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I don’t know why the good ole folks in the US of A are so pleased about voting in a black president. Zimbabwe has had one for years…and look where that’s got them. Not subject to censorship versions @ http://grumpyshyscotsman.blogspot.com

MUM of three Catherine Anderson is joining a stop smoking campaign to get expectant mums to kick the habit. The 39-year-old from Highworth battled to quit smoking since discovering she was expecting twins. She took up smoking after quitting

A MOTHER is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of heart disease after two pioneering heart operations saved her life. Freshbrook resident Christine Cox and her daughter, Helen Craddock, were at last week’s launch of the British Heart Foundation

THERE may be a national shortage of gritting supplies, but Swindon's gritters will be out in force on the town's roads tonight. A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said: “Despite the national shortage of supplies to grit roads, the Council is

THE Met Office is warning of more snow overnight in Swindon. It forecasts between 2cm and 5cm to fall from midnight into tomorrow, with temperatures dropping to minus one or two degrees. The snowfall could be even more on higher ground - possibly

A MOTHER is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of heart disease after two pioneering heart operations saved her life. Freshbrook resident Christine Cox and her daughter, Helen Craddock, were at last week’s launch of the British Heart

THE snow is continuing to affect schools across Swindon and a number of them have already announced that they will not be opening their doors to pupils in the morning. The schools who have announced they will be closed on Thursday, February

A DANCE guru from a leading contemporary London ballet school has warned that proposed cuts to Swindon Dance funding could see the organisation go under. Barry Ganberg, the head of musical and choreographic studies of the Rambert School Of

SWINDON residents who were expecting their wheelie bins to be collected are being asked to be patient. The council has advised people who are waiting for their bins to be emptied to leave them out until the refuge vans have been round. A spokesperson

Anna Meares will be following the Yellow Brick Road in Wizard Of Oz in Purton this week when she treads the boards for the first time in pantomime. Anna joins the actors from Purton Amateur Dramatic Society in their take on the famous story

Get In The Mood for a Moonlight Senata when Ray McVay brings the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra to Swindon at the Wyvern Theatre on Sunday February 15 at 7.30pm. The Orchestra plays such classics as String Of Pearls, Little Brown Jug, Pennsylvania

God’s Carnage Theatre Royal, Bath February 3 to February 14Tickets: £15.50 to £31.50 01225 448844 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham February 16 to 21 Tickets: £10 - £25 01242 572573 Award winning actor Roger Allam once spent three days preparing and

DOLBY Laboratories has announced it is closing its manufacturing operation in Wootton Bassett with the loss of 60 jobs. The international sound firm, which employs a total of 170 people at the Interface industrial estate off Bincknoll Lane,

NO town should be reliant on one local Industry, that Is If the town is run In a correct financial manner. Get rid of the high salary non-jobs created by this council. Stop all the so-called feasibility studies, (out sourced) costing thousands of pounds

ON occasion I have written castigating the Labour Government in general and Gordon Brown in particular. It is time to write a few sentences giving praise where it is due. Gordon was absolutely correct to re-capitalise the banks. Much as we might like

ROBERT Feal-Martinez highlighted the horrors of the pan-EU ‘criminal’ data sharing system, ECRIS, (SA, January 30). He also highlighted how easy it is to find yourself on this database, through so called "crimes" such as personal obligation - an ‘open

GORDON Brown promised British jobs for British workers. The opposite is happening in Swindon. Unemployment is now 5,000. The unemployment figure has doubled since Gordon Brown made his promise to get British jobs for British workers. STEVE HALDEN Beaufort

AS the British Lion’s tail has been pulled once too often, public unrest as wildcat strikes spread across the country were sadly only a matter of time away.The real culprits are the politicians of all parties. The most tolerant race on this planet has

CAN I please ask all Parks and Walcot tenants to attend a meeting on February 19 at 6.30pm in Goddard Park Primary School. I knew nothing of this meeting until a neighbour informed me. It is a meeting about the council handing its stock (our homes) over

SWINDON'S workforce have been warned to take care when travelling home later this afternoon. The Met Office has advised motorists to be cautious when on the roads and for pedestrians to take extra care when walking on slippery pavements. The town's

GIN McGiffin is a real contender for a Pride of Swindon award. The mum-of-three from Oakhurst works hard to organise trips to Swindon for Belarussian children, who have been affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The nuclear accident took place

