Archive

  • Miniature railway marvels to go on show

    SWINDON's model railway exhibition - Modrail 2007 - will be held at Greendown School, Grange Park, this month. The event, run by Swindon Model Railway Club, will be on November 17 and 18. Opening hours are Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4.30pm

  • Addict burglar jailed for public's protection

    A HEROIN addict who went on a crime spree shortly after magistrates put him on a community order has been jailed for 22 months. Mark Bradley burgled a hotel room, stole his stepbrother's satellite navigation system and broke into cars, stealing a chequebook

  • Denise hits Outen Billie

    DENISE Van Outen has criticised Swindon star Billie Piper. In Billie's frank autobiography, she blamed the prestigious Sylvia Young stage school for her bulimia. Billie said the school put pressure on her to be "smaller, lighter and thinner," and several

  • New homes will add to flood risk – warning

    BUILDING more houses in North Swindon will lead to more flooding headaches, a councillor has warned. Swindon Council's planning committee will next week debate approving two schemes for houses in the Redhouse area. The first plan is for 48 houses, a

  • Youthful eyes look to the future

    THE progress of Swindon's regeneration plans has been given the once over by some of the town's youngsters. Members of the Haydon Wick junior parish council were given the update by Swindon Council leader Rod Bluh. The group were shown plans and artists

  • Charity day celebrates Georgina's life

    THE parents of an 11-year-old girl who died from a brain haemorrhage are holding a charity dinner in her memory. Georgina King died unexpectedly in January from the bleed, which had been brought on by Idiopathic Thrombo- cytopenic Purpura (ITP), a disorder

  • It's the green dream

    WELL, the wheelie bin revolution is finally upon us, and I seem to have become a bit of a demon recycler. I'd like to say that pressing concerns over climate change and an overwhelming urge to save the planet are behind my frenzied mission to crush

  • Purton reunion was just picture perfect

    FROM 1932 to 1946, I lived in Purton. Then, in March 1946, the family left Wiltshire to come to live on Tyneside. I arranged a trip in September of this year during which I hoped to be reunited with people I had not seen for some 61 years. It was

  • Big thanks from Cats Protection

    THE members of the Swindon branch of Cats Protection wish to thank the people of Highworth who kindly donated to our street collection on October 27. The sum collected was £125.31. Thank you for your generosity. We would also like to thank the shoppers

  • Clamp down on mobile use

    DRIVING up the hill approaching the junction between Tadpole Lane and Lady Lane, I was confronted by a utility van as it swept around the corner, well over the central white line and more on my side of the road than his. The driver, of course, was

  • Ten second road test...

    AUDI Q7 3.6 FSI S-line WHAT IS IT? A meaty 4x4 seven-seater SUV blessed with the interior quality and ambience of an Audi with the performance of a hot hatchback and the exterior styling of an extra from Blade Runner. WHY SHOULD I BUY ONE? Offers

  • Questions over school funding issue

    I AM baffled by recent letters from councillors Renard and Perkins which suggest that funding for Swindon's schools does not come from the Labour Government. I have received a letter dated October 25 from the Minister of State for Schools which says

  • Water great way to restore town pride

    I HAVE read with interest recent articles regarding this project. The canal is part of our heritage and as such should be part of our town today. It would provide a corridor for wildlife through the town, be environmental friendly and bring life and

  • Could canal plan be high in the sky?

    Having read all the letters concerning the proposed route and the unfeasibility of the building of the canal, let me remind you of my proposal in the past of putting the canal on stilts. Leaving that aside, if the canal was built as a viaduct across

  • Ten second road test...

    Citroën C5 2.2 HDi Exclusive Estate WHAT IS IT? A mobile storage facility in the guise of an estate car. WHY SHOULD I BUY ONE? Self-levelling suspension, a squashy ride and a laid-back nature makes for a smooth cruiser that just gets on with the

  • Billie in running for stage award

    SWINDON star Billie Piper is in the running for a top theatre award. The 25-year-old has been shortlisted for the Evening Standard theatre award for her first major stage role. She received the nominated for the best actress prize for her work in the

  • Route of problem

    REGARDING the issue of the canal through Westcott Place/Faringdon Road, there is scant information as to how traffic from the west will enter the town. Would not the original route, at least as far as Cambria Bridge, be a better proposition? This would

  • It’s time to dredge up some answers

    MUCH has been said and written about the prospects of the construction of a canal from a point west of the town through the centre. Public opinion appears to be divided between those who think this is a good idea, and those who think it complete madness

  • Cooking up a storm

    THE Mercedes-Benz Museum is now officially home to the "strongest artificially generated tornado in the world". The attempted record was confirmed in the presence of Guinness Book of Records representative Olaf Kuchenbecker. The 34.4m high artificial

  • Vespa’s new range of retro helmets

    VESPA is celebrating the '70s, the decade that gave the world the Vespa 50 Special, with a new range of retro helmets from the era. Three designs have been created including a Union Jack, an Italian tricolour and a Mod target. The helmet gets a chrome

