A POPULAR leisure centre devastated by fire in December will remain closed for at least another month, the management has said. Fire crews spent hours tackling the blaze at Lime Kiln Leisure Centre, in Wootton Bassett, on the morning of Saturday, December
HEALTH bosses in the town have issued a public warning in a bid to prevent the spread of norovirus. People are being asked to stay at home if they are suffering from sickness or diarrhoea so as not to increase the chances of the disease spreading
METALHEADS the Dead Lay Waiting are very much alive and are out to prove that with their forthcoming record. The Swindon five-piece have been making loud noises for several years in the metal scene, but since signing to Rising Records in 2008 things
A SPECIAL bus will be touring the town as part of an initiative by Swindon Borough Council to improve its housing services to tenants. The Community Safety Partnership bus will be stopping off at various locations next Tuesday and Thursday to consult
THE Royal International Air Tattoo wants prominent sites on which it can display it new artwork. Organisers of the event at RAF Fairford are hoping that landowners with fields, or property, adjoining main roads or other highly visible locations to help
POLICE have hailed the success of their latest drink and drive campaign after the number of positive results dropped. The Christmas and New Year crackdown saw 5,526 drivers breath-tested across Wiltshire, significantly higher than 2009, but the number
FRIENDS of the three teenagers killed in a road accident in Rowde, near Devizes, on New Year’s Eve have already raised more than £10,000 in their memory. Frankie Bowyer, George Forester and Jamie Walker, all from Chippenham, died when the car
SWINDON council last night defended its borders sending a clear message to Wiltshire County Council to build somewhere else. Councillor Nick Martin brought forward the motion to act over the planned development in Wiltshire on west Swindon’s borders
THE lights of a much-loved festive attraction have been switched off for good after eight years of fundraising. The family behind the annual Gipsy Lane Santa event in aid of the Prospect Hospice have announced that they will not be continuing their Christmas
WHAT a relief to learn that the enthusiasm of Lord Wills of North Swindon and Woodside Park for an elected upper Chamber is not shared by the majority in this wise old House. There might of course be some benefit in such a change, such as the
IT’S full steam ahead for a group of railway enthusiasts thanks to a generous donation. Volunteers at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway have been working for five years to restore a 1907 wood-bodied top light railway coach but work came to
AFTER 50 years as a shoe shop assistant, Muriel Hanks has finally measured her last foot. Muriel, of Lansdown Road, in Old Town, started working at at Blaylocks shoe shop, in Old Town, on January 16, 1961, when she left school aged 15.
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after an elderly woman was the victim of a distraction burglary. The incident happened on Wednesday, when a man entered a house on Davenwood, Upper Stratton, between 10am and 2pm, after telling the elderly occupant
MENINGITIS UK would like to thank everyone who has supported us throughout 2010 - a year which has seen a number of exciting advances in the fight against meningitis. We have been amazed by people's generosity and dedication despite the stresses and
I MUST thank the Swindon Advertiser for publishing such a wise editorial comment on Friday, December 31, 2010. In it you advised the public that if they wished the future of Coate Water to be in their own hands - and not in those of developers or councillors
MEMBERS of Swindon Council were greeted by angry council staff as they attended last night’s full council meeting. UNISON members protested to show their disgust at the actions of the Council and their determination to fight on. This
A MAN pleaded not guilty at Swindon Magistrates’ Court yesterday to sexually touching a five-year-old girl in a town centre shop. Stephen Reynolds, 53, denied indecently touching the girl while she was shopping with her mother and a sibling in the 99p
THE MULTI-MILLION pound regeneration of Marlowe Avenue is a real boost to the community, according to its residents. Work continues on demolishing shops in the Walcot street, with much of the block now reduced to rubble. A block of 24
THE funeral of Wayne Wilson will be held later this month. The 26-year-old, of Fullers Avenue, Cricklade, lost his battle with leukaemia on January 3 just two weeks after marrying his childhood sweetheart Sammy Cole, pictured. Wayne was determined to
THE new year sees more pain at the pumps for drivers with rises in fuel duty and VAT adding around 4p to the cost of a litre of petrol or diesel. But these increases don’t just hurt the driver and our hard-pressed haulage industry, they produce price
I HAD to smile at Ms Girling MEP’s letter about the EU budget and the fact that a 2.9 per cent increase was a result of the Conservative stand when we know that simply is not the case. However perhaps she would like to say whether she agreed
“This morning as I look across not only the capital city, but three-quarters of my state, we are facing a reconstruction effort of post-war proportions.” These were the emotional words of Queensland Premier Anna Bligh yesterday as she warned
MOVING from Swindon to the Sunshine Coast in Australia was supposed to be a dream come true for the Wheatley family. But fast forward three months and the dream is slowly becoming a nightmare after the worst floods in decades have ravaged the