TOWN have announced they will play their rearranged League One fixture at Northampton on Tuesday, March 24, kick-off 7.45pm. The League One clash was postponed yesterday following a pitch inspection at Sixfields, after snow caused chaos with sporting

WOOTTON Bassett’s men extended their winning streak to four games with a 5-3 win at Westbury. After a strong side by the home side, Bassett eventually settled and began their onslaught on the Westbury goal. Kyle Barnes went close but couldn’t find his

THE snow may have melted this afternoon but Swindon youngsters need not be glum for long – as the weatherman is predicting a white weekend. Temperatures are set to dramatically drop tonight from one degree to as low as -3 but unless what is

A CONVERSATION I had recently with a concerned Swindonian raised a host of issues that called for answers from the Green Party. I feel our response might be of interest to your readers. Firstly, I would like to assure you that the Green Party has never

THE latest figures show that 39 pubs are closing a week, as a result of the smoking ban. UKIP believes that landlords should decide whether to allow separate smoking rooms for smokers. The pub is a safe and secure environment for people to drink, because

IN RESPONSE to the letter from Rev H W Jones. Although I partly agree with his sentiment, he expressed it poorly, saying that by removing the veneer of civilization a human being can return to a ‘Pagan way of life’. Perhaps the Rev doesn’t realize that

THAMESDOWN Transport has reported that all services are operating their normal routes today with the exception of Service 23 in the Okus area and Service 43A (Marlborough - Swindon). Service 23 buses are terminating at Tithe Barn Crescent instaed

WITH two fragile ceasefires now in place in Gaza and the scale of the destruction becoming apparent, a key question should be asked: is anyone going to be held responsible for war crimes? Evidence of war crimes has emerged throughout this terrible conflict

SWINDON Ladies 2nds were in seventh heaven as they thrashed local rivals Marlborough. A solid performance by Swindon saw them beat Marlborough 7-0. A clinical strike by Shelley Arnett got Swindon off the mark early in the first half. Pip Cantwell added

IN response to the letter from RF Ashby, (SA, Jan 22, 2009). Although the land at Coate has been developed in the past (Lawns area), one has to say ‘enough is enough’ with regard to further development and construction in that area. RF Ashby states

I WISH to respond to a letter from T J Lambourne, concerning his/her claims over the cost of living since Labour came to power in 1997. Firstly T J Lambourne claims that diesel has doubled in price since 1997, quoting a price of £1.39 a litre, instead

THERE is a shortage of cleaning materials in the Rehabilitation Unit, at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. The hospital will not supply soap, razors, hair shampoo or sufficient incontinence pads, for patients in the Rehabilitation Unit. The reasoning

WOOTTON Bassett followed up their headline-making victory against former league leaders Frome with a clinical 43-0 demolition of hosts Ivel Barbarians as Grant Murdoch scored a hat-trick. Under pressure to maintain their title push, second-placed Bassett

I AM very disturbed by the letter from K Woods (SA, Wed, January 21). He or she was upset to receive a parking ticket, and claims that as a visually impaired pensioner, he or she could not be expected to read the tariff board properly. If he or she

I THINK Des Morgan is right in what he said on Muslim worshippers parking in resident parking spaces for one hour because they have not the time to look for parking spaces. How do they think other worshippers do it with no spaces at their place of worship

MANY people in this area support the RNIB campaign to allow people with severe sight loss to claim the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance. Soon MPs from all parties will be trying to amend the law to allow this.

DURING the Northern Ireland troubles the BBC refused to broadcast the voices of Republican politicians while allowing normal coverage of their Unionist opponents. No worries then about impartiality. Again during the miners’ strike of 1984 a BBC cameraman

RUBBISH will now be collected in North Wiltshire as weather conditions have dramatically improved. Anyone in Purton, Wootton Bassett and Cricklade whose bins would normally be collected today are asked to put them out as normal. North Wiltshire District

SWINDON coach John Brown admits only a frustrating lack of consistency is preventing the Greenbridge Road side from dragging themselves further away from Southern Counties North danger. Brown’s men defeated Slough 32-18 on Saturday, the 14-point victory

A LUXURY hotel in Dubai where a Wiltshire broadcaster stayed has been ruled out as being the source of Legionnaires' disease. Three guests at the hotel became ill with the disease including cricket statitician Bill Frindall, 69, from Urchfont, near Devizes

