STUDENTS and staff will bid a fond farewell to a much loved teacher today as she will be replaced by one of her former pupils. Alison Morris, who is retiring at the end of this school year after 23 years at St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary
THE Royal International Air Tattoo was sold out on both days with 130,000 people attending across the weekend. Air tattoo chief executive Tim Prince said: “We have been blessed with excellent weather, and this air tattoo has been buzzing with happy
AN aspiring teenage country singer has made it through to the second round of vocal talent show The Voice after impressing the judges in the trial auditions. Frankie Loveridge, 16, from Cricklade, was taken aback by the news when he got an email
DANCERS from Swindon Academy of Dance have excelled at The All England Regional Finals. The bi-annual event, held at Ferneham Hall in Fareham, is the culmination of two years of hard work and dedication for the students. Swindon Academy of
LIFT Psychology will soon be running a new course for people who experience non-epileptic attacks. The attacks are bodily sensations and experiences that appear to be epilepsy but, after medical investigations, no abnormal electrical activity in
10:01pm That's it for tonight. For a full report and reaction, see tomorrow's Adver. 9:38pm Heat 15: Karlsson, Woffinden, Morris, Andersen, 56.51 (46-44) Karlsson burns
A SWINDON boxing coach has hit out at Government plans to axe the six-week school summer holidays. Paddy Fitzpatrick owns Fitzpatrick’s Boxing Gym in Ferndale Road, which trains people aged from eight to adult. He spoke out as children begin
GRANDMOTHER Christine Butler has been described as ‘an amazing person’ after donating her kidney to her nephew and giving him his life back. The 58-year-old nurse, who previously worked at Princess Margaret and Great Western Hospitals in Swindon
WILTSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service are reminding the public to stay safe while enjoying the hot weather that the country is currently basking in. The Fire Service recently has had to deal with numerous large grass fires often caused by carelessness
NORTH Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson joined schoolchildren from around the town to find out how to help save the UK’s bee population. Justin, along with his wife Jo, attended a Bee Café workshop at B&Q’s Kids Can Do It centre last week. The sessions
BUILT in a modern, state of the art facility, St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Purton seeks to give its pupils the perfect platform to move up the school system. There has been a primary school located in the village for more than
IT is party-time once more in the Earl of Suffolk’s sumptuous back-garden this week as hordes of world music lovers from Swindon prepare to make the now familiar 30 to 40-minute pilgrimage into the heart of Wiltshire for their favourite annual soiree
ANY doubts I had about Jessie J – and let’s face it, her loud, brash persona isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – were turned on their head on Friday night when I saw for myself why quite so many youngsters (my eight-year-old superfan neice included) are
THREE films made by the next generation of young film-making talent have been given their premiere screening. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Create Studios and as part of the celebrations the first screening of Next Generation, which was
TV PRESENTER Carol Vorderman added a celebrity element to the air tattoo as the first pilot to touch down at the airfield in Gloucestershire ahead of the airshow this week. The former Countdown host, who landed in a light aircraft, is preparing
FORMER students and teachers from Kingsdown School took a trip down memory lane as they revisited the halls and corridors of their youth. Hosting a 1950s themed day to celebrate the launch of their new book, Kingsdown, the school opened its doors
DURING the spring and summer of 1951 two brothers, Tony and Ken Winslow, made the most of their weekends and school holidays by exploring the historic wonders on Swindon’s doorstep. At the family home in Downs View Road, they studied maps of Wiltshire
“BEAUTIFUL setting, beautiful people,” says Paul Weller gazing at the sublime surroundings as the sun begins to sink over the glory that is Westonbirt Arboretum. Time – to borrow the title of one of the songs he is about to perform – to wake up
WILTSHIRE Police is warning dog owners about the dangers of leaving pets in hot cars following several incidents in the county. Since the beginning of the month, officers have received numerous calls from members of the public concerned for the
