A CROWD of almost 2,000 people stood side by side and paid a silent tribute to the six servicemen who were brought home through Wootton Bassett yesterday. Despite the drizzle, more people than ever before turned out to support the dozens of family members
TOWN crashed out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy this evening at the quarter-final stage, going down 5-3 on penalties. With the sides goalless after 90 minutes, Billy Paynter, Charlie Austin and Kevin Amankwaah all netted, but Craig Easton
DISABLED passengers will struggle to use new low-floor buses in Penhill because of the layout of the roads, according a local councillor. Coun David Glaholm (Indpt, Penhill) said buses are often unable to fit into bus stops and struggle with the high
A POLITICAL row has erupted over claims by Swindon Council’s Tory administration that pupils in the town get £1,500 less Government funding than the average British child. Coun Russell Holland (Con, St Margaret) will present a motion to full council
DANNY Wilson has made five changes to Town's starting line-up for this evening's Johnstone's Paint Trophy area quarter-final against Norwich at the County Ground. Out go Callum Kennedy, Michael Timlin, Simon Ferry, Anthony McNamee and
Town’s first post-War keeper, who retired nearly 50 years ago, celebrates his 83rd birthday today. No one in the club’s long history has pulled on the green jersey more often than Sam Burton’s tally of 509 first team appearances. In more recent times
MORE children in Swindon will soon reap the rewards of a £1.1m overhaul of play areas in the town. The latest stage of the improvements was completed at the Pembroke Recreation Ground in Moredon, which now boasts a new run way, pod swing and fitness
AN ex-Coronation Street star will be in town this week after a dramatic career change. Sean Wilson, who played Corrie’s Martin Platt for over 20 years, will be showcasing his company’s, The Saddleworth Cheese Co, Lancashire cheeses at Michael Hart and
BNP leader Nick Griffin was present in Wootton Bassett today to see the bodies of six soldiers pass through the town after their repatriation from Afghanistan to British soil. Mr Griffin stood on the high street where hearses carrying the
CROWDS of Royal British Legion veterans and members of the public, along with friends and families of the fallen soldiers, began arriving in Wootton Bassett at 10am today. Flowers were laid at the war memorial alongside Remembrance Sunday poppy wreaths
SCHOOL pupils who gave their lives in service of their country will be honoured tomorrow. A remembrance service will take place at Christ Church, in Old Town, in memory of former Swindon High School pupils who are mentioned on the church’s war memorial
A REWARD is being offered for the return of a lost bracelet. The jewellery, belonging to Marion Bowen, was a 50th birthday present and has sentimental value. It was lost on Wednesday or Thursday last week between the bottom of Victoria Road and Swindon
SWINDON residents are being reminded of the services available to manage their long-term health problems. The Self Care Awareness Week runs until Friday. The aim of is to raise awareness of information and resources available to help the public, particularly
PREPARATIONS are well underway for this year's Christmas Fayre at St Philip's Church, in Beechcroft Road and everyone is welcome to come along. The event is taking place at the church on Saturday, December 5 from 1pm until 4pm. Among
TWELVE months ago, almost to the day, Town's season spectacularly fell apart. Dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Histon on the Saturday, before giving an utterly limp (and that's being kind) display down at Brighton in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy
Where are you? Are you thinking of me, As you lie under the stars Far across the sea? When the noise all starts, I shuffle to be near, And then I remember That you’re just not here. Can’t you come back, And leave that terrible place behind?
A MUSIC lover who celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday said nothing, not even the Blitz, had ever stopped her playing the organ. Centenarian Trudy Marsh still occasionally plays the instrument after she took up the hobby as a girl. She played at various
A man accused of carrying out a robbery has been banned from entering the town centre by a crown court judge. Jason Croke is charged with taking cigarettes and money during the alleged offence on Friday, August 7. No charge was put to the 23-year-old
THE bodies of six soldiers killed in Afghanistan - including five who died when an Afghan policeman turned his gun on them - returned to home to Britain today. Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, and Guardsman Jimmy
VOLUNTEERS are needed to give the homeless in Swindon somewhere safe and warm to stay at Christmas. The Christmas Care project provides shelter and food for the homeless from Christmas Eve to December 28 in the Queens Drive Methodist Church. Anyone
NOVELIST Chris Higgins got children thinking creatively yesterday. The Swindon Ten Youth Festival of Literature, a week of literature- themed events, is designed to encourage young people to explore and celebrate the world of books. Mrs Higgins, 58,
Prime Minister Gordon Brown today paid tribute to British servicemen who have died in Afghanistan, as the remains of six fallen troops were due to be repatriated through Wootton Bassett. Mr Brown was speaking as controversy raged over his letter
A senior teacher at the Ridgeway School has vehemently denied that the school was in the grip of “wholesale chaos” in the time before the hammer attack on Henry Webster. Ronald Piper, testifying at the start of the third week of Henry Webster
Weekly police surgeries at the police station in Cricklade have now been moved from 1pm to 3pm to 4pm to 6pm on Thursdays. For more information call Wiltshire Police on 0845 408 7000 or the town council on 01793 751394.
