A YEAR after developers revealed their plans for a dramatic £350m regeneration of the town centre the work is about to begin. Muse Development, which was selected to come up with a scheme for regenerating Union Square, is due to start work on the first
ORGANISERS are expecting a big day of fun for all the family as they announce more acts for Swindon’s Big Arts Day. Dinosaurs, puppets and lobsters are all in the line-up for this year’s celebrations which promises to have something for everyone. The
STAFF at McDonalds were given a helping hand flipping burgers as they were visited by MEP for South West England and Gibraltar Julie Girling. Local franchisee Paul Booth gave her a guided tour of his Cockleberry Roundabout restaurant last week, from
DYING is the subject on everyone’s lips this week. And if it’s not, then it should be because this week is Dying Matters Week, and Prospect Hospice is encouraging everybody, young and old, to start talking about the ‘D’ word. Yesterday, accredited psychotherapist
A DOMESTIC abuse charity is to hold its first ever conference featuring a host of professionals as well as victims talking about their experiences. HomeTruths, the Swindon-based charity, has gathered a wide range of experienced speakers on domestic violence
MUSIC, dancing and a procession will be lighting up the High Street in Royal Wootton Bassett this weekend as the 40th carnival gets under way. Celebrations will start in the High Street from midday on Saturday with entertainment from bands, dancers and
BEAUTY Queen hopefuls will be crossing their fingers this weekend as they take to the stage to compete for the Miss Swindon and Miss Wiltshire crowns. The Swindon and Wiltshire round of the Miss England competition takes place at Bush-wackers on Sunday
THE first phase of the emergency renovation of an historic 13th century church has begun after donors gave more than £250,000. Conservationists at St Mary’s Church, in Lydiard Park, have begun the vital high-level and emergency repair works necessary
SHE may have been scared of dogs when she was younger, but taking on a guide dog 30 years ago has changed Sue Mead’s life. And one of them even helped her find romance. Sue, of Nine Elms, who has owned five guide dogs since she was 25, is celebrating
TWO children a week come into care and need a foster family in Swindon, the town’s fostering service has revealed. The figure has been released to mark the start of this year’s national foster care fortnight which lasts until May 27, run by leading charity
THE 1,000th baby to be born at the White Horse Birth Centre was welcomed into the world yesterday morning. The bouncing baby boy, whose parents have not yet decided on a name for him, was born at the centre at Great Western Hospital at 4.11am, weighing
My wife and I attended the Great Western Hospital recently for our final appointment with my cancer specialist and Macmillan nurses before being transferred to the care of Prospect Hospice. There were no spaces for disabled people and eventually, in
I’m glad to hear that Jackie Boyle was treated well from the time she went to her GP surgery and through all her recent treatment at the Great Western Hospital. She must be one of the lucky ones. My sister fell desperately ill in September 2009 with
How relieved I was to read that the school child struck by a bus in Akers Way was not seriously injured. No doubt the driver felt the same and I hope they soon recover from the shock. Bus drivers along Akers Way when children are near the school
A SWINDON-based equipment hire company has been fined for continuing unsafe working practices and ignoring safety warnings from the Health and Safety Executive. Chippenham Magistrates Court heard today that HSE served four Improvement Notices on Rapid
MOTORISTS are advised to care care on the A419 after a lorry broke down. The incident happened a short time ago on the eastbound carriageway, at Stratton, and is affecting both lanes. Drivers are asked to take care and reduce their speed. The incident
A GROUP of children who were playing with a boat's distress equipment in Swindon caused a full-scale rescue operation in the Severn Estuary. The incident happened at approximately 8pm on Friday when the Coastguard pick picked a weak distress signal,
RONAN Murray has been named as standby to the Republic of Ireland Under 21 squad ahead of the matches against Denmark and Italy. Murray, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Swindon from Ipswich, has made one appearance for his country
SWINDON Town have released a statement in response to claims made by a national newspaper regarding the alleged racial abuse of former loanee Jonathan Tehoue by manager Paolo Di Canio. The Mail Online last night carried a story revealing that the FA
Shape Shifter by Santana, Out now on Starfaith Records. This instrumental album is dedicated to the North American Indians and the first three tracks conjure up all the majesty, serenity and proud bearing of a decimated nation. Carlos Santana’s guitar
DAVE Webb has left Highworth Town to become the new manager of Swindon Supermarine. One of the two previous joint player-managers, Gary Horgan, had been offered the job but turned it down and the South Marston club then moved for Webb, who
THE owners of Roves Farm have accused electricity company engineers of taking two hours to arrive at the blaze. The flames spread even after the fire service arrived because it could not operate its water-based systems until the power had been turned
SWINDON Town fans are reminded that the deadline for pre-ordering a copy of the club’s end of season DVD is this Friday, May 18. The Robins have committed to producing a review of the season, providing at least 500 pre-orders have been received
THOUSANDS flocked to a children’s and families day at Lower Shaw Farm to listen to campfire tales, meet the animals and enjoy the sunshine. Workers at the community resource, opened up for Swindon Festival of Literature, were overwhelmed by the turnout
THE Festival of Literature is used to serving up tasty treats and Prue Leith proved to be the perfect recipe for a Monday lunchtime. She drew a large crowd to listen to her talk about her newly-published autobiography, Relish – My Life On A Plate, as