  • First look at Volvo concept

    VOLVO's futuristic XC60 concept, a crossover vehicle combining the all-wheel drive versatility of the Swedish firm's current XC range with the sporty looks of a sleek coupe, makes its first UK public appearance at the MPH Shows in London and Birmingham

  • Ben's on the world stage

    A SWINDON theatre director has been appointed to a worldwide theatrical body. Benedict Eccles, artistic producer of Swindon's only professional theatre company Sixth Sense, has joined the UK board of Assitej - the World Theatre Network of Theatre for

  • Fiat 500 voted best body

    THE new FIAT 500 has won the EuroCarBody 2007 award, the world's most prestigious prize for car bodies. The ninth edition of the Forum organised by Automotive Circle International was held in Bad Nauheim/Frankfurt last month, attended by 600 experts

  • Time change ‘will save lives’

    NATIONAL road safety charity Brake is calling on drivers to slow down and look out for people on foot and bicycle as the clocks go back making evenings darker and more treacherous on our roads. Brake is also urging the Government to abolish the UK's archaic

  • City slicker

    FORGET prescription drugs, or herbal remedies, if you're after something to fix a permanent smile on your face, then look no further than the small, but perfectly formed Toyota Aygo. The little A-segment wonder has been on our roads since 2005, and has

  • Shops disappointed at interest rate decision

    Reacting to today's decision to leave interest rates unchanged the British Retail Consortium said the Bank of England had failed customers and retailers. BRC Director General Kevin Hawkins said: "It's disappointing that the Bank has failed to deliver

  • Construction workers hit peak for Prospect

    INTREPID walkers from Beard Construction have handed over the last of their sponsorship money to the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton. The employees took on the Three Peaks Challenge in June in aid of the Prospect Hospice's Prospect@Home appeal. The team

  • Currys raided twice in two nights

    A BURGLAR smashed into an electrical store and tried to steal thousands of pounds worth of electrical goods. The thief smashed through the front window of Currys.digital in Regent Street early on Tuesday morning and grabbed about £3,000 worth of electrical

  • Art lovers are all spoilt for choice

    DAVE Plotkin has got more than 3,000 works of art in his online gallery. Dave, 24, of Stratton, set up Exactlywhatiwant.co.uk in July 2006, after struggling to find a painting of a sunset in conventional galleries. Dave, who has cerebral palsy, became

  • Changing the world

    Entrepreneurs from across South West England will have their creative problem solving and team working challenged at the launch of this year's Enterprise Week. Running between next Monday and the following Sunday, Enterprise Week is an annual UK-wide

  • Long-awaited Blunsdon bypass is starting to take shape

    THINGS are really starting to take shape along the new Blunsdon bypass. The diggers have almost finished moving earth, the new bridges are well under way and workers are preparing to put down the first of the road's surfaces as it snakes its way towards

  • More parking for town centre

    PARKING headaches for people living in, or close to, Swindon town centre could be solved from Monday. Under an innovative scheme cooked up by Swindon Council and the Residents' Parking Advisory Group drivers with parking permits will be able to park

  • Police object to 5am closing time

    A NIGHTCLUB wants to open longer at weekends to cope with an influx of drinkers from eastern Europe. The Broadwalk, in Bridge Street, wants to open until 5am on Friday and Saturday. In recent months the club's fortunes have been transformed by a growing

  • Check your credit cards

    Nationwide Building Society has welcomed the warning by Which? about the hidden cost of adverse order of payments on credit cards. Credit card providers have for some time operated adverse order of payments without making it clear to their customers

  • Shops to get the chop in regeneration plan

    RUNDOWN buildings in a Swindon square and shopping precinct are to be levelled in a multi-million pound make-over. Residents living near Marlowe Avenue's shops and Sussex Square have been urging Swindon Council to do something with the sites for years

  • ATHLETICS: 'Let me run against the men' pleads Fairford Wendy

    LET ME run against the men - that was the plea from Fairford international Wendy Nicholls after her runaway victory in the opening Oxford Cross Country League fixture, writes KEVIN FAHEY. Nicholls dominated the women's race at Ascott under Wychwood to

  • The Linnet, Great Hinton

    CUSTOMERS can be safe in the knowledge they are in for a culinary treat when visiting a pub near Trowbridge, as two of its chefs have won their way through to the finals of a national competition. Neil Clark, the head chef at The Linnet in Great Hinton

  • Star couple lend support to show choir

    TWO of the biggest names in jazz are the new figureheads of Kentwood Show Choir. Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth, top left, are the joint patrons of the choir after being invited to fill the roles by musical director Sheila Harrod. Dame Cleo

  • Fears over drugs treatment centres

    SWINDON could soon have two new drug treatment centres, including a needle exchange. Swindon Council's planning committee is due to consider applications for two centres at a meeting next week. The first application is for a drop-in centre in Maxwell

  • Top Tory praises Swindon as 'model authority'

    HIGH-flying Conservative MP Francis Maude has praised Swindon Council as a model authority. The Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office made the comments during a visit to the town yesterday afternoon. "I think there is a real lesson to be learned here