CAR giant Honda’s Swindon factory has been forced to shut down for another day tomorrow after bad weather delayed deliveries of parts. The factory near South Marston halted production on Wednesday when container ships delivering components used
Seven charities have been announced as beneficiaries of the Swindon Ball. We bring you the lowdown on each of the worthy causes... 1. ADULTS with learning difficulties are set to benefit from a £700 donation to Swindon Interactive Arts Service.
GEORGE Barker was drawn to the County Ground by the possibility of regular first-team football and the chance to team up with old friends. Barker, who signed an 18-month contract with Swindon Town on Tuesday, knows several of the Robins’ squad
DRIVERS are urged to avoid the County Road area following a crash this afternoon. Police officers and paramedics were called to the Gambia Street junction near to the Cricket Ground at approximately 2pm following reports that two cars had collided
AVON and Somerset Police has ended its pursuit of two men, believed to be from Swindon, after an arrest was made in connection with a Bristol rape investigation. A 27-year-old man from the Salisbury area, who is believed to be one of the men released
FORMER Wootton Bassett three-quarter Jonny May has been picked for England's Six Nations campaign. The centre and winger, whose form at Gloucester over the past year has caught the eye of the national selectors, is part of his country's 35-man
Swindon Town fans have been given the chance to have a say in the future of the County Ground after it was was declared an asset of community value. The stadium is one of the first buildings in the town to be given the protected status by Swindon
ONE of the most common New Year’s resolutions is that people want to lose weight and become fitter. This is not surprising given that the BBC worked out a single traditional Christmas Day meal has 7,000 calories – the equivalent of nearly three
SWINDON'S David Howell endured a tough opening round at the Volvo Golf Champions event in South Africa today. Competing in his first tournament of the year, the Broome Manor pro carded four-over-par and at the time of writing was tied-34th out
A COMPUTER glitch that increased train fares a month after a much-heralded expanded rail service was introduced has caused anger this week. Commuters had to pay the full fare on the new TransWilts line from Westbury to Swindon yesterday, despite
FIGURES released today by TV Licensing reveal black and white TV licences have dropped to 26 in Swindon. Across the UK, the number of families watching on black and white TVs has dropped a further 12 per cent in the past year, with fewer than 12,000
COVINGHAM: The parish council makes grants to voluntary and charitable groups throughout the year. Applicants should write to Brian Osbourn at 28 Tawny Owl Close, Swindon SN3 5EX or email covinghampc@aol.com.
CASTLE EATON: Residents have an opportunity to meet their local Neighbourhood Policing Team at the next meeting of the Swindon North team on January 23. The meeting will take place from 10am to 11am at Castle Eaton Village Hall and provide an opportunity
COVINGHAM: The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on January 13 and all are welcome to attend to find out more about what is going on in their area. The meeting will take place at 7.30pm at Covingham Park Junior School.For more
SWINDON: Kubris play at a free gig from 9pm, in The Rolleston, Commercial Road, on Friday, January 10. For more details call 01793 534238.
OLD TOWN: The David Bowie Experience pay tribute to their music hero from 8pm, at The Victoria, Victoria Road tomorrow. Tickets are £6 in advance £8 on the door from 01793 535713.
SWINDON: Dance the Night away to the latest salsa, merengue, bachata and reggaeton tracks with Latin DJ Hender from 8.30pm to 1am, with salsa class at 9pm. The salsa night by Salsanativa takes place in The GW, Station Road, every Friday. For more
PARK SOUTH: Support is available in Swindon for the relatives and friends of people struggling with a drink addiction. The AlAnon family group meets at Park South Community Centre on Wednesday mornings at 10.15am and Thursday evenings at 7.30pm.
FRESHBROOK: Phoenix Toy Library is open from 10am, at the Freshbrook Community Centre, Worsley Road, every Friday for toy hire. Entry is £1 on the door. For more details call 01793 534955.
GORSE HILL: Karaoke Fridays is a regular draw for singers at 7:30pm, in the Swiss Chalet. Everyone is welcome to have a singalong to your favourite tunes. It is a free night out every Friday, for more details call 01793 535610.
