Archive

  • Royal British Legion branch resurrected

    VILLAGERS have successfully resurrected a forces’ charity following its 50-year absence. Members of the newly formed Wroughton and district branch of the Royal British Legion are already dusting down the old standards in preparation for the next Remembrance

  • Pair to cycle length of Britain for hospice

    INTREPID cyclists Mary Payne and Shaun Beckhelling are gearing up for a 1,000-mile challenge to get from from Land’s End to John O’Groats in aid of the Prospect Hospice. The couple, of Turner Street, Swindon, will begin their ride on June 12 and are

  • Mannington name poses a mystery

    CAN you help solve the mystery of Mannington? Confusion surrounds the exact location of Mannington today, as there are several areas with the same name in the town. During the 14th century, records from A History Of The County Of Wiltshire

  • Ignore housing targets, councils told

    THE Government has effectively torn up regional housing targets for Wiltshire. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles wrote to all local authorities urging them to ignore top-down targets contained in the UK’s regional spatial strategies (RSS). The RSS

  • SPEEDWAY RESULT: Eastbourne Eagles 47, Swindon Robins 43

    EASTBOURNE EAGLES: Matej Zagar (2-3-3-1*-3)12+1, Simon Gustafsson (0-2*-2*-1)5+2, Lukas Dryml (F-0-1-3)4, Cameron Woodward (2-1-3-1)7, Joonas Kylmakorpi (3-1-1-2-0)7, Ricky Kling (1*-3-0-3)7+1, Dawid Lampart (2-0-3-F)5 SWINDON ROBINS: Leigh

  • Artists show off their best works

    MORE than 50 students will be showcasing their talents in Swindon. Swindon College School of Art students will be displaying their work at the ‘Fresh’ Graduate Art show, in the Mulberry Building, Kembrey Park Industrial Estate. ‘Fresh’ features

  • Prom night help needed

    A CENTRE for children who cannot attend mainstream school is still looking for the public’s help as it prepares for its prom night. The Riverside Centre, off Queens Drive, is putting on a summer ball for students and members of the public on July 23

  • A week for creepy crawlies

    GARDENERS interested in attracting insects and wildlife to their gardens are being invited to a week dedicated to the topic at two Swindon garden centres next month. Blooms Swindon Garden Centre and Swindon Garden Centre on Hyde Road in Stratton St Margaret

  • Pupils inspire Estonian star

    SWINDON school pupils inspired Estonian pop princess Hannah to write a hit record. Hannah, pictured, visited Dorcan Technology College last year and she won the hearts of the youngsters with stories of her home and her pop songs. The singer enjoyed

  • Green-fingered volunteers spruce up tots garden

    A CHILDREN’S garden, revamped by volunteers, has re-opened. The gardens at Swindon College’s Little Stars Nursery were officially re-opened by Swindon College principal Andrew Miller last week. A number of staff, family and friends from the college,

  • Appeal as young tabby cat is found

    A YOUNG tabby cat was found at the junction of Cheney Manor Road and Acres Way by St Mary’s Church on Monday afternoon. The owner is asked to contact Martin Collins on 07925 591550.

  • Down's syndrome group to be honoured by the Queen

    A GROUP supporting people with Down’s syndrome is to be honoured by the Queen. Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group will receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Run completely by volunteers – often those whose own children have Down

  • The White Horse Inn, Compton Bassett, near Calne

    The White Horse Inn, Compton Bassett, near Calne, SN11 8RG (01249) 813118 After months of hearing nothing but good things about the White Horse in Compton Bassett my boyfriend and I finally made the journey across Calne to the village

  • Reunion date

    A SCHOOL reunion has been organised for anyone who left Dorcan School in 1980. Some stayed a bit longer, but if you were born between September 1963 and August 1964, then this is for your year.Teachers are also welcome. It is taking place on June 26

  • £54m waste burning project criticised by environmentalist

    AN ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner has criticised Swindon Council’s decision to spend £54 million in the next 10 years building and running a thermal treatment centre rather than raising awareness about recycling. Julian Kirby, a resource-use campaigner