I HAVE just noted with interest the council’s plan to charge library users 30p for each online reservation that they make. I think that someone at the council has had a cunning plan to finally get rid of all the smaller libraries around the town
HAVING moved to Swindon a few years ago, I am very disappointed by those who oppose any development on ‘open spaces’. It is ok for those of a certain age who enjoy walking their dogs etc but what about the next generation needing homes, universities
WHAT has happened to Royal Mail? It seems our local postal service is in total disarray. Mail that was sent to me first class from Reading, posted on December 20, finally arrived on January 8. Another letter, this time from Chippenham, posted
Parentline Plus Statement in response to the closure of The National Bullying Helpline "IN light of the closure of The National Bullying UK Helpline. Parentline Plus wants to reassure parents or children concerned about bullying that they can call
SWINDON kart star Jack Sweeney claimed third place in the Castle Combe Junior Karting Championship after the delayed final round of the competition took place last weekend. After the race was snowed off at the end of 2010, all the young riders were out
CLAIRE Smith of Swindon Road Club took a very impressive second place in the UK National Cyclocross Championships held in Derbyshire. Smith achieved her second place in the women’s veterans’ category where she shared the podium with Isla Rowntree
KEEPING a core group of players match-fit and in-form has been the primary driving force behind Supermarine’s continued pursuit of the top two in Dorset & Wilts 1 North, according to player-coach Sean Millwaters. Victory over Trowbridge 2nds tomorrow
SEAN Morrison will become a Reading player this weekend in a deal the Advertiser believes to be worth in excess of £250,000. The 20-year-old will move to the Madejski Stadium after the Championship side triggered what is understood to be a
WET weather may well influence the region’s rugby this weekend, but Swindon coach Neil Loader is intent on sticking to the running and passing style of rugby that has been so good to them in Southern Counties North so far this term. Loader’s side makes
SWINDON Harriers were well-represented at the latest round of the Oxford Mail Cross-country League, held at Horspath. Thirty-eight runners competed in the various age categories over a tough, hilly woodland course. Caitlin Carney, Hannah King, Ellie
FAIRFORD Town boss Tommy Dryden has given his biggest hint yet that he expects his team to play at a lower level next season. The Gloucestershire outfit, who host midtable Ascot United tomorrow, are currently rock bottom of the Hellenic League Premier
DANNY Wilson wants the speculation around transfer targets to calm down as he looks to get the best out of his current crop. Town face fellow strugglers Yeovil in League One tomorrow, with a win essential as they look to distance themselves
JOHN Fisher claims there is plenty of time for him to save his Shrivenham side from relegation from the Hellenic League Premier Division. The Rec outfit are currently third from bottom in the table following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers
SWINDON Supermarine manager Mark Collier has labelled lowly Oxford the “surprise package” of the Southern League Premier Division, but believes it is a tag City will shake off by the end of the season. Oxford are third-bottom of the table having recorded
TWO schools in Gorse Hill are set to merge as a single primary school after the long-awaited project was approved. Gorse Hill Infant School and Gorse Hill Junior School, both in Avening Street, already share executive head teacher Sue Kershaw
PHIL Smith would take three points above a shutout any day of the week. But the Town goalkeeper admits keeping out the opposition would be a huge bonus ahead of tomorrow’s County Ground contest with basement battlers Yeovil. Since Smith came into the
SWINDON Town’s coaching team have given themselves a performance review in an effort to identify where the Robins are going wrong in League One this term. Sensational wins over Huddersfield, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton have shown in
Last Saturday after the defeat away to Oldham I had one question that kept running thought my mind and I’m going to ask you the same question, do you think last season just one massive overachieving campaign? In the end I decided it wasn
TAXPAYERS are forking out £230,000 a year to keep the town’s street’s free of graffiti. But Swindon Council – which removed more than 11,500 tags from around the town, 31 tags a day at a cost of £20 each time – is confident the war is being won. Coun
CHARLIE Austin should stay focused on contributing towards the Swindon Town cause while he remains a Swindon Town player, says Robins chairman Andrew Fitton. Words attributed to Austin were made public by a national media outlet yesterday which
MICHAEL Rose is convinced Town are only two positive results away from clicking into gear, as the League One campaign goes past halfway. Rose, whose fluctuating form has seen him in and out of the Swindon team over the opening five months of
FORGOTTEN man Lecsinel Jean-Francois says he has not lost the belief that he can play a major role in Town’s season. The Haitian has made just six appearances for the County Ground club in 2010/11, in direct contrast to the previous campaign, where he
CLASSROOMS at Churchfields School are twice as green as they used to be. As part of a drive to become a more environmentally friendly school, students at Churchfields have begun a whole-school recycling programme. All classrooms and communal areas now
