A CRACKDOWN on flytipping and anti-social behaviour, a 20mph zone and a community shop are just some of the priorities highlighted in the Broadgreen Community Plan, which will be launched tonight. The plan represents more than a year’s hard toil for
A MOTHER has become Swindon chair of the NSPCC – after 25 years of fundraising for the charity. Elaine Quinn, who works for Zurich, has taken over the role from volunteer Sue Hooper who is now the divisional vice-president. The pair estimate they have
DREAMS of sporting excellence are being kept alive at Swindon Academy thanks to Olympians popping in to inspire students. Olympic bronze medallist Katharine Merry and gold medallist David Hemery visited students to encourage them to follow their dreams
A body responsible for safeguarding children was accused at the High Court today of failing in its duty to hold a "speedy and comprehensive" inquiry into a "brutal and savage" hammer attack on schoolboy Henry Webster. A QC said the case involved "racial
ARTISTS will be showing off their work to the public. The Highworth Artists’ Society autumn exhibition runs from Saturday until October 31 and is open every day except Sunday. The exhibition is to be held at the community rooms, at the council offices
WILDCATS have announced that Canadian import Dylan Row has left the club with immediate effect. Head coach Ryan Aldridge explained: "Dylan was put on his two weeks' notice on the October 13 - we needed more from our defence and more from an import.
CHARLIE Austin staked his claim for a first team spot this afternoon with two goals as Town's reserves beat Plymouth 3-2 at the County Ground. The 20-year-old struck in each half to add to Michael Timlin's opener as an experienced Swindon side
RESIDENTS can support local farmers at a town centre market. The Wootton Bassett Farmers’ Market is this Friday on the High Street in Wootton Bassett from 9am till 1.30pm. The farmers’ market is part of the Wiltshire Farmers’ Markets Association, which
TRAIN operators want 400 miles of UK railway line updated so it can be used by electric trains. The Swindon to Cheltenham line is among 10 routes in the UK recommended for electrification by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC
A QC has blamed a culture of "racist bullying and harassment" for a hammer attack which left teenager Henry Webster brain damaged. Robert Glancy QC told London's High Court the incident followed Ridgeway School's failure to appreciate or heed a serious
FIREFIGHTERS celebrated 50 years of protecting Swindon’s population with a gala dinner. The Central fire station on Drove Road reached its half century milestone on Saturday and invited current and past employees to mark the occasion.
ADULTS have the chance go back to school in north Swindon. Nova Hreod, Haydonleigh School, Moredon School and Rodbourne Cheney School, are hosting courses such as Spanish, poetry and floral arrangements. Drawing for novices, computing
A VIGILANTE speeding activist who helped put up a vehicle activated sign has had requests to borrow the equipment from neighbouring villages. Michael Edmonds and fellow villagers in Aldbourne erected the sign after becoming annoyed with cars
A CHARITY evening will raise money for servicemen. The event is being organised by OTT Events, in partnership with the Alexandra House Hotel, Wroughton, on Friday. Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost £25. Proceeds to go to Help For Heroes
RESIDENTS can enjoy music while supporting people with disabilities. The Open Door Centre is holding a musical extravaganza this Friday at the Immanuel Church Hall, on Upham Road, Old Walcot. The centre is a day resource based in Gorse Hill catering
PUPILS from one of the world’s most prestigious dance schools have been putting Swindon’s youngsters through their paces. More than 300 primary school children sat enthralled as teachers and students from the Royal Ballet School showed them the basic
From beach balls scoring goals to players behaving badly, there is never a shortage of controversy in the great game of football. And who is in the middle of this, invariably getting in the neck from all sides? The referee. This season
Swindon Hockey Club has had some changes over the years but it looks like it’s settled for good. Two years ago the club moved from Greendown School to the flash new Astroturf at Isambard School in North Swindon. These new facilities are enabling the
In July I was invited to the House of Commons Along with my Dad, Andy Cantlon (a school governor) to watch Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) by our local MP, Anne Snelgrove. The Prime Minister's Questions were mainly about lack of military equipment
ASIANS made a successful start in defence of their title in the Indoor Cricket League when they cruised home by five wickets against Shrivenham, having restricted their opposition to just 83, despite Mark Whale’s 36. Wootton Bassett had a similarly
When we are asked to imagine talented performers, it is (sadly) true that those with disabilities will often be overlooked. But does this mean that they don’t exist? Of course not – and the mission of Big Hat Cabaret on the 18th July was to prove just
FORMER Ridgeway student Henry Webster has arrived at the High Court to begin his claim for compensation against the school. Henry was 15 when he was attacked with a claw hammer at the Wroughton school in January 2007. He was repeatedly punched,
At Nova Hreod College we had a week, from September 14 to 18, when Roald Dahl took over our school. There were a lot of Roald Dahl challenges including Roald Dahl’s Challenge Day, where you had to do different challenges you had to drop the word
A FREE panto roadshow will entertain visitors to a Swindon garden centre. Wyvern Theatre’s troupe will be at Swindon Garden Centre in Hyde Road, Stratton St Margaret, on Saturday. The troupe will be dressed in pyjamas to chat to visitors about the
On 13th October the Swindon Ten Learning Network hosted a hugely successful Arts Festival for over 250 gifted & talented pupils from ten Swindon schools. The event, uniquely designed by the pupils from the secondary schools for pupils from the primary