  • Now here's something to crow about

    A TRADITION of the farming world – the scarecrow – was the chief attraction for young visitors to a local farm. Roves Farm, in Sevenhampton, near Highworth, has been running scarecrow-themed activities during half-term week. This included tractor rides

  • Prize weekend at showroom

    Mercedes-Benz of Swindon is holding a special seasonal weekend being hosted at its Drakes Way showroom at the weekend. As well as inviting motorists to test drive various models, the event will provide opportunities, including the chance to purchase

  • Produce and plants offer at market

    LOCAL produce including plants will be on offer at a village market. Wroughton Country Market runs tomorrow in the Ellendune Community Centre from 9.15am to 11am. On offer is a variety of locally grown plants to choose from including perennials, herbs

  • Fate gave diamond couple a helping hand

    CHILDHOOD sweethearts Ken and Miriam Lane never knew when they met at just 15 years old they would notch up their diamond wedding anniversary. But it seems like fate that the couple were destined to meet because by a strange coincidence they

  • After years of misery, this is a day never to forget

    AFTER years of financial trouble and languishing in the Football League’s lower tier, today’s play-off final at Wembley is just what every Town fan deserves. I don’t think there will be many surprises in the team selection today. Losing Gordon

  • Project open day visitors shrug off poor weather

    Wiltshire’s answer to the Chelsea Flower Show was a huge success over the weekend, hosted by the Jubilee Gardens Project. Hundreds flocked through the gates at the Jubilee Gardens Project base in Purton Stoke to snap up some flower bargains, all organically

  • Roll up for fun night at Big Hat Cabaret

    TWO groups from Music Alive, the charity that makes music accessible to disabled people, are performing in the third annual Big Hat Cabaret at Swindon’s Arts Centre. The Big Hat Arts and Disability Network was set up to develop opportunities, and increase

  • £5k bill for sale of dangerous car

    A CAR firm faces a bill of more than £5,000 after pleading guilty to selling a car which crashed just a month after it was bought. Independent family business CB Autos UK Ltd, based at the Marshgate Industrial Estate in Swindon, sold a 25-year-old

  • Letter from Alf Avison

    RE: Egyptian Canal Zone reunion Saturday, May 14 2011 to Friday, May 27 2011. Since my retirement I have organised reunion visits to the Canal Zone area In Egypt. I was called up for National Service in 1954 and was posted to Egypt working in Ghq Fayid

  • Letter from Robert Feal-Martinez

    DO OTHERS share my thoughts of irony that those who have no legal right to remain in the UK can and are given legal aid, to fight their claims to stay. Refugee and Migrant Justice said it was facing a cash crisis because a growing proportion of it legal

  • Letter from Steve Halden

    OVER 200,000 immigrants were given British citizenship last year. This is the highest figure since records began fifty years ago. With unemployment well over two million why does this country still encourage such high immigration? Should we not be finding

  • Letter from Steve Halden

    BEFORE it left office recently, the previous Labour government spent a trillion pounds bailing out British banks. Now that a trillion pounds of taxpayers’ money has been spent, would it be a good idea to have a public inquiry to find out why

  • Letter from David Glaholm

    SIR, could I ask Coun Rod Bluh, through you, if it is true there will be all out elections in Swindon in 2012? (This would mean all council wards electing councillors to serve for four years ending the expense of yearly elections). Would he agree that

  • Letter from M J Warner

    “CUTBACKS could scupper plans” says Adver headline (SA, May 27 2010). The new government’s plans to save £6.2bn could affect Swindon’s regeneration programme. Due to cutbacks in funding to the South West Regional Development Agency the quango that was

  • Letter from Robert Feal-Martinez

    IT seems clear that the Euro unrest is strengthening the resolve of the British people to leave the EU, in an Angus Reid survey of nearly 2,000 people, 42 per cent said they would vote to leave the EU, but if broken down into political preference, 57

  • Letter from R W Selway

    REGULAR readers will well know that M J Warner is the man who, after making what proved to be and with little doubt a completely incorrect statement about the Nimrod aircraft crash, does not have the bottle to apologise and to admit that he was wrong.