CRICKLADE: Cricklade Link is a good neighbour scheme, organised by a committee of local people supported by a team of volunteers, which offers practical assistance to anyone living in the Cricklade area and needing help with transport or with a problem
SWINDON: Lonely elderly residents are being urged to contact Age UK’s Call in Time team for a friendly chat this winter. As part of the service, users will receive weekly phone calls from the charity’s trained volunteers for half an hour each time
Abandon right to buy Obviously the coalition government thinks that there are not enough council homes being sold off. They are raising the discount rate under their ‘right to buy’ scheme for Council houses to 70 per cent. They originally
WEST SWINDON: The Swindon Folksingers Club will celebrate its 54th anniversary at the Ashford Road Club tomorrow at 8.15pm. Tickets cost £3.50 and will be available at the door. For more details call Eric Stott on 01793 521301.
SWINDON: A Parent Carer Support Worker team is available to people responsible for caring for a disabled child. The group provides emotional support, information and flags up other services and agencies that carers may need to use. For more information
GORSE HILL: GNL Country will hold a country and western dance session at the New Century Club on Friday, January 17 at 8pm. Tickets are £3 on the door. For more details call 01793 938368.
HIGHWORTH: The Sapphires will come to the big screen in Highworth. Based on real life events, the heart-warming Australian movie of 2012 will be shown at St Michael’s Hall on Friday, January 24 at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £4 and can be booked in advance
WILTSHIRE Council will conduct no further investigations into staff morale, despite calls from some councillors for an independent review. Independent councillor Jeff Osborn led calls for a detailed investigation to be conducted after 252 redundancies
EAST SWINDON: Swindon College will hold an open evening for prospective students on January 22 between 5pm and 7pm. Visit www.swindon-college.ac.uk.
RODBOURNE: Work in Churchward Avenue by Thames Water should be concluded tomorrow. The company is installing an external water meter.
LOWER BOURTON: Work on the drainage and ditches in Townsend Road, at the A420 junction, should finish today. Work by Oxfordshire County Council began yesterday with stop and go boards in operation.
BLUNSDON: As reported in yesterday’s Adver, Tadpole Lane will be closed between Oakhurst Way and Salzgitter Drive until May 2. Swindon Council are carrying out improvement works in the vicinity.
M4: Delays should end on the eastbound exit slip at junction 15 this morning as the Highways Agency completes work. The eastbound entry slip, however, will continue to experience disruption between 9pm this evening and 6am tomorrow.
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: A planning meeting will be held at 7pm tonight at the civic centre followed by an amenities meeting at 7.30pm.
SWINDON: Rein and Shine horse riding centre will be opening their doors on Saturday to those who have an interest in horse riding but may have never had an opportunity to do so. The day will consist of free demonstrations, tours, and a 20 minute riding
SWINDON Borough Council has launched a search for someone to help decide how much its elected members should be paid. The new appointment will serve on an independent five-strong panel which recommends the allowances for Swindon's councillors.
WROUGHTON: Folk at the Green will be staging an event to benefit the King’s Farm Wood appeal tomorrow starting at Wroughton High Street at 6.30pm for wassail songs and ceremony, before live folk music from Talis Kimberley and band at the Brown Jack
EMMA DUNN meets a group with excellent taste in beer MEMBERS of the Swindon and North Wiltshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale love nothing more than a proper pint. CAMRA has been campaigning for real ale, pubs, and drinkers’ rights since
THAMES Water has submitted an application to carry out work on the sewage works in Barnfield to cope with the projected increase in Swindon’s population over the coming years. The current facility has the capacity to cope with 213,000 households
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: A planning meeting will be held at 7pm tonight at the Civic Centre. It will be followed by an amenities meeting at 7.30pm.
COUNTY: Dr Nick Marsden has joined Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust as chairman, replacing Luke March who completed his term of office at the end of 2013. Dr Marsden, who lives near Andover, was previously the vice-chairman of University Hospital Southampton
PENHILL: Time banking is allowing communities to come together and help each other in Penhill and Taw Hill. The time bank projects encourage people to give up an hour of their time to volunteer with an organisation or support a group or individual.
