ABSTRACT art inspired some visually striking designs as children took up shirt-making at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery yesterday. Around 10 budding artists copied works on display at the venue or created their own pieces using white tops as
Wise words that have helped most of us at some point or another in our lives. Chatting to friends, talking things through with our partners, running home to mum when things go wrong, all natural, healthy, protective therapy we use on ourselves.
Professional advice to steer you in the right direction Most of us need legal help at some point in our lives, whether it’s to sort out a problem with benefits, help write a will, deal with a divorce, custody of a child, or selling a home. You
Spending time with your family is one of the delights of a holiday for all generations with Easter egg hunts, special lunches and sprucing up your home, a tradition that goes back to pagan England and celebrating spring. “Decorating the home for
ST JOHN Ambulance will train hundreds of care home staff in life saving skills, across Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, as part of a major new contract. The charity’s Commercial Training Division has signed a deal to provide all employees of the
SEVENHAMPTON: A kids farmyard art show and sale will be held daily at Roves Farm from April 18 to 21 from 11am to 3pm. For more information about Easter activities, call the farm on 01793 763939.
LYNEHAM: A valuation morning will be held at St Michael’s Church Hall on May 10 from 9.30am to 1pm. Bring along antiques for a valuation by Gordon Brockman of Chippenham Auction Rooms. Cost is £1 per item, limited to three items per person.
SWINDON: There will be a chance to give blood at the County Ground on April 23 from 1.30pm to 4pm and 4.45pm to 7.15pm.
WROUGHTON: An accident involving two vehicles on Moormead Road yesterday afternoon caused delays as the road was partly blocked from Marlborough Road to Perry’s Lane.
SWINDON: A man who is accused of common assault and breaching a restraining order has been remanded in custody by a judge. Neil Pailor is accused of assaulting two women and going to one of their addresses on March 18 in contravention of the order.
WILTSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service has issued advice to all would-be ‘do it yourself’ enthusiasts ahead of the Easter break. Watch Manager Neil Chamberlain, from the community safety department, said: “National statistics show that, at this time
SWINDON: Swindon Council has given planning permission to make a dropped kerb in Whitworth Road.
TOWN CENTRE: Estate Agent Belvoir has received planning permission from Swindon Council to put a new sign at the front of its premises in Commercial Road.
LIDEN: A story time reading is being held at the library in Barrington Close at 10am today. For more information call 01793 463504 or email liden.library@swindon.gov.uk.
OLD TOWN: Comedian Patrick Monahan will be performing his show Cake Charmer at Swindon Arts Centre at 8pm tonight. For ticket information visit swindontheatres.co.uk or call 01793 524481.
TOWN CENTRE: Children can take part in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired games and crafts as part of the Smiley Cats Club taking place at the STEAM Museum between 9.30am and 1pm today. For more information call 01793 466646.
EMMA DUNN has the time of her life during a five-star break in the capital “HOW will we ever beat that?” my boyfriend asked as we sat on the train home to Swindon. We had just come to the end of a weekend break in London, which included a five
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: Chaddington Lane bridge will be closed from 9.30am to 3.30pm on April 23 and April 24 to allow Network Rail to carry out ground examination work. The work is part of initial work to determine the future reconstruction of the
WROUGHTON: There will be three remaining tea dances, on April 22 and May 6 and 20, before Wroughton Dance Club takes its summer break. The dances take place between 2.15pm and 4.15pm and cost £2.75 per person to include refreshment. New members
ONE of the most difficult tests faced by education authorities is getting children into the primary schools their parents choose. Swindon Council has not only passed the test; it has done so with even more impressive results than it achieved last
I am a retired police officer from the West Midlands who has spent the last 20 years cataloguing and writing up reports of British UFO activity between the periods 1940 to the present date. It has taken me this long to actually come up to 1988,
May I, through your letters page, congratulate the Swindon runners in the London Marathon last weekend. Our daughter, Dawn Manser, was one of those who took part and we are extremely proud of her achievement of completing the 26 miles and 385 yards
I was disgusted with the attitude of the police concerning the accident on Great Western Way on Monday morning. The accident happened at 9.40am but the road was closed until 3pm. Why? It should have been re-opened by noon at the latest. The
I am writing to thank you and your readers for the support you’ve shown so far for the South West British Heart Foundation shops’ Spring Clear Out campaign. To mark the official start of spring, BHF shops recreated Van Gogh’s iconic tulips image
Barnardo’s is looking to recruit new volunteers in Wiltshire in a bid to help the charity continue its life-changing work across the county. The charity desperately needs more volunteers to help raise awareness and funds to support vulnerable children
This has been a very bad month for Swindon regarding job losses in the town. 500 jobs were lost at Honda, 80 jobs were lost at Nationwide and 70 jobs were lost at Triumph. Many people are starting to believe that Britain is using a failed economic
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: Residents are invited along to the Annual Town Meeting on April 24. From 7pm at the Civic Centre visitors will be able to find out how their councillors are representing them.