A woman driver had to be cut from her car after crashing into a signpost on the sliproad to the M4 at junction 17, near Chippenham, yesterday morning. Drivers were urged to take extra care when approaching the Stanton St Quintin roundabout after the
A student accused of killing a cricket captain with a fatal punch has told a jury that he would always avoid trouble and had never been in a fight. Thomas Minshull, 20, pictured, said he had not seen Adrian Cooksey at all as he walked home from a night
NORWICH City manager Paul Lambert believes the sides’ meeting last month will have no reflection on tonight’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area quarter-final. The Canaries ran out 1-0 winners at Carrow Road little more than a fortnight ago thanks
HIGHWORTH Town clash with Shortwood United at home tonight in the second round of the AM Print & Copy Hellenic League Floodlit Cup. Paul Cooper (calf) and Ian Gill (groin) both have minor niggles but are expected to be fit, while Ben Snook
TOWN are sweating on the fitness of key midfielders Anthony McNamee and Simon Ferry ahead of tonight’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area quarter-final tie with Norwich. The duo picked up shoulder and ankle injuries respectively in Saturday’s win over Woking
JONATHAN Douglas may have spent the last month stuck indoors with family and friends, but the midfielder is determined to be anything but the perfect host as Norwich City come to the County Ground tonight. The 27-year-old has served his four-game suspension
THE fireworks came a day late for the packed crowd at Walcot’s boxing show at the Premier Club, Stratton on Friday, writes DAVE VEYSEY. Leading the explosive action on a 19-bout marathon bill was England Schoolboy International Connor Wells, who won
PENHILL Amateur Boxing Club’s schoolboy fighter James Richards met Connor Greene from Sweet Science Acadamy in an all-action bout in Andover. The first round saw both boys landing good punches with Greene edging the lead. The second saw Richards landing
IN Division Two, league leaders Harwell International edged past Lambourn Sports Reserves 3-2 thanks to two goals from Stuart Head, including a penalty, and one from Jamie Clark. Dan Crawford and Steve Crame registered for Lambourn. The bottom two in
SWINDON Spitfires travelled to Alderbury for the first round of the Wiltshire Cup and came away with an impressive 7-0 win. It took Spitfires nine minutes to score as Georgia Leonard's header found Mel Bristow to slot home. A minute
WITH the league fixtures effected by Wiltshire Junior Cup commitments, it was left to Division One to take centre stage last weekend and 16-year-old Bradley Ray stepped up to the plate. The youngster grabbed his first senior hat-trick when he scored
COLEVIEW were the top scorers in the Chairman’s Trophy Cup, hitting 13 past Stratton Saints. Matt Horsell (5), Jason Kearns (4), Martin Cobb (3) and Craig Ingram got their names on the scoresheet. AFC Cricklade put eight past luckless Jesters with four
TEENAGERS are paying for lunch with their fingertips at a secondary school. Commonweal School students are swiping their middle fingers on a scanner instead of paying cash in the school canteen as part of a new system. The school has installed the £10,000
THE North Wilts League Under 13 representative team made a losing start to their season against Swindon Town. Swindon emerged 4-1 victors against a side that blooded five debutants at the Corinium Stadium, Cirencester. North Wilts took an early lead
AUTHOR Patrick Ness has recommended pupils get stuck into trashy literature alongside the classics. He visited Dorcan Technology College, off St Paul’s Drive, yesterday to give Year 10 pupils from Dorcan and Kingsdown tips on writing and an insight into
Under 17/18 Division Two IN the battle between second-placed Wootton Bassett Town C and third-placed Purton, it was Bassett who took all three points in a comfortable 12-2 victory. Danny Hale led the way with a hat-trick and there
MORE jobs are to go at Honda after the company offered an improved redundancy packet to its workers, who this summer agreed a pay cut to safeguard jobs. The car giant’s decision to reopen its associate release programme has been criticised
DANNY Wilson has urged his Town players to ‘smell the area finals’, insisting they can knock the Canaries off their perch this evening. Swindon entertain League One high-flyers Norwich in the southern section quarter-finals of the Johnstone
SHOCKED workers at a Swindon company learnt that 275 staff are to be laid off over the next two years. Bosses at the pharmaceutical business Catalent, based at the Blagrove Industrial Estate in Frankland Road, said they wanted to wind down the factory