As tourism continues to grow in the Maldives, Hannah Stephenson dives into the underwater world that conservationists are trying to preserve Breaking off the beautiful, fragile coral, his flippers creating a cloud of debris which muddies the water
WROUGHTON: A Wassail will take place on Wroughton High Street tomorrow at 6.30pm. At 7pm, Talis Kimberley & band will perform folk music at the Brown Jack in aid of the Kings Farm Wood appeal. The event is free. Donations to the cause on the
TOWN CENTRE: The next meeting of Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group’s governing body will be held at the Jurys Inn, Fleming Way, on Thursday, January 23 at 9.30am. The Patient and Public Involvement Forum will meet at the hotel at 11.30am.
WILTSHIRE: Wiltshire Council’s Funding Future Olympians and Paralympians Grant is now open for applications. The local authority is working with businesses to support rising sports stars by enabling them to pay for training and equipment and covering
SWINDON: Monday will see the launch of National Obesity Awareness Week. To find out more about the health campaign visit www.noaw2014.org.uk.
SWINDON: Relate Gloucestershire and Swindon have set up The Young Survivors Project after being awarded £33,000 by Comic Relief. It is estimated that domestic abuse increases by at least 20 per cent over the festive period, and they are expecting a
SWINDON: A meeting to discuss educational needs in Swindon will be held this month at Jury’s Inn, attended by South Swindon MP Robert Buckland. On January 30, he will be joined by Paddy Bradley, the head of commissioning for economy and attainment
LIDDINGTON: The next South Locality meeting will take place on February 11 in the Liddington Village Hall. The meeting will begin at 7pm but information tables will be available from 6.30pm. For more information people are asked to contact the chairperson
WANBOROUGH: The Woodland Trust is looking for volunteers to help plant 15 Wiltshire apple trees in Warneage Wood. Volunteers who have spades should bring them along as well as warm waterproofs on February 1. For more information about the project contact
SWINDON: Fit volunteers helped to raise more than £700 after cycling the equivalent of six times round the Gambia in the comfort of Kiss Gym. The fundraising effort, which took place from 8am to 8pm during four days, was for local charity Empower
FEBRUARY will see two local fundraising events. February 1 – Prior Park School in Cricklade will hold a Burns’ Night Celebration in aid of the Help Luca Walk Appeal. February 7 and 8 – Black belts from the G5 Martials Arts Company will be heading
WANBOROUGH: People who want to have a bigger say in what happens in their village should consider joining the parish council. A vacancy has opened for a councillor and a by-election for the position will be held by January 20. For more information
RODBOURNE: A planning application to build a detached annexe in a property on Allanbrooke Cresent has been submitted to Swindon Council.The new annexe will be for the use of a dependant relative. Neighbours have until January 28 to make comments on
SWINDON: A free course for 16 to 18 year olds seeks to teach skills such as cognitive-behavioural theory (CBT) to help reduce difficult emotions such as anxiety, depression and anger. Courses are in six weekly sessions and the next courses start
VARIOUS Music from and inspired by 12 Years A Slave Steve McQueen's new film 12 Years A Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, is an unflinching tale of Solomon Northup, a free man abducted and sold into slavery. Much like the big-screen adaptation
PREDICTIONS LEAGUE: Swindon Town v Peterborough United We've got a bit of a late start to the New Year, but it’s as you were. First game of 2014 and we are now in the run-in to the end of the season. 23 matches down 23 to go. We need to step up
It seems as if I have spent the last week looking at lists. The TV has been bombarding me with everything from Charlie Brooker’s wonderfully sarcastic take on the year’s events to The Valleys’ least forgettable moments. In the music world every
CO-OWNER Helene Simpkins has defended the Brunel Rooms’ decision to welcome fraudster Jason Ranford back into the business. Ranford was jailed for six months for two counts of fraud and two counts of common assault in October 2013, at which point the
TOWN CENTRE: Police and paramedics were called to Church Place in the Railway Village at 8.30pm on Tuesday following reports that a Renault Megane had collided with a Honda motorbike. The motorcyclist had minor injuries.
TOOTHILL: BT begins work in Bodiam Drive today. Pedestrians will need to be aware of the work, which is unlikely to affect motorists and should be over by next Monday.
