THE family of a young woman with epilepsy is determined to help other sufferers and raise awareness of the condition that has put her life on hold. Leona McKee, of Whitworth Road, Rodbourne Cheney, was only 18 when her plans to train as a police officer
AROUND 50 runners with a range of abilities turned up to the first gathering of the Swindon Shin Splints last week. The informal training group will be meeting every Saturday morning at Coate Water from now until the Swindon Half Marathon as part of
MORE than a dozen of Swindon’s top schools have been invited to become academies within months. Under radical education reforms unveiled yesterday they will be able to set their own curriculum and pay rates. There is currently just one in the town,
Par for the course really is becoming par for the course for Swindon’s David Howell after another steady opening round to a tournament. The Broome Manor man is making a habit of submitting even cards and flirting with the cut of late and the same applied
THE NEW Mayor has pledged to raise more than any other – after announcing his bid to raise £40,000 for his three official charities. Rex Barnett says his goal, which is about £10,000 higher than the amount raised by outgoing Mayor David Wren during his
POND dipping, bird- watching and butterfly hunting are just some of the activities on offer at Lydiard Park during May half term. The Swindon Council-owned park is hosting daily activities and workshops between tomorrow and Sunday, June 6. Families
A family run hotel is flying the flag for Swindon Town footballers, ahead of their Wembley adventure. Staff at the Blunsdon House Hotel are joining in the Swindon Advertiser’s Paint The Town Red campaign today sporting all the memorabilia
SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE, ABBEY STADIUM SWINDON ROBINS 57: Leigh Adams (3-3-3-1-2*)12+1, Grzegorz Zengota r/r (0-2*-1-2*)5+2, Morten Risager (3-2*-1-1*-1)8+2, Mads Korneliussen (1-3-2-3)9, Simon Stead (3-3-1-3-3)13, Jordan Frampton (0-0-3
THE Swindon-based Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is funding research to understand the effects of ageing on the brain. A £5m grant has been awarded to scientists from the University of Cambridge and the MRC Cognition and Brain
A FAMILY fun day marked the end of a 20-week pilot project to help new immigrant families settle into life in Swindon. There were colourful displays of dancing and music at the event, which took place at Drove Social Hall in Southampton Street
I WAS interested in R Selway’s letter how people said why they voted against A Snelgrove. I believe she voted along party lines. That’s what they have whips for (personally I don’t go along with it), but all parties do it. The Tories have always done
Swindon Talent ’10 is hopping on board The Big Arts Day at Lydiard Park. The one day festival marking arts, music and creativity is on Saturday, July 10 and the talent contest kicks off at noon. Head of Culture at Swindon Council, Helen
IN response to yet another Labour rant from Mr Warner, can I remind him of the note left by the ex-financial minister, for the incoming government, which said: “Sorry, no money left”? And the debts continue, the months ahead will be very hard for everybody
THE new Government is rightly concerned about the big brother legislation enacted by the previous government and while taking action to roll some of it back in the UK once again they seem unable or unwilling to do the same involving far greater 'privacy
I THOUGHT I'd add a little info to the recent news about what the world's newest mad scientists have accomplished. The new life form 'Syntia', is really just an old one with a new pieced together DNA using the self repair function that cells have naturally
Inventor Sir James Dyson’s technology empire more than doubled earnings last year after strong demand for its bagless vacuum cleaners and new launches, figures revealed today. The group reported operating profits of £190 million in 2009, up from £90
YOU would be forgiven for thinking, Euro, what crisis, when the European Union is embarking on further capital waste. Remember Britain, not in the Euro Zone, was compelled to 'cough' up £13 billion, another departing gesture by Labour. Many EU countries
FRANK Jurga’s diagnosis of the financial crisis (he makes no mention of any other aspect of the recession), is that it was due to US mortgage swindles. He makes no mention of the deregulation and resulting feeding frenzy of speculators which led to these
SWINDON Guide Dogs are pleased to announce their first ever Pro-Am Golf Tournament, kindly sponsored by Scottish & Southern Energy on July 5 2010 at The Wiltshire Golf & Country Club, the venue graciously donated by Eddie and Jenny Shah. The golf day
IS an MP a full time job asks Geraint Day? I would hardly think so, and ask instead whether we really need two MP's for Swindon or indeed whether we need 650 MP's in Parliament for that matter? A not unreasonable question when one considers that our
IN Thursday’s Swindon Advertiser, the Leader of Swindon council, Coun Bluh, argued that our town shouldn’t be afraid to be the first place to use EU Law to prevent Dial-a-Ride receiving council funding. The obvious pride that the leader of the council
FORWARD Swindon demonstrate how out of touch they are in deciding to not screen football’s premier tournament, the World Cup on the Wharf Green big screen. Not only have they adopted a ‘Backward’ Swindon approach in their decision, they have also demonstrated
MEMBERS of the Coldstream Guards Regiment have presented a memorial plaque to the people of Wootton Bassett. The Bristol Branch of the guards were so touched by the way the town handled repatriations, it was decided to present them with a plaque to hang
AM I alone, like the small boy who could see that the Emperor was naked in the story of 'The Emperor's new clothes', in realising that the art theft at the Museum of Modern Art, removed rubbish? I have always regarded Picasso as one of the most gifted
EXCITEMENT about the play off final has exploded on the town’s airwaves as the crucial match is now just days away. The atmosphere at BBC Wiltshire in Prospect Place has reached fever-pitch with a full schedule of programming dedicated to the historic
I WOULD be very grateful if, through your letters page, I can thank all those who voted for Labour in Parks in the local elections on May 6. I am delighted to have been elected as a Councillor and I am deeply proud to serve the people of the Parks.