  • Fishing is just child's play for five-year-old Matthew

    THEY say that size isn’t everything. But five-year-old identical twins Matthew and Markus Pretorius would probably disagree after one caught a 12lb carp with their plastic toy fishing rod and the other a little tiddler. The boys, from

  • Letter from Kevin Small

    I READ with dismay your front page article (SA, May 27) informing us that Forward Swindon had decided not to show England’s football World Cup games on the big screen in Wharf Green. I served for many years as a director of the former regeneration

  • Whose dog is to blame for attack?

    A COUPLE whose dog was mauled by a ‘gigantic’ mastiff are trying to track down its owner, after the contact details given turned out to be incorrect. Adrian Martin, 57, from Highworth Road, in Stratton, said the incident occurred while his wife Janet

  • ICE SKATING: Top 10 finish for Isabella in Rooster Cup

    THREE members of Swindon Ice Figure Club competed in the Rooster Cup in Paris recently and Isabella Larkin achieved a top 10 finish. The 13-year-old finished seventh in the novice B competition in spite of cutting her hand in the warm-up for

  • Letter from Sue Reid

    AS a party of nine adults and five children we travelled to Wembley with the away supporters coaches. Our trip to the stadium was exemplary and we arrived very excited and in good spirits and were all impressed with the beautiful new Wembley. But where

  • Twickenham success for Swindon players

    ADAM Westall kicked four conversions and a penalty from fly-half, whilst fellow Swindon players Tom Mannion and Ben Saville were amongst the substitutes as Dorset & Wilts won the RFU County Shield in their first-ever appearance at Twickenham.

  • SWIMMING: Dolphin triumph at Link Centre

    SWINDON Dolphin came out on top in their home pool in the second round of the Southern Junior League at the Link Centre. With one victory already under their belts, Dolphin were up against all-new opposition, with three of last year’s A finalists, Yeovil

  • To the Manor

    DAVID Howell is hoping to fare better than Swindon Town on the big stage when he tackles the Ryder Cup course at Celtic Manor in South Wales this weekend. Howell, who was at Wembley last Saturday as Millwall beat an unconvincing Town 1-0 to reach the

  • 'We cannot afford to let the points slip away'

    RONNIE Russell has urged his Swindon septet not to throw away any more precious Elite League points after a stop-start May. The month began with a terrific victory over much-fancied Peterborough but that ultimately proved a false dawn as the

  • BASKETBALL: Wiltshire make south west final

    WILTSHIRE went all the way to the final at the Under 15s Inter-Counties South West Basketball Tournament in Torbay. The county side saw off Cornwall, Churston and Gloucestershire before missing out against hosts Devon in the last-two showdown. Against

  • Costcutter staff fear for the future if Aldi gets the go-ahead

    AN action group has been set up in opposition of plans for a new Aldi store in North Swindon. Staff at the nearby Costcutter store – just minutes away from the planned Aldi supermarket in Latham Road – have now set up a meeting with their supporters

  • Sky is the limit for Football in the Community

    THE current partnership between Swindon Town Football in the Community Trust and Swindon Pertemps will reach new heights on Saturday, June 26. Swindon Pertemps director, Anne Wilkes, has agreed to fund the cost of three parachute jumps on behalf of charity

  • Fitton - I'm not about to walk away

    ANDREW Fitton has lifted the lid on his post-Wembley comments, explaining that “too many of the wrong people” have made him question his future in football. But Town’s chairman has no intention of walking away from the County Ground any time soon. Just

  • Destined to leave

    NICK Watkins believes Billy Paynter made his mind up to exit for Leeds ‘a long time ago’ after the striker agreed to sign for the Elland Road side. The 26-year-old, who is out of contract at Town this summer, will link up with his new teammates