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: The Probus Club of Wootton Bassett meets tonight and will feature a talk from Fred Jones on Admiral Collingwood. The group, aimed at retired older people, meets every other Thursday from 10am in St Bartholomew’s Church Hall.
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: Residents looking for a fun and interesting way to get more exercise can join a weekly walking group which meets every Monday at the Town Hall. All are welcome to come along for 9.30am to meet others for a gentle walk which
SOUTH MARSTON: Delays should end in Thornhill Road today. Thames Water has been excavating the road outside Thornhill Industrial Estate since Tuesday with two-way traffic signals in place.
RODBOURNE: Surface patching in Vicarage Road, opposite the Somerset Road junction, will conclude today. Swindon Council put two-way traffic signals in place yesterday and delays were caused in the area.
TOWN CENTRE: A lane is closed in Great Western Way between the Cockleberry and Transfer Bridges roundabouts on the westbound carriageway. Southern Electric is carrying out work near the railway access. The lane will remain
WEST SWINDON: The two-way manually controlled lights in Tewkesbury Way will be removed today. British Telecom has been carrying out roadworks between the Whitehill Way and Ramleaze Drive roundabouts since Tuesday of this week.
PARK NORTH: Delays in Queens Drive look set to ease today. Thames Water has had one lane closed on the northbound carriageway between Bromley Close and Somerville Road since Tuesday.
WILTSHIRE Voices social inclusion programme which reaches out to people who cannot attend council meetings has been shortlisted for the Municipal Journal’s excellence in community engagement award. It is one of eight projects which have made the
PEOPLE with memory loss, dementia and their carers can head along to a weekly memory group every Thursday at Purton Library in the High Street. The sessions take place from 11.30am to 1pm and provide a free relaxing session where visitors can share
SWINDON: Diabetes UK is looking for volunteers in Wiltshire to support a collection weekend at their local Tesco store. The Big Collection weekend will take place in Tesco stores on June 13, 14 and 15 with the aim of raising hundreds of thousands of
TOWN CENTRE: At meeting of the Swindon Back Garden group this week it was agreed to hold a drop-in meeting in the autumn for property owners affected by the Regent Circus development, which would allow them to discuss legal and sales issue with a number
SWINDON: The majority of the Adver’s online readers believe that Nick Martin was right to stand down as Mayor of Swindon this week. Almost 600 people voted in the poll, with 83 per cent backing Coun Martin’s decision to quit following remarks he
SWINDON... 1947: Swindon Town and Leyton Orient, who have won their last six home games, will be meeting for the first time this season at Osborne Road. This will be the town’s last game in Division 111. 1957: Judges watched closely as members
A COUPLE who plundered nearly £40,000 in benefits they weren't entitled to by setting up a bogus claim have walked free from court. Toni Smith,35, got income support and housing benefit after saying she was a single woman, when in reality she was
THE Swindon branch of the MS (multiple sclerosis_ Society is looking for a local person to take on a vital role – the chair. The branch helps people by providing a listening ear, offering information, running coffee mornings, trips and a wheelchair
NEW response time targets will be set for South Western Ambulance Service in rural areas like Wiltshire. It comes as SWAS has struggled to achieve the eight-minute target to send an ambulance to the most urgent calls in the county. Latest figures
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT: Alcoholics Anonymous meet every Saturday from 6pm to 7.30pm in The Croft near St Bartholomew’s Church. Anyone who thinks that they might have a problem with alcohol is welcome to attend. You can also call the helpline on 01380
PURTON: A 96-year-old woman got stuck in a lift at Norbury Court at 1pm on Saturday. A crew from Westlea Fire Station was called and managed to free her unharmed about 20 minutes after first getting the call out.
WROUGHTON: A small bonfire at Brimble Hill started to get out of control on Sunday at 10.30am so fire crews were called. A crew from Drove Road Fire Station was called and used a hose reel jet to put out the flames.