MAY I through the columns of the letters section of your paper ask why it is that even when new gates are fitted to bridleways on the down land areas between Rustley Park and Ashdown House immediately landowners tie them up with string and chains low
VOWLEY Farm in Wootton Bassett is preparing to open its doors next month for a rare open day. The farm in Bincknoll Lane is taking part in the national Open Farm Sunday event on June 13, and will be open to the public from 11am to 3pm. For the free
A MAN from Swindon has been charged with theft after shoppers surrounded him when he attempted to steal from an elderly man who was shopping in the town. A 32-year-old man from Swindon was charged with attempted theft from the person following the incident
I HAVE just visited Swindon railway station for train tickets to Wembley, I was informed that they are not offering any discounted tickets this weekend from Swindon railway station although there are five of us travelling and normally you can get a discounted
TV presenter Kevin McCloud will be joined by the Minister of State for Housing & Local Government tomorrow when work starts his Swindon development. The Triangle, a 42-home development in Swindon, is the first scheme by Hab Oakus, the joint venture between
IN reply to Daphne Porter’s poem The Town Centre Water Feature, I found the water feature both mesmerising and beautiful. I do not normally like modern art but I do love this new attraction. I personally can see that the link between this new attraction
SWINDON Town FC - all the best for Wembley. But... Who designed the FC badge and then ruined it with that ridiculous steam loco at the top? KEN GIBBS The Mall Old Town Swindon
The world has clearly turned upside down. Our political system is in a compromised state of chaos, the skies are filled with volcanic ash and Rich Millin has finally bought his own drum kit. Two out of three of these events I have taken in my stride but
DRUM and bass rockers Pendulum are getting ready to turn up the heat at the Oasis this bank holiday. The group, who are originally from Perth in Australia, are peforming at the leisure centre on Monday night. This is the second time the band, who
AFTER three years of hard work Ben Mills was delighted that his second album was finally at the CD pressing plant. That was until he had a email from Mark Owen’s manager asking for Ben’s phone number to have a chat. “I’d done it all
SWINDON chief Ronnie Russell admits the absence of Grzegorz Zengota for the visit of Belle Vue tonight has come at a bad moment. The Robins, who will miss Zengota as he is riding in Poland, have lost four of their last five Elite League meetings
RESIDENTS vented their frustration as plans for a school’s future came under discussion. Highworth’s Northview Primary School is set to close at the end of August despite parents’ long battle to save it – but the building could have a new lease of life
TO celebrate the new housing development on the former Burmah Castrol site, two tickets for Saturday's Wembley game are up for grabs. Marlborough Park, the prestigious new development of apartments and houses is opening it's show homes to the public
OUTRAGED fans have castigated the Forward Swindon company and its latest decision not to show the World Cup on the town centre’s Big Screen as ‘utterly ridiculous’. Last night people in the town centre were left flabbergasted after Forward Swindon, the
A FORMER Swindon Town player wears his Robins’ colours on his sleeve, and his scaffolding. Keith Morgan, who played alongside Town greats like Peter Noble, Don Rogers and Ernie Hunt, was spotted by numerous fans securing two banners to the
DAVID Howell tees off in the Madrid Masters this afternoon hoping some late night practice will have helped iron out the number of creases in his game. Howell, who flew into the Spanish capital yesterday, spent all of Sunday evening with coach Clive
TOWN’S 30,000-plus followers at Wembley on Saturday should not need much encouragement to roar their side on in the League One play-off final. But just in case they do, a familiar face will be on the pitch before kick-off to ensure they are in the best
LOCAL players dominate the teamsheet for the final Wiltshire men’s Middleton Cup trial against Hampshire to be played this coming Sunday, May 30 at Wootton Bassett (2pm). Fifteen of the 24 players named are from the Swindon area. Ten Wootton Bassett
MARK Collier left Swindon Supermarine because he could not work with new director of football Richard Carter, the former Hunts Copse boss has revealed. Collier, who had been in the hotseat at Marine since early 2004, could not agree with Carter
ANDREW Fitton has refused to rule out a Town return for Danny Ward, as the chairman eyes up further productive use of the loan market. Ward has been on loan at the County Ground from Bolton since November and has been hugely impressive, making 31 appearances
WHILST Swindon Town take to the field at football’s spiritual home on Saturday, three Swindon rugby players will get the opportunity to run out at rugby’s spiritual equivalent, Twickenham, as they turn out for Dorset & Wilts against Leicestershire on
A RAPE victim has pleaded for others who have been through similar experiences to come forward and get the help they need. The woman was raped in Wiltshire in 2008 and a man has since been convicted of the offence. The victim, who cannot be identified
The body of a sailor who died following a road accident in Bahrain returned to Britain today, alongside a soldier killed in action in Afghanistan. Chief Petty Officer Andrew Brookes, of the Royal Navy, and Corporal Stephen Walker, of 40 Commando Royal
A SWINDON science teacher has been nominated for a prestigious award. Pete Scutt, 28, from Lawn, who teaches at Isambard Community School, is one of four teachers shortlisted in the south west finals of the 2010 Teaching Awards for outstanding new teacher
