on our television screens next
GLYN Razzell has been denied leave to appeal against his conviction last November for murdering his estranged wife Linda. But he has renewed his application and will learn at a later date whether it is successful. Razzell, 44, is serving a life sentence
SWINDON: Courses in subjects as diverse as pottery and bridge are to be offered by New College this summer. Full details of the adult and community education programme can be obtained by calling 0808 172 1721.
WALCOT: New College in Queen's Drive will run a mask-making workshop from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, and says the skills learned will be ideal for transfer to schools, community groups or simply to give people a new hobby. People attending will be charged
WALCOT: South Swindon MP Julia Drown will be opening a new £900,000 nursery owned and run by the Co-operative Society on Monday. The new nursery will be opened at 11am and is in Buckhurst Field, on Shrewsbury Road.
SWINDON: A fair to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust is being held today. The fair aims to raise money for pioneering research to give sufferers of the illness a normal lifespan. The fair is being held at the covered market from 9am to 5pm. Attractions
SWINDON: A van containing thousands of pounds worth of construction equipment has been stolen in Highworth. The white long wheelbase Ford Transit, registration number G913 UVL, was stolen from land to the rear of garages near Home Farm at some time between
The Phoenix Players have postponed their planned production of Health and Beauty this April, and instead will be presenting an evening of light entertainment entitled A Talent to Amuse. The show is a mixture of drama, song and dance with a cast of more
INSPECTORS charged with making sure workplaces are safe are striking on Monday leaving Swindon without cover. Workers at the Health and Safety Executive are to stop work for a day because they have been told to accept a pay cut. The strike will be the
WILTSHIRE Youth Arts Partnership is to receive a £24,000 cash boost to fund a one-year dance project. The partnership learned this week that it has been awarded £19,000 from the Grants For Arts Award which is part of the Arts Council South West. It will
Schools are invited to recycle unwanted clothes via the Agenda 21 scheme. Run by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Agenda 21 promotes sustainability. Schools wanting to donate clothes which will be passed on to charities should call the charity on 01793 526244
TWO neighbourhood wardens visited London to tell ministers, police and local authorities why their work was so important. Amanda Broomhill and Julie Broad are members of Swindon's nationally recognised warden scheme that serves the Parks and Walcot areas
VICTORIA News in Victoria Road, Old Town, has been selling sweets since it opened 26 years ago. Manageress Lesley Jackson, 37, has worked there for two decades. Because the shop is not particularly close to any schools, traditional children's favourites
Swindon actress Billie Piper is seeing precious little of her husband, DJ and TV presenter, Chris Evans, according to a national newspaper. Rumours of a marriage rift are afoot after the couple were last seen together in public at the BAFTA awards on
A MOTHER from Lydiard Millicent went to great heights to express her thanks to the hospital staff who helped save the life of her newborn baby. Deborah Claridge, 46, of Downs View, completed a parachute jump from 12,000ft to raise money for the Special
PLANS for the future of the former St Ivel site in Wootton Bassett are one step closer to being finalised. At a North Wiltshire District Council meeting this week, councillors backed the idea to build houses on the site and turn the former Beaufort Brewery
SPRINGBOK centre Robbie Fleck could make a first team return for leaders Bath in the Zurich Premiership clash against London Irish at the Rec today (2.15pm). The South African international has played just 16 minutes of a Zurich A league game since fracturing