OLD TOWN: A fire engine was called to attend a fire which had started on waste ground close to Goddard Avenue on Saturday afternoon, shortly before 5pm. The incident was not too serious so the crew simply used buckets of water and beaters to extinguish
THE woman whose body was discovered in a river in Gloucestershire on Sunday morning has been named as Helen Jones, of Dorcan. The 49-year-old’s body was found in the River Coln in Bibury at 7.20am on Sunday by a dog walker. Gloucestershire
The museum in Royal Wootton Bassett Town Hall will launch an exhibition on the First World War on April 26. Visitors will be able to view the exhibition during opening hours on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm.
THE 1st Moredon Brownies have been busy collecting money for four local charities this year. Six weeks ago the Brownies were set a challenge of raising funds as part of their 100 year celebrations and remember that Brownies were set up to ‘do a
CHENEY MANOR: Fire crews were called to the Waterside Recycling Plant in the Cheney Manor Industrial Estate at 6.10pm on Saturday after a digger drove over some aerosol cans. One crew from Westlea was called and put out the fire without any serious
MEADOWCROFT: Shortly before 7am on Saturday in Cloche Way a small amount of rubbish was set on fire, with the cause not known. A fire crew from Stratton attended the incident and used a hose to extinguish the fire.
SWINDON: The council has announced the appointment of a new head of Children’s Social Care, Community Health and Family Services. Karen Reeve, who currently works in Reading as assistant director of Safeguarding, will formally take up the post towards
PENHILL: A motorbike was completely destroyed after being set on fire on Westbury Road just before 3pm on Sunday. A fire crew was called to put the last of the flames out but nothing was salvageable. It is believed the fire was started deliberately
ST JOHN Ambulance is looking for a cyclist who was revived by a life saving shock to the heart during a ride through the Cotswolds. The man was believed to be on the return leg of a group ride from Swindon to Broadway when he collapsed as he was
PENHILL: A barbecue in Allington Road caught fire at 1.30pm on Monday so the fire brigade was called. The crew made sure a butane gas cylinder was safe.
STRATTON: There was a car fire on Whitworth Road on Monday shortly after 1pm. A crew from Drove Road Fire Station used a hose reel jet to put it out.
COMMONHEAD: Fire crews went to the Great Western Court after the automatic alarm was triggered at 2.20am on Monday morning. The cause was a small fire in the motor of an extractor in the plant room so a CO2 extinguisher was used by the crew.
PARK NORTH: Fire crews were called out to Torrington Court on several occasions on Sunday, firstly for flooding and then after a resident said they could smell burning. At 9.15am they were called out after a flat flooded a property below. The crew
A MAN caught again selling crack cocaine to an undercover police officer has walked free from court after a judge told him it may be harder than going to jail. Recorder Nicholas Atkinson QC told dealer Justin Collier, who has 124 previous convictions
Bowls club tells EMMA DUNN anyone can come and give it a go PEOPLE who want to try their hand at bowls are invited to have a go at Westlecot Bowls Club. The club, which has members ranging from 12 to 90, is holding an open day on Saturday,
On the assumption that people who go to watch live bands are also the sort of people who buy physical music as well, the big news of the week is that this Saturday is Record Store Day. For those not aware of the new phenomenon, Record Store Day
PREDICTIONS LEAGUE: Easter Special This week we have a double header with two matches over the Easter weekend. Good Friday – Coventry v Swindon Swindon take a trip up to the Midlands and the home of Coventry City – Northampton. Town currently
HUNDREDS of children are set to have one of their first experiences of theatre on Saturday. CBeebies favourites Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee, from Show Me Show Me, will be performing at the Wyvern Theatre on Saturday, April 19 as part of their
THE mayhem of Fawlty Towers is set to descend on the Wyvern Theatre on Saturday, April 19. As the dining audience are part of the show they gain first-hand experience of the Fawltys’ infamous hospitality, comical mishaps and manic mayhem. The
Comedian makes a tasteful impression on EMMA DUNN with his new show FANS of Downton Abbey will never think of their favourite show in the same way again if they catch the Only Way is Downton at Swindon Arts Centre next week. Direct from a West
PAOLO NUTINI Caustic Love It has been almost five years since the Italian-Scotsman has released anything new, but the wait has most definitely been worth it. Nutini takes a step away from his guitar and dances into the soul-funk genre with tracks
Betfair Lambourn Open Day with Kauto Star and Sprinter Sacre joining the ring parade, begins at 8.30am, tomorrow at the Lambourn Stables, Lambourn, Marlborough. Check out the horses swimming, the farrier displays, the Household Cavalry Musical
The wonders of nature are seen through the eye of a camera lens in a prestigious photographic exhibition, appropriately on show at Lacock Abbey, the birthplace of photography. Close up studies of plants, panoramic views of gardens, quirky shots
Time to shake out the sleeping bags, dust down the headbands and load up the wellies for another season of music festival. This weekend sees Radfest, The Music and Ale Festival, kick off in style at The Swan Hotel, Radcot, Faringdon.. It takes
INJURED Swindon Robins rider Darryl Ritchings has been successfully brought out of sedation at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Ritchings, who has been sedated since crashing against Coventry on April 3, was woken by doctors on Wednesday and,
CHILDREN being treated at Great Western Hospital had an lovely surprise when the Easter bunny delivered chocolate and treats yesterday. The bunny delivered around 80 Easter eggs and cuddly toys which were donated by recruitment agency Select.