DEPENDING on where you stand, they are the troublesome oiks who outstayed the Church of England’s welcome, or the harbingers of a brighter society. But the three diverse representatives of the Occupy movement who spoke as part of Swindon Festival of
FANCY footwork has won Ellie Wilson a place in the English National Ballet Youth Dance Company. The 15-year-old, of Blunsdon, is travelling to Hammersmith every week to rehearse and perform with other talented dancers after scoring a place in the prestigious
A SERVICEMAN who was severely injured while serving in Iraq will be cycling 350 miles in seven days to raise funds for Help for Heroes. Major Peter Norton GC, who is a serving officer in the Royal Logistic Corps, lost his left leg, left arm and sustained
THE Janice Thompson Performance Trust is providing free choral workshops at five schools to form a junior choir for Swindon: The Opera. The opera, which is funded by the Big Lottery, will be performed by the people of Swindon on July 7 and
A LARGE collection of costumes, props and equipment amassed by a Wiltshire theatre company over 40 years will be going to auction in June. The Lyneham Stage Club, which has put on plays and pantomimes at the Juliana Goss Theatre since 1969, was left
CROWDS packed into the Oasis at the weekend for a taste of all things vintage. A traditional craft fayre took place on Sunday with an array of delights from vintage sweets to retro homeware. The star attraction was the Blitz Buddies – a dance troupe
MORE than 60,000 frontline jobs in the NHS, including those of nurses, are at risk of being axed because of spending cuts, with almost half already gone, according to stark figures in a study. The Royal College of Nursing said community nurses, which
CHARITY work is tops for volunteers at Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline after they pulled on their new uniforms for the first time. Shirts and sweaters, emblazoned with the charity’s logo, were acquired thanks to a major discount from Michael’s Workwear
The Adver has been nominated for a host of gongs at the annual South West Media Awards. The full list of nominees for the awards, sponsored by EDF Energy in association with HoldtheFrontPage, was published yesterday and saw the newspaper shortlisted
SCOUTS and Guides in Lyneham have received a cash boost to transform their nature area into a weather monitoring hub. The group applied for a Watermark award from Wessex Water to help them purchase a weather station and animal feeding observation points
CHILDREN across the town who are placed into care are waiting longer to be adopted than their peers across the country. Figures released by the Department for Education reveal that over the last three years, children in Swindon who are looking for adoptive
TOM Daley, Usain Bolt and Andy Murray are just some of the Olympic hopefuls limbering up in a Swindon office thanks to nimble-fingered knitters. Carol Hearne and Liz Peacock, who work at catalogue company Scotts & Co, have knitted 33 athletes ahead of
A GANG of hooded youths armed with bricks forced a takeaway delivery driver to hand over four pizzas and some ice cream in a pre-meditated attack. The group of eight teens called the Pizza Hut in Groundwell Road and ordered a delivery to an address in
AN AEROSPACE firm which has worked on some of the UK’s most iconic fighter planes has confirmed it is making redundancies thought to hit 70 jobs. The proposed cull at Kembrey Wiring Systems comes after it promised new positions just a year ago. The
THE co-owner of Swindon Robins speedway has paid an emotional tribute to former Blunsdon rider Lee Richardson, who died aged 33 in an horrific on-track crash in Poland on Sunday. Gary Patchett says he will remember the Great Britain international
MORE than 60,000 frontline jobs in the NHS, including those of nurses, are at risk of being axed because of spending cuts, with almost half already gone, according to stark figures in a study. The Royal College of Nursing said community nurses, which
DOZENS of teachers and support staff face the axe at Swindon Academy in a jobs cull described as the most severe ever contemplated at a school in the town. The flagship academy, which caters for children of primary and secondary age, wants to shed 30
A CHARITY match held at the County Ground on Sunday raised over £500 in aid of the Rachel Swindall Trust. The Trust, set up by parents Liz and Paul and brother Tom in memory of Rachel, who died at the age of 20 in September 2011, intends to fund grants
BILLY Bodin and Nathan Thompson have been offered new contracts by Swindon Town, the Advertiser understands. The duo, who are products of the youth development system at the County Ground, were set to see their current deals with the Robins expire this
SWINDON rider Simon Stead says the tragic death of Lee Richardson was a ‘freak incident’, reiterating that there will always be danger involved in motor sport. Former Robin Richardson died in Poland on Saturday after suffering a heavy crash
SWINDON Spitfires Under 10s will represent the south west in the National Futsal Finals after winning the South West Region Futsal Festival at Paignton on Saturday. The girls, representing Wiltshire, finished top of the standings at the end of the day-long
JEREMY Wray expects Paolo Di Canio to win another trophy with Swindon Town next year after the Italian was named League Managers Association League Two manager of the year. Di Canio picked up the award at the LMA’s annual end of season awards
LUKE Rooney thinks Swindon Town have every chance of securing back-to-back promotions when they take on League One next season. The winger, signed from Gillingham in January, says the recent example of Stevenage making the top six in English football
MATT Bown and Chris Brown stole the show at Wootton Bassett Town’s senior presentation evening as the club celebrated a successful 2011/12 season. Bown lifted both first-team player of the year awards. The midfielder was Bassett’s stand-out performer
MICHELLE Rich hit four goals as Swindon Town Ladies cruised to Wilts FA Women’s Cup success against a brave Swindon Spitfires outfit. The final was played at Calne’s Bremhill View ground and Rich’s haul was supplemented by a further goal from
Local firm of Solicitors Bower and Bailey donned their favourite hats to support action for brain injury week 2012 from 14th - 20th May 2012. Friday 18th May 2012 is Hats4Headway Day. The local firm is proud to help raise awareness of Headway the