A COMMUNITY project is ready to spring from the ground as soon as charity status is achieved. Much-needed allotments are part of the plans for a popular green space, which was once threatened with housing development. Last June, developer Haboakus
THOUSANDS turned out in the sunshine for the Stratton Festival this weekend, including Hounds for Heroes founder Alan Parton. More than 5,000 people took part in the first revival in 40 years of the Stratton Festival by the Stratton St Margaret
WITH news that the Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour, thoughts have now turned to the sex of the royal baby and what the couple will call the new arrival. Kate and husband William arrived at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital
FLIGHT Lieutenant Mike Child and his fellow Red Arrows are rarely eclipsed in the skies above Britain. So it was testament to the scale of the new British Airways Airbus A380 that the pilot described feeling ‘dwarfed’ as the celebrated aerobatic
WHAT drives a person to spend 50 years at the chalkface? “I think there’s something special about the job of teaching,” said Peter Sheppard. “I think, like my father did, that it’s the most rewarding experience that you can have, to work with
A BEAUTY queen tested her limits when she abseiled off one of Swindon’s tallest buildings in aid of Prospect Hospice. Hannah Golding, who has held the crown of Miss Swindon and England’s Perfect Miss, showed her support for the local charity when
RESIDENTS have expressed their frustrations that one of the town’s busiest roads is to be closed for weeks on end yet again. From today, Oxford Road will be closed for essential repair and resurfacing work, which is expected to take up to three
RESIDENTS in Royal Wootton Bassett looked on in shock as the town’s oldest pub went up in flames yesterday afternoon. The roof of the Cross Keys, in the High Street, caught fire at approximately 3.45pm. Fire crews from Royal Wootton Bassett
STREET markets will soon be returning to the town centre after the council approved certain areas for trading. Following a public consultation the council has designated a number of locations in the town centre which are allowed to hold a market
SAME-SEX couples in Swindon can now plan for their big day thanks to the passing of a law which will allow them to get married. The new law has been welcomed by the town’s gay community and will be celebrated during this year’s Swindon and Wiltshire
ROBINS boss Alun Rossiter has revealed his desire to confound expectations still burns as bright as ever as he prepares to lead his team into battle at Wolverhampton tonight. Swindon gave their Elite League title push a huge boost with wins against
SKIPPER Troy Batchelor was thrilled with Australia’s effort after they won Speedway World Cup bronze in Prague on Saturday. The Swindon Robins charger starred for the quartet from Down Under as they pushed winners Poland and Denmark all the way
THE Stuart Buckland-trained Son of Delboy won the £15,000 Produce Stakes final at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday night. Trapping well from two, Delboy managed to overcome some early scrimmaging and also a late charge by competition favourite Johnnys
SWINDON Town arrived in Portugal at the start of their pre-season training camp last night without a full-time manager as the search for the next Robins boss continues. Les Ferdinand remained the bookmakers’ favourite for the role overnight, while
HIGHWORTH tasted success in their first pre-season friendly as they sunk Marlborough 2-1. Goals from Toby Clark and Martin Stratford gave the Worthians victory over the Wiltshire League side at the Elms. Shrivenham defeated Western League Calne
WOOTTON Bassett boss Jeff Roberts feels his side’s style of football would suit son Jordan but says it is the youngster’s decision as to where his future lies. Roberts jnr has already signed for Southern League Supermarine this summer but his dad
CHRIS Van Straaten has lavished praise on guest Peter Karlsson ahead of the veteran Swede’s return to Wolverhampton tonight. Karlsson has spent the majority of his 20-year-plus British career at Monmore Green, but this campaign finds himself occupying
KYLE Howarth says the likes of Hans Andersen and Troy Batchelor are helping him to boost his points-scoring power at Swindon. The 19-year-old has only turned out three times in Robins kevlars since being brought in to replace Kacper Gomolski, but
TROY Batchelor was forced to settle for a bronze medal in Saturday’s Speedway World Cup final in Prague as Australia were edged to the lower end of the podium in the closing stages. The boys from Down Under were missing world champion Chris Holder