DEFENDER Josue Antonio has won a contract with Swindon Town through the Samsung Win A Pro competition. Antonio, who currently plays for Staines Town, beat more than 5,700 entrants to land himself a deal with the Robins. The 18-year-old made
WITH a full pre-season under his belt, George Barker will have “something to offer” Swindon Town in 2014/15, according to assistant coach Luke Williams. Barker has struggled to break into the Town side since arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion
THE crowd will be left saying ‘thank you for the music’ when the Abba Reunion tribute show comes to the Wyvern Theatre. The touring show, which comes to Swindon on May 15, features an evening full of the hits of Abba, one of the world’s most iconic
EMMA DUNN chats to comic who has plenty to moan about THERE are many things in life that make Jo Caulfield angry. Whether it’s automated customer service lines or short people asking her to get things from high shelves in the supermarket, the
THE M4 was closed in both directions this morning after a man was spotted on an overbridge. Both eastbound and westbound carriages were closed for approximately 40 minutes between junctions 15 and 14. Police were called to a bridge between
5:19pm That's the end of today's LIVE NEWS feed. We'll be back on Tuesday. If you've joined us late use the scroll bar to see how the day unfolded. The website will be updated with any major news as it happens throughout
WOOTTON Bassett Town will look to book their place in the Bluefin Sports Supplementary Challenge Cup final tonight when they travel to Brimscombe and Thrupp. Jeff Roberts’ side were already set to make the trip to the Stroud Valleys this evening
VETERAN netminder Stevie Lyle is planning a swansong year at Swindon Wildcats as he plans to bring his illustrious playing career to end in 2015. The former Great Britain star told the Advertiser he feels he will play for one more season before
A state-of-the-art United States stealth fighter jet will fly in Britain for the first time at the Royal International Air Tattoo, the Defence Secretary has announced. The F-35 Lightning II will make its debut in July at Fairford and will also
SWINDON darts star Josh McCarthy was one of the star performers at the British Internationals earlier this month. McCarthy came away from the championships held in Halifax with an unblemished record as he helped England Youth win both their matches
A REPORT has been produced outlining the feasibility of several solar projects which will help Swindon take a step towards its renewable energy goals. Last year, a cross-party task group was established to examine the possibility of setting up
RESIDENTS in Purton hope that any developer who takes on the former site of St Mary’s School will keep the integrity of the building. Colliers International is looking for a developer to convert the old Victorian building into eight new two or
CHANGES in name and personnel are behind ambitious plans at Cheriton Nursing Home, and not the result of a poor inspection last year, according to home manager Natalie Bonner. The new name for the Westlecot Road care home is Springfield Court Care
STAR of the stage Iris Boulton has bowed out for the last time as she died just weeks after her 100th birthday. Iris, originally from Llanelli, leaves behind daughters Laraine, 70, and Christine, 67, as well as son David, 66, seven grandsons and
NINETY-TWO per cent of parents in Swindon will be able to send their children to their first choice of primary school in September. Almost 3,000 parents were told yesterday which school their four-year-olds would be attending. Of the 2,729
GIRLS around the town are getting ready and set to run the Race for Life next month for Cancer Research UK. Hundreds of women from the area will dust off their trainers in the last weekend in May to hop, skip and jump their way around a 5km or
WHEN Bob Lloyd started researching the 55 names inscribed on Purton’s war memorial he had no idea it would lead to a seven-year project documenting the village’s Great War history. Now the RAF aircraft technician, who was stationed at Lyneham when
A NEW crafts group has started up in one of the most historic parts of the town representing the birth of a new community spirit in the area. Earlier this year the Health Lottery awarded £30,000 to the Railway Village so a new Community Development
AUTHOR Martin Coleman will be reading his take on the Easter story in front of 20,000 people in Trafalgar Square tomorrow. Grandfather Martin, 52, who lives in Church Street, Royal Wootton Bassett, is taking part in the annual The Passion of Jesus
