POLICE changed their policy for assessing the risks prisoners pose to themselves after a Swindon man killed himself less than two hours after leaving their custody, an inquest heard. Michael Spencer of Grantham Close, Freshbrook, told officers at Gablecross
WAR heroes will attend Swindon Town’s match against Leyton Orient to thanks fans for their support and pay tribute with a Hercules flyover. About 350 military personnel from the Royal Navy, RAF and Army are expected to turn up at Saturday’s County Ground
CHANGES will be made to voting rights for soldiers after a Wiltshire-based charity said military personnel were being denied their democratic right. After the Army Families Federation (AFF) complained to North Swindon MP and Justice Minister Michael
SERVICES for the young and old could be dramatically affected by the proposals to cut spending to shore up a £12m council budget shortfall. Certain charges for residential care will rise by 68 per cent , while youth centres could close their
A UNION leader has criticised cuts aimed at “the most vulnerable people in society” proposed by Swindon Council. Reductions in subsidy to the Dial A Ride service, closures of youth centres and changes to community centres have all been proposed by the
THE switch-on of Christmas lights marked the completion of 450 new homes on the old Princess Margaret Hospital site in Swindon. And developer Bloor Homes handed over an open area – dubbed the Piazza – to Swindon Council at the new Angel Ridge development
Less than a year ago Kevin Barrett lost his job and then his home. But after being out of work for less than two months he said “to hell with the recession” which was gripping the country and decided to start his own window cleaning business. And since
ONE of Swindon’s largest independent computer companies has defied the recession to relocated to bigger premises and is taking on more staff. Such is the success of SP Computers, which was formerly based in Victoria Road and employed a dozen people,
A NEW children’s adventure holiday centre on the site of a former hotel will create almost 200 jobs. A planning application has been submitted by PGL Travel to transform the former Liddington Hotel and Zurich Training Centre into what it claims will
THE level of adult social care in Swindon has been praised by a national watchdog. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Swindon Council’s Adult Social Care department as “well” or “excellent” in six of seven outcomes of its Annual Performance Assessment
The Harp and Crown, Velley Hill, Gastard, Corsham. SN13 9PU. (01249) 713205 Always on the lookout for somewhere interesting to eat, my husband’s eye was caught by a quirky notice outside the Harp and Crown at Gastard, on the edge of
PLAYTIME has got even better for children at one primary school thanks to brand new adventure equipment. Parents at Holy Rood Catholic Junior School helped raise £45,000 to install an adventure trail and outdoor classroom. The trail, which is made up
A BLIND auction of items belonging to car crash teenager Alex Szymanski has raised £600 towards a memorial garden in his name. Alex, 19, pictured, of Lynmouth Road, Churchward, died when he and his uncle were involved in a three-vehicle crash
SWINDON Sea Cadets were awarded for their exemplary conduct at a ceremony at their base, TS Resolution, in Upham Road. The event on Tuesday rewarded cadets aged 10 to 18 for their skills at watersports, piping and service to their unit. The Best Junior
TOWN'S FA Cup third round trip to Fulham will take place on Saturday, January 2 (3pm). Danny Wilson's men beat Wrexham 1-0 last Saturday to set up the clash at Craven Cottage.