IN light of the fact that the country is on the brink of financial meltdown, it is staggering to learn that many of the country’s top bankers are not only still earning huge bonuses, but some are also getting new jobs on similar terms with banks that

SCHIZOPHRENIA can be triggered in young people by smoking cannabis. Medication can help with the symptoms of schizophrenia, but it is a permanent disease. There is no cure. It is for that reason the Government has raised the classification from a Class

I couldn't say if there are angels watching over us or not but this amazing book by Diana Cooper will certainly change the way you look at life. You will start viewing things from a completely different point of view. As one of the biggest

IN a week in which Gordon Brown admits his party didn’t see the recession coming perhaps the reason could be that, for the last couple of years, MPs of all parties have been engaged in an unholy squabble about their perks, little caring that North Sea

SNOW and ice means that there will be no refuse collections in Wootton Bassett, Cricklade and Purton today. North Wiltshire District Council is monitoring the situation and will decide later today whether the weather conditions are likely to improve

POLICE have reported that traffic is backing up along the length of Tewksbury Way into Swindon from Toothill. It is recommended that motorists use alternative routes to get into town.

I WOULD like to say a big thank you to all the generous West Swindon Shopping Centre customers who tossed coins into the wonderful Bears Barn Dance animated Christmas display in the shopping centre over Christmas and New Year. All the coins certainly

THE Somme Road outside Swinton Barracks into Tidworth is closed due to a jack-knifed lorry which lost control on the compacted snow.

LET me be clear from the start. The park and ride system must not be closed. However there needs to be a number of changes which should increase it's use. The first of these is the cost. The fare must be lowered until it is competitive with the parking

REIGNING Wiltshire League champions Wroughton helped New College take top spot this week and Weir Field boss Kevin Cook would be happy to hand the club’s crown to the new leaders. In an eventful week at the Premier Division summit, former leaders Purton

A FINAL magnificent total of £3039.09 has been collected in Wroughton during the 2008 Poppy Appeal. Although this is slightly less that last year’s appeal it is, nonetheless, an excellent result in these tough economic times and is a reflection of the

IN response of parents ruin family life in the Adver, January 30, page 6. It’s nice to know, we are not alone in this issue. But what can we do? I’ve spent most of my life bringing up teenagers, still am. They stress us and we stress them it seems. Do

HAVING heard many angry calls from construction industry personnel, for example, one wonders if common sense could ever be considered when it comes to keeping some of those who rely on a living from the building trades in some kind of associated work?

THE motor trade feels the pinch on new and second-hand sales, they may not sell so many new cars, but it is in maintenance, which could actually see a rise in business at their service departments, as some motorists will be needing their first MOT carried

GIN McGiffin is a real contender for a Pride of Swindon award. The mum-of-three from Oakhurst works hard to organise trips to Swindon for Belarussian children, who have been affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The nuclear accident

MAYBE it’s time for a reality check. Forget the political wrangling, forget the ‘get rich quick’ attitude of the many that has helped get us into this mess and get back to a period of level-headed, honest trading and service. To get Britain back on its

LAST week on the bus to town in Windsor Road we picked up about 30 children and adults from a play group on route to the library. The bus just got going when we had singing and shouting “The wheels on the bus went round and round,” as much as I

The 11:41 service from Swindon to London Paddington is cancelled due to an earlier train fault. The 12:56 service from Swindon to Bristol Temple Meads is also cancelled for the same reason. Otherwise, services from Swindon to London Paddington

WOOTTON Bassett again fell silent as the town paid tribute to the latest victim of the fighting in Afghanistan. About 100 people, including servicemen and soldiers, stood still yesterday as the body of Corporal Danny Nield made its way through the town

FAMILY and friends of a Penhill legend and accidental hero have said goodbye. Brian Young, known around Penhill as Father Christmas, died last month aged 77 after a battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His family described the pensioner as a person who

TIME to tempt fate. Manchester United’s usual cakewalk means the Premiership title is practically won already. So much for the most competitive title race in years. The nether end of the table is far more interesting. This season’s procession is all

PATRICK Kanyuka could have a future in the heart of Town’s midfield, according to manager Danny Wilson. The Congolese international centre-back was a surprise pick to play alongside Chris Allen in the middle of the park as Swindon went to Oldham at the

THERE is nothing wrong with my grip of history Mr Warner (SA, February 2). I said... three big loans, three slumps and three devaluations, all under Labour and I stand by it. In 1946 a big loan from America, devaluation in 1949 and a big slump in 1951

WE shop in Swindon and use the Park & Ride. If they discontinue it, we will shop in Salisbury. Salisbury has a population of 38,000, Swindon nearly 200,000. Salisbury run two Park & Ride schemes with an excellent service. It will be Swindon’s loss.