THERE will be plenty of corny jokes, raunchy plots and sexual innuendo when adult panto Screwge comes to the Wyvern. Once again, The Market Theatre Company will take a traditional story and distort it almost beyond recognition, all in the name
STRATTON: Swindon Council will begin work in Attlee Crescent and Addison Crescent today on footway improvements. Signs will be in place for pedestrians whilst work on slurry seals is carried out.
SWINDON: Shakira Moss, 19, of the Railway Village, pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply over a two month period last year. The 19-year-old was in the dock at Swindon Crown Court alongside 20-year-old Shaquille Cumberbatch
EMMA DUNN looks ahead to a very special concert by nineties boyband sensation Boyzone FRESH from their sell-out 20th anniversary tour, 90s chart-toppers Boyzone will continue rolling back the years at Westonbirt Arboretum this summer. Ronan
NOT a single ticket remains for next week’s Punt and Dennis show in Swindon. The enduring double act, who have worked together for the best part of 30 years, play the Wyvern Theatre on Tuesday. Their audience is promised: “Life on the road
A TEENAGER who admitted robbery and possessing a knife in a play park will still face trial accused of a second mugging. The 17-year-old stole a push scooter and mobile phone during the incident he admitted being involved in on Saturday August
EMMA DUNN talks to a poet who just likes to have fun POETIC favourite Pam Ayres will be performing her latest work at the Wyvern Theatre next week. The entertainer’s show, which comes to Swindon on January 16, includes work from her latest publication
AUDIENCES will be shouting ‘he’s behind you’ when the Immanuel Dramatic Society perform their annual pantomime. This year, the group are performing Sleeping Beauty from January 11 to January 18 at Immanuel Church Hall in Upham Road. The pantomime
TROY Archibald-Henville is just one development game away from being ready for a first-team return, according to Swindon Town manager Mark Cooper. The defender, who has not played for Town since November 2012, underwent knee surgery over the summer
MARK Cooper has admitted that Swindon Town are taking a risk in signing the relatively untried George Barker from Brighton. Barker, 22, has penned an 18-month contract at the County Ground after joining for an undisclosed fee from the Seagulls
SWINDON Town have yet to receive an approach for any of their players in 2014, according to manager Mark Cooper, who’s not all that surprised. The Robins may have been busy in the transfer market themselves - making a rejected bid for Bournemouth
A FORMER TV apprentice was in Swindon yesterday to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of young workers. Lee McQueen, who won the BBC show The Apprentice in 2008, visited Swindon College to inspire students and give them tips on how to
VULNERABLE children have a chance to make happier memories thanks to a new project from youth charity SMASH. The project, Memory Makers, will initially match 12 adult volunteers with 12 children during their final years of primary school, who together
DRIVER Penny Smith has told of her fright after car car was rammed into a motorway roundabout at rush hour yesterday morning. In one of two major crashes in Swindon yesterday, Penny was behind the wheel of her silver Vauxhall Astra on the entrance
A WHOPPING £30,000 donation has put the family of ten-year-old Luca Railton closer to raising the funds necessary for him to receive life-changing surgery and avoid amputation. His mother Teresa was given the sum by Imagine Cruising, pushing the
THE family of Christopher Scott have welcomed support from the Prime Minister in their campaign to ban legal high AMT. David Cameron supported calls for the synthetic drug, alpha-methyltriptamine, to be outlawed during Prime Minister’s Question
NEW dad David Howell admits he is not as well-rested as he might be ahead of his return to competitive golf in the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa this morning. The 38-year-old Swindonian became a father for the second and third time just
CUTS to bus services around Swindon introduced this week will make people’s journeys to town and the hospital harder, says pensioner Linda Meadows. The 62-year-old, of Liden, suffers with cancer of the spine and needs to plan her routes around
THE Mayor of Swindon, Nick Martin, has questioned whether the standards committee can provide a fair judgement into his conduct after he won a motion of no confidence last month. Coun Martin (Con, Shaw) said he is determined it will now be business
BRADLY Carter, the director of Dr Spafish, which had a shop in the Brunel Centre offering fish pedicures, has been disqualified from acting as a director for seven years for failing to maintain adequate accounting records. The town centre store
BAR owners Mukesh Patel and Harishchandra Desai, who were set to face trial at Swindon Magistrates Court for food hygiene offences, have had the case against them dropped because they are in prison for VAT fraud. Patel, 55, and Desai, 61, were
