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
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.
Monday, November 21
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.
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 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.
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.
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.”
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