A Cure for the Nation Oh dear. We’re over with the best part of the year and will now descend into chaos and misery. No, it’s not global warming. So stop the dash to remove those illicit 100 watt light bulbs. I refer, to the cureless common cold
A Kenyan national who tricked the NHS into paying for her to attend university in Bristol to train as a radiologist has been jailed. Felista Peters, 28, applied to the University of the West of England claiming to be a British citizen and using a false
WHAT a fantastic start to my day! Brilliant sunshine; and far more important, the early morning news has just announced that nurse Margaret Hayward has been reinstated to her dedicated nursing career, from which she was unjustly and ruthlessly dismissed
SWINDON residents are being urged to remember our feathered friends as the nights draw in and the thermometer drops. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is organising various events for Feed the Birds Day on Saturday, October
UNEMPLOYMENT, rising! Answer: Compulsory service for five years in the Armed Forces for all the unemployed, aged between 16 and 45. Compulsory retirement at 65 thus creating more jobs for younger people. Serious criminals, trained then sent to Afghanistan
THE first round of the Swindon Advertiser cup threw up a number of shocks, none more so than the 9-1 demolition of ASK Moonrakers by Old Town Wanderers. The opening exchanges never hinted at the final score as both teams gave their all. OTW went ahead
WELL, it looks like Swindon Borough Council’s Planning Committee has done it again. The planned new Aldi unit in Drove Road will not enhance the town centre’s image one jot. Furthermore, there is already perfectly adequate vacant retail space for Aldi
A NEW principal is due to start at Swindon College. Andrew Miller will take over the day to day running of the college in January. He will replace former principal Jonquil Brooks, who left the college 18 months ago. Mr Miller
Saturday, October 21 1939: NEWPORT COUNTY 0 SWINDON TOWN 2 Following the abandonment of the League programme proper in early September after the outbreak of war, Town were engaged in a few friendlies before a regional League was set up for clubs
ON November 13, 2009 Age Concern and Help the Aged’s search for an Internet Champion, supported by BT, draws to a close. We have experienced an overwhelming response from people whose lives have been transformed by technology, however there is still
LAST night (October 17), I was travelling with friends towards Avebury from Wroughton, at about 7.15pm when we noticed a strange light on our left. It was a straight line, seemingly from a field about a mile or so away, and it went straight up into the
IT was raining goals in two rescheduled fixtures in the SSFL Knockout Cup on Sunday. The Manor walloped Boundary House 8-2 on their own turf, Mark Arnold emerging with a haul of five goals. Danny Hyde, Declan King and Danny Williams scored the others
CAN I, on behalf of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, thank you for the continuing support your newspaper has given to the organization’s work in Swindon. The coverage that your reporters have afforded to the recent Swindon
IN HER letter of Friday, October 16, Jennifer Miles, of the Young Green Party, informed us that the Greens were planning to introduce a free education for everyone regardless of their background while the other parties, now including the Liberal-Democrats
MANY of the large employers in this country including the Tesco chairman are complaining about the poor standard of education which they find when interviewing young school leavers for job vacancies. This is in spite of the fact that the number of students
The weekend’s action produced bagfuls of goals, the highest aggregate coming courtesy of Pewsham Youth, who sealed their progress into the second round of the League Cup in emphatic style, overcoming Northern Lights 27-0. Elsewhere in the Under 14 League
SIX cars were left unsalvagable after they had paint stripper poured on them. The vehicles were targeted at a garage on Thames Avenue, Haydon Wick, some time between 5pm on Friday, September 25 and 7am on Saturday, September 26. The
Old Town traders have called on Swindon Council to do more to improve parking facilities in the district. The council’s cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss a proposal to cut two-hour car parking charges from £1.40 to £1 in three Old Town
Swindon Spitfires Ladies entertained Swindon Town Reserves and came out on top with a 4-1 win. The home side took a while to settle but gradually imposed themselves on the game and took the lead in the 23rd minute when Mel Bristow headed home Georgia
SWINDON Robins co-owner Terry Russell has given manager Alun Rossiter a vote of confidence in the wake of his side’s Elite League Play-off Final defeat to Wolves. Since last week’s meeting, some sections of Robins fans have called for Rossiter’s head
CABINET minister Ed Balls was forced to cut his trip to Swindon short yesterday after he became embroiled in a political row. Mr Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, arrived in Swindon yesterday morning to visit
A SEX offender who systematically abused a boy for more than a decade has been jailed for 14 years. The 45-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, started abusing the boy when he was of primary school age. He also abused a young girl for five
TOWN boss Danny Wilson has demanded his side make an immediate return to winning ways following their poor showing against Hartlepool. Swindon suffered their first defeat in 12 league games at the hands of their north-east visitors on Saturday
SIMON Ferry believes he is noticing the loss of suspended midfielder Jonathan Douglas as much as anyone - but is confident Town’s fringe players can step up to the plate given the chance. Douglas is currently serving a four-match ban following a sending-off
