IN our last thought-provoking round-up of the year... we bring you November and December

Wednesday, November 2

ROYAL Wootton Bassett woke one early November morning to discover High Street ‘yarn-bombed’ to raise awareness of that year’s Poppy Appeal run by the Royal British Legion.

Linda Frost, town councillor and member of Royal Wootton Bassett Community Together, had set out with fellow community group members much earlier to adorn shop windows and other features.

The original idea had come from another town councillor, and the community group recruited volunteers who could knit, sew or both.

Thursday, November 3

MEMBERS of Swindon’s award-winning Wessex Male Choir were on a high after stepping on to the pitch at Wembley to perform at the NFL International Series Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins.

The singers included veteran chorister Jeff Hannath and his son, Andy, who had joined the choir only recently.

Jeff, who had seen the 1966 World Cup at the original national stadium, said: “To return to Wembley and sing on that pitch sent shivers down my spine, and to do so with my son was a very special moment.”

Wednesday, November 16

THE Swindon Advertiser backed a police crackdown on drivers who used mobile phones at the wheel or distracted themselves in other dangerous ways.

Our own investigations yielded countless images of drivers talking on handsets and texting.

Many used their cars as mobile dining rooms, one eating a bowl of cereal.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “We tend to think that answering our phones is more important than keeping our concentration on the road.”

Monday, November 21

TERRIFYING images from YouTube videos emerged, showing young people daring themselves and each other to scale some of Swindon’s tallest buildings and stand at the edges of deadly drops. Sites included the Whalebridge car park in Islington Street and Kimmeridge Court in Princes Street.

We, alongside police officers and council officials, begged the participants to think not just about what might happen to them, but about what their loved ones might be put through.

Tuesday, November 29

AFTER days of speculation over the identity of the councillor who had been taken to court after disputing his council tax, Dale Heenan admitted it was him and resigned from the council’s cabinet.

There was never any suggestion that he had deliberately sought to avoid payment, but he and council officials drew public ire for failing to clear the air earlier. Officials said they would not release the name of a member of the public in such circumstances.

They seemed not only to be unaware that councillors might be a different matter, and that court cases were in the public domain anyway.

Monday, December 5

WORLD-renowned Swindon artist David Lomax unveiled a magnificent sculpture in a Liddington meadow.

The Hoarusib Bull is a life-size portrait of a legendary elephant said to have stood guard over Namibian elephants as poaching became a major problem.

The piece was assembled from an original frame used in the creation of similar works commissioned by conservationist John Aspinall in 1992.

Tuesday, December 6

SWINDON was treated to the first sight of its proposed new £22m, museum and art gallery, to be sited – if all goes according to plan – where the car park next to the Wyvern Theatre used to stand.

Museum and Art Gallery director Hadrian Ellory-van-Dekker said: “This was the design that universally excited us. It was also the design, for me, that created a landmark building. The architects had really thought about the town, thought about the position in the town.”

It was revealed that an application was to be made for a £10m Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and that the borough council had pledged £5m.

Museum and Art Gallery trustee Nicky Alberry said: “We have to raise the rest and we have to make sure that whatever we end up with, the building is sustainable for the future.”

The design includes four gallery spaces, event spaces, a learning centre and an interactive science facility. There is also a café and a shop.

Thursday, December 8

A REFUGEE who made his home in Swindon after fleeing war-torn Sudan was nominated for a prestigious sporting award. Abdul Kareem Musa Adam, had been orphaned aged six in 2004 and eventually reached Swindon at 15.

Flourishing in foster care, he began training in horse riding with a charity and found his career vocation. He secured a scholarship to train at the Northern Racing College in Doncaster, and was nominated for a Daily Mirror Pride of Sport Award.

Friday, December 9

MUSICAL medic Bill McCrea, 61, announced his bid for a festive number one single.

The Great Western Hospital consultant teamed up with specialist nurse Harriet McCullough to form the Wiltshire Heart Throbs to record Christmas classic Yahweh Christmas Cheer, backed with Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Profits are to be donated to the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal and the British Heart Foundation.

The doctor said: “I want people to focus on the true meaning of Christmas which is giving love and being together, especially with the children, because the magic of Christmas is for children.”

Monday, December 19

SENIOR citizen Margaret Griffiths saw a prediction she made 17 years earlier come to fruition – but she would rather it hadn’t.

In 1999 she had written to the Adver, urging the people in charge of building the Great Western Hospital to not close other local hospitals as she feared there wouldn’t be enough space in the new one for a growing population.

The latest overcrowding scandal, whose victims included an elderly woman obliged to wait on a trolley for 15 hours, prompted her to dig out the cutting from her files.

Margaret, now 90, said: “The letter I wrote back then is still relevant today and it makes me so cross that it is still a problem. For some reason I always kept the letter because it was a subject that divided a lot of people back then and clearly it is still doing that today.”