WELL, I’m not sure many of us saw that Ashes whitewash coming. Australia played fantastically well and their bowlers bowled brilliantly. They came over in the summer and picked out quite a lot of weaknesses in our batsmen, put some plans together
RYAN Martin hopes he can be the next big thing to hit the Swindon boxing scene. The former Walcot amateur has signed professionally with Swindon promoter Keith Mayo and despite being just 19 years-old, believes the time is right to make the step
LAST year’s hero Bobs Worth is one of 36 entries for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup at the Festival on March 14. Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old came with a powerful run up the hill to claim the blue riband event last March on what was just his
ARE you looking forward to Saturday and a football game? Yes? So am I. It seems an age since the Town last played. Bad weather and an early FA Cup exit have combined to keep us waiting for the start of 2014. In that time we've observed the football
THE hunt for a new home is on for Malmesbury after the club this week confirmed their intention to move away from the Flying Monk, writes DAN BARNES. The Vics’ ground has been ravaged by floods for the second time in just over a year, with the
CHAIRMAN Lee Power was last night locked in talks to bring Liverpool striker Michael Ngoo to Swindon on loan. With Nile Ranger poised to leave, Town are keen to fill the void with Ngoo. At the time of going to press yesterday, Power was in
URGENT action to protect Swindon’s vulnerable children is to be taken after it emerged that 1,000 youngsters had been exposed to domestic abuse and violence in the last year alone. A report presented to Swindon Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board
MUSIC shop owner Alan Holmes has hit the £50,000 mark in his unstinting efforts to raise funds for a charity which supports the families of children suffering from a rare disease. A recent black tie evening in Swindon chalked up £6,000 for the
THE Brunel Rooms licence is due to be reviewed after Wiltshire Police raised concerns about safety at the club. The review is expected to go to the next licensing committee meeting, where the future of the club will be considered. In October
WILTSHIRE Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault in Swindon. The incident took place in Okus Road, Old Town, shortly before 2am on December 21. A lone female was walking home when she was grabbed from behind by an unknown male
TROY Batchelor claimed he had quite literally got in a rut after being excluded from the A Final in the second round of the Australian Championship yesterday. The Swindon charger clipped former world champion Chris Holder heading in lap three in
SWINDON artist David Bent is feeling on top of the world after a stunning poster he created to advertise this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford was launched at Everest base camp. One of the world’s most acclaimed aviation artists
Fringe music, innit? A minority interest. A spectrum with suburbanites pretending to be from New Orleans at one end and maniacs playing the same note for nine hours on the other. This notion hasn’t filtered through to the avid fans who pack out
AN internal investigation has concluded Wiltshire Council’s troubled £250 million highways maintenance contract is performing satisfactorily but has highlighted several areas which need improvement. The council’s scrutiny committee carried out
SWINDON racing driver Simon Belcher will officially unveil the brand new livery which will adorn his Toyota Avensis in the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship as part of the annual Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
LOCAL event riders have welcomed the news that prize money at May’s Badminton Horse Trials has been increased considerably on last year, writes NICKI STRONG. The winner of the competition will receive £80,000, up from £65,000 in 2013, with prizemoney
SWINDON boxing promoter Keith Mayo believes he signed “something special” in Ryan Martin. Mayo has been an avid follower of Martin’s amateur career at Walcot ABC and says he is delighted to have finally persuaded the youngster to enter boxing’s
SWINDON Wildcats forward Floyd Taylor believes that Sunday’s second-period meltdown at Manchester is the kind of episode his team must avoid if they are to finish in the EPL’s top eight. The Link Centre outfit slipped out of the play-off spots
SUPERMARINE face Minety in Dorset & Wilts 1 North on Saturday looking to set the record straight. The South Marston side were trounced 38-5 by tomorrow’s opponents on home soil earlier in the campaign, putting in a performance head coach Sean
PEOPLE are being asked to give their views on how the town can deal with floods in the future. The council, along with partner agencies, has put together the Local Flood Risk Manage-ment Strategy (LFRMS) and is now running an online consultation