IT was good to see Mrs Snelgrove (in her column, SA January 16) praising the staff at GWH for their achievements. However, I cannot allow one of her statements to go unchallenged. She wrote: “Gone are the days of the 80s and 90s when patients

ALUN Rossiter believes a fast start is imperative for his Swindon Robins outfit as he sets his sights on a fourth straight Elite League play-offs appearance this year. Yesterday’s unveiling of the top-flight 2009 fixture list handed the Robins the ideal

TOWN’S groundstaff have called in a little bit of outside help in a bid to ensure their players finally get some football this week. After Swindon’s League One clash at Northampton was called off yesterday morning because of the heavy snow which has

I CAN’T believe that the council still want to proceed with the canal running through the town centre and along one of the busiest routes into the town centre. What are they on? I use Westcott Place and Faringdon Road on a daily basis to get to work

IN response to the rather ‘selective’ letter from Mr Warner, firstly how about the following: BAA, Scottish Power, Excel, P Thorneycroft, Westlands, GKN, Rover, Jaguar, Land Rover, British Energy, Post Office, to name but a few. I notice in the paper

SWINDON councillors from all parties voted to have an increase in their expenses. Against the backdrop of working class people suffering financial difficulties. All MPs recently have had a massive increase in their gold plated pensions. All MPs have recently

THE letter from my friend Robert Feal-Martinez (we’ll all be criminalised - SA, January 30) is published on the same day as Gordon Brown tells us he wants broadband internet in every home by 2012. Now, where have we heard that date before? Oh yes, the

FIRST Great Western has warned there will be delays or cancellations to services between Swindon and London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads. This is because of a signalling problem. For more information, click on the First Great

VANDALS have had a smashing time at a paintball venue – after running riot under the cover of darkness. Combat Splat, at Ashton Keynes, is today counting the cost of damage wreaked by yobs in a late night raid. It is suspected that a number of people

DANNY Wilson insists it is a huge confidence boost to his relegation-battling side that top scorer Simon Cox will remain at the County Ground until at least the end of the season. The transfer window closed on Monday afternoon with no late deals being

FORECASTERS are predicting temperatures in Swindon will rise over the next few days but more snow is expected. Last night the temperature dropped to minus 3C and around 1cm of snow fell. A layer of ice formed on top of the snow causing poor road conditions

I recently mentioned the MSWJR monogram, as you can see it is clearly embossed on to this button. If anyone has a button like this in their possession then you may be surprised to know that the last one sold at action went for £600. So, if anyone has

Love is in the air, red roses in full bloomValentine’s cards being writtenunder the big white milky moon,hoping for true lovetender moments sharing soon,excitement in your tummymagical butterflies that loom.Some soft gentle musicsome soft whispers in

All shiny and new I arrive at your door, ‘Cause landfill sites can’t take anymore, The bin men come and I’m thrown all around, With a great big thud I’m chucked on the ground, Now in a sorry state as I sit by your gate, All broken and

Check the latest travel news POLICE are asking drivers to make sure their windscreens are fully cleared of snow and ice before they drive. They are reminding motorist who fail to clear their windscreens that they may be

FIRST Great Western says trains are running normally from Swindon this morning, although the 07:11 service to London Paddington was cancelled due to a train fault.

Check the latest travel news DRIVERS criticised Swindon Council today after claims that main roads were not gritted properly following more heavy snow last night. One mum who was stuck on Drove Road with a sick

A number of schools have confirmed they are to close today because of the snow. They are: Isambard Community School Red Oaks Primary Wroughton Junior School The Ridgeway School. Crowdys Hill was closed yesterday

A LIGHT dusting of snow yesterday threw numerous schools around the town into chaos – with many deciding to turn pupils away at the gates for ‘health and safety’ reasons. The temperature was a long way off the recent lowest measured by the

Swindon turned white yet again last night with a flurry of winter weather. Persistent snow throughout the evening turned roads to white, leaving some drivers struggling, as the gritters had not had time to hit the roads yet. If you have