PROFESSIONAL coaches from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club put children through their paces at Churchfields School. Pupils from other schools, including Lainsmead Primary School and Wroughton Primary School, were also invited along for the two day football
REPORTED racial attacks in Swindon are falling, according to police. But campaigners claim that for every logged incident there is at least one more that goes unreported. Yesterday police released figures which show that racially aggravated
Album Of The Week Fallen by Peter Barton and Jerry Donahue Peter’s glorious gritty vocals open this album in a corker of a rock song called The Runner. The soul brass section underpins the lightning blues rock guitar from Jerry. Organic
HUNDREDS of children from 18 schools were in harmony last night for a gospel Christmas concert. The 520-strong choir, made up of Swindon primary and infant school pupils, performed songs from the musical Sister Act at the Oasis Leisure Centre
A YOUNG Swindon woman has been presented with the UK’s top accolade for Girl Guiding. Marybeth Masters received the Queen’s Guide Award from the Countess of Wessex – the Girlguiding UK President – at a special ceremony held at St James’ Palace in London
A YOUNG mum says she cannot send her daughter to school because it is too far away. Gemma Cook’s four-year-old daughter Lakeisha was unable to get a place in Old Town’s Lethbridge Primary School and King William Street School in September
A SWINDON solicitor specialising in asbestos claims fears a bill aiming to compensate sufferers of pleural plaques will not see the light of day. Brigitte Chandler of Charles Lucas and Marshall in Old Town said thousands of people will miss
BUSINESS bank accounts will be offered at post offices under plans to shore up the struggling network in the wake of a nationwide closure programme that culled several Swindon branches. Peter Mandelson, the Business Secretary, wants to bolster the financial
THE decision to strip £50,000 from a company that offers transport to disabled and elderly people, has been criticised. Swindon Council will cut Dial A Ride’s subsidy from £331,000 this year to £281,000 in 2010/11. The council claimed the savings were
COUNCILS in Wiltshire will be given £40,000 to crack down on tenancy cheats in the hope of recovering dozens of council homes suspected of being fraudulently sub-let. Housing Minister John Healey, who announced this week that Swindon and Wiltshire were
ONE road in Swindon should fast become a mecca for the town’s foodies. No other street boasts as many different and interesting shops, cafes, takeaways and restaurants as Cricklade Road, which runs through the centre of Gorse Hill. Residents
“CAN we have Sunday lunch here every week,” said my student daughter, hopefully, after we’d tucked into some seriously good roasts. If money were no object, I’d be more than happy to grant her wish - I’m not precious about my culinary skills
WANT to put some sparkle back into your Christmas? Well, head for Westonbirt in the next few weeks where you’ll find thousands of magical twinkling lights and a truly enchanted evening. The massive trees at the arboretum, near Tetbury, have been lit
A MAN who told police officers he would throw himself under a lorry went through with the threat less than two hours after leaving their custody, an inquest heard yesterday. Depressed Michael Spencer of Grantham Close, Freshbrook, made the suicidal comment
So, we are heading towards that dark place again…office Christmas party season. A time for that weird bloke in accounts to put on his matching Santa tie and socks to prove just how crazy he really is. A time to make small talk for three hours with
STREET lights could be turned out, youth centres cut and funding slashed for transport for the disabled and elderly in a bid to plug Swindon Council’s £12m budget blackhole. The “tough decisions” facing the council could also include removing caretakers
DOG handlers at RAF Lyneham went ‘walkies’ to raise almost £5,000 for Help For Heroes and DebRA. The two teams of four dog handlers and their award winning dogs marched 35 miles between RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and their home base in under 10
ROBBIE Williams has spoken of his ‘profound sadness’ following the death of hairdresser Aaron Vickers. A statement released last night read: “Robbie Williams would like to express his profound sadness at the news of Aaron Vickers’ death, and
YOUNG grasstrack racer Tom Brennan claimed the 50cc ACU British Championship title at the Youth Nationals at Winchester. Son of the renowned National Hunt horse racing trainers, the eight-year-old from Kingston Lisle used a different type of horsepower
Swindon ENL Wildcats extended their winning streak with a convincing 14-1 victory over the Lee Valley Lions at the Link Centre. With the Lions icing a squad low on numbers it wasn’t long before Swindon broke the deadlock. Defender Brian Clark linked
IN-RING experience is nothing new to Andrew McCaffrey, but the former British kickboxing champion has an understanding boss to thank as he makes his first steps in the professional boxing world. The Swindonian is a recent recruit at Keith Mayo’s Horseshoe
KELVIN Young is set to realise a childhood ambition on Friday night, and Swindon’s latest professional boxer is confident of making a smooth transition to the professional ranks. The 22-year-old spent more than a decade at local amateur club Penhill,
THE doors to the Goddard Arms swung open once more last night at its grand opening following a £2m refurbishment. The Old Town landmark on High Street shut down on August 31, 2007 and was sold off to a then-unnamed property developer.
LAWN were outclassed by Regional Division Two leaders Team Bath 49-24 at the weekend in spite of strong performances in two quarters. Lawn matched Bath goal-for-goal in the early stages with superb shooting coming from goal shooter Vicky Badminton
ANDREW Fitton has urged Town fans not to pin their hopes on Charlie Austin’s goalscoring prowess just yet – urging them to be patient with the former non-league starlet. Since the 20-year-old made the switch from Wessex League outfit Poole Town to the
IT’S a great achievement for Town youngster Alex Henshall to be nominated for the BBC West Young Sports Personality of the Year award. I’m sure he and the club are both very proud of that. Just to get nominated is an honour and he’s definitely justified