IT’S time for the fans to vote for their Swindon Advertiser STFC Player of the Year 2013/14. Town have exceeded many expectations this season, defying many early predictions of a relegation scrap to stay in touch with League One’s top six for much
TWO women have been convicted of harassment after putting up posters in Royal Wootton Bassett containing a series of derogatory assertions about a retired teacher. Jacqueline McQuade, 54, and Christine Lynch, 62, made signs featuring a picture
SWINDON swimmer Tilly Gray will find out today if she has qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Gray grabbed a silver medal at the British Swimming Championships earlier this week but had already notched the qualification time in the
DAVID Howell is hoping that a new putter will bring him better fortunes as he tackles the Maybank Malaysian Open today. The Broome Manor pro arrived in Kuala Lumpur late on Monday night looking for a vast improvement on his short game. And
LIGHTS, camera, action - a series of outdoor evening film screenings is coming to Town Gardens this summer. Cult Screens will be showing a collection of classics and new flicks in the Old Town venue’s Bowl with the audience, of up to 300 people
A NORTH Swindon man has denied using racist and threatening behaviour towards a teacher in front of pupils at a school earlier this year. Jasvinder Singh, 44, of Thresher Drive, denied the charge yesterday afternoon at Swindon Magistrates Court
A CHEQUE for £271 has been presented to Prospect Hospice thanks to First Great Western staff. Prospect Hospice is a strong favourite with FGW colleagues, especially those based in Swindon. The hospice supports a community of 300,000 in Swindon
DISTRIBUTION is being moved from Swindon to France by Triumph despite successful efforts to cut costs and improve efficiency by Menlo, according to Unite’s rep at the site. News broke on Monday of the lingerie firm’s decision to move its distribution
DERELICT Townsend House on Bath Road could be turned into flats for the homeless after lying abandoned for more than eight years. Townsend House has formerly been used as a centre for the Girl’s Friendly Society, but after an attempt to turn it
THESE three cute lambs are the newest arrivals at Studley Grange Butterfly World, near Wroughton. The trio, all male, are just two weeks old and are all orphans but now they are busy settling into their new home – just in time for Easter. The
IN THE Hotseat next week will be teenager Ellie James, who recently became Member of the Youth Parliament for Swindon. The 16-year-old from Grange Park, went head to head with three other candidates in February for the chance to make a difference
SPEEDING traffic and heavy goods vehicles rattling properties in Gipsy Lane has driven Neil Edwards and other residents to the police and council for action to be taken. The 45-year-old has lived in the Gorse Hill road for eight years and has raised
A GENEALOGY drop-in session was held at the Central Library yesterday. The session saw a team of experienced researchers from the Wiltshire Family History Society offering advice to people on how to trace the story of their ancestors. The session
SWINDON Foodbank will carry on under increasing pressure as the Trussell Trust, which runs foodbanks in the UK, announced that it has fed almost a million people in the last year. David Hartridge, the project manager at Swindon Foodbank, said almost
BURGLARS have been targeting a quiet street near Royal Wootton Bassett in a planned operation to steal electrical goods. At the beginning of the month a number of break-ins were reported to police around Dianmer Street in Hook, where thieves have
THE founder of Swindon Sea Cadets, Cyril Bartlett, has been awarded an Arctic Star medal in recognition of his service to his country. The 93-year-old war veteran, who was born and raised in Swindon and now lives in Old Walcot, volunteered to join
THE country's first female sign writer is celebrating after winning her way through to the final of a national painting competition. Sarah Bromley, 24, who works for Arkell’s last year entered the South West Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice
EVERY year at around about this time I start getting bombarded with text messages. I’ve not accidently subscribed to an extensive spamming network and, no, the texts aren’t lurid in nature. I’d be worried if they were, seeing as they’re being sent
Alesha Dixon admits she has become less patient with Britain's Got Talent contestants this year - and it may have something to d with Simon Cowell's influence.
