Diabetic ex-footballer Gary Mabbutt is coming to Swindon as part of a football legends charity evening. The tough tackling centre half will appear in front of football fans for a question and answer session in the event organised by the Swindon-Spurs
THE father of a runaway teenager has paid an emotional tribute to the Adver after his daughter returned home. Shanice Buckle, 15, had disappeared from her home in the north of England, and both father Eric and detectives investigating the case believed
BRIGHT pupils at Churchfields School have scored top grades in their science exams a whole year early. Six clever year 10 students achieved A*s in their GCSE biology and physics exams which they took in January alongside more than 80 other
THE loss of a friend has inspired Andy Jack to get inventive to help people spot the warning signs of cancer. The father-of-two, of Upper Stratton, has invested £25,000 to create an iPhone app called The Healthy Living Tracker which advises people when
WOULD you tune in to watch Swindon Borough Council TV: Raw and Uncut? Because two councillors are proposing just such a service, with a motion calling on the council to record and broadcast whole meetings. Bob Wright (Lab., Central) and Mark Dempsey
PRO-BOXING trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick is hoping to put youngsters through his school of hard knocks. Paddy, who runs the Fitzpatrick Boxing Academy, in Ferndale Road, is looking to enrol 25 school-leavers aged between 16 and 19 on a new course which will
COMEDIAN Alan Carr will be stopping off at the Wyvern Theatre next month. The television star, well-known for hosting Channel 4’s Chatty Man and The Saturday Night Project, will be coming to the town to do a warm up gig for his autumn tour, Spexy Beast
MYSTERY continues to surround the future of the Mechanics’ Institute after the Adver finally got in touch with its owner. The newspaper managed to reach jet-setting businessman Mathew Singh yesterday, after numerous previous attempts to track
WHEN John Matthews beat bowel cancer at the age of 69 he was inspired to put his trainers on for the first time to raise money for charity. The 72-year-old, who had surgery for bowel cancer four years ago, is stepping out at the London marathon
A GUIDED spring walk is being held at one of the town’s best loved beauty spots. The stroll, which will take in the wildlife around the park, will be held at Lydiard Park and on Sunday, April17. Participants will be looking out for spring birds so
A ROCK band put on a special gig to raise funds for Swindon Samaritans. Angel Up Front, who are a rock covers band from Bristol, were supported by Ripslide, from Basingstoke, when they performed at The Furnace, in Commercial Road on Friday.
VOTERS in Swindon will be treated to a bonanza of balloting this May 5. Not just one, but three sets of votes are running at the same time. One set will see voters choose who they want to represent them in their Swindon Council ward.
Sunday’s edition of the Antiques Roadshow saw a return visit to Swindon where the programme was filmed at STEAM last summer. Among the guests was the great niece of Swindon born suffragette Edith New who showed Hilary Kay a selection of her suffragette
TICKETS are selling fast for next month’s Swindon Charity Ball which has a French theme. The Moulin Rouge ball will feature dancing from the London-based dance act Sophistication. Spokeswoman Galina Ananin said: “The Can Can girls who work with top
THERE were drinks all round on the A419 when a lorry shed its load. Police were called to the entry slip road of the southbound A419 near the South Gate of Honda at 12.20pm on Monday after the lorry shed cans of Budweiser across the road
THE phone has been ringing off the hook at one Swindon venue since it was announce rockers Thin Lizzy were coming to town. The iconic band will be taking to the stage at M.E.C.A, in Regent Circus, on June 2 for their only headline gig this summer.
A CANCER support group has entered a competition to be in with a chance of winning £10,000 for a project that benefits the local community. Abc Swindon has entered the Douwe Egberts UK ‘Be a Local Star’ competition, which also awards £5,000 and £3,000
ROYAL wedding street party rules were thrown into confusion yesterday when a councillor contradicted official Swindon Council advice. On the final day that street party applications could be made, Coun Peter Greenhalgh told one of the Blunsdon street
THE building of the B&Q distribution centre has left local residents living in a noise and dust nightmare. People living in Highworth Road, opposite the new centre, feel they have not been taken into consideration as the road outside their
A MAN accused of using cloned credit cards to buy a watch worth more than £3,000 failed to appear in court because his son was in hospital. Wilfred Yumah is accused of using the fake cards to get the watch from a town centre jewellers almost a year ago
POLICE are keen to trace these two men after an incident in which a man was attacked with a dog chain. The attack took place at 10pm as the victim was walking home from the Sun Inn along Shaftesbury Avenue at the junction with Queens Drive. He was
A NEXT-GENERATION hydrogen pump is to be built at the Honda plant – and it could pave the way for the technology to be developed here in the future. Forward Swindon, the council’s regeneration body, has received a £250,000 grant from the South West England
TALENTED Leon Westcott will be hoping for the luck of the Irish as he attempts to dance his way to glory. The 11-year-old will this week embark on his first trip to the Emerald Isle as he prepares for the World Irish Dancing Championships, which run
AN INDIAN restaurant which was infested with rats has been fined £3,000. The kitchen and storeroom at Purple Mango (One) Ltd, in Victoria Road, were found to be strewn with rat droppings during an inspection by Swindon Council in March 2010. The restaurant
I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Trust to encourage all of your readers to refresh their New Year resolutions and commit to getting fit, while helping fight meningitis, by running the Bupa Great North Run on Sunday, September 18, 2011.
HOW I agree with Shirley Webb (SA, March 28) regarding the inefficiency of the admin staff at the Great Western Hospital. Following surgery I wrote (SA, February 10) expressing praise for the surgical, nursing and auxiliary staff for the treatment
THE last time I wrote to the Adver letters pages I was most critical of the leader of the council, not this time. At the public meeting on April 6, 2011 regarding Tadpole Farm development in north Swindon he was right to be honest with the people
IN your feature regarding the ideas wanted for a coat of arms for Penhill, it says “Local school logos over the years have featured female swans, though there is no evidence that swans ever lived in the area”. The logos were made up by a
MUCH has been written lately regarding the financial competence of the council. The £400k loan to Digital City for a wi-fi scheme which never stood a chance of coming to fruition, the decision to simply write off a £600k debt owed by the Highworth
DESPITE nearly half a million patients passing through the doors of Great Western Hospital every year, the number of complaints made against staff remains low. A Freedom of Information request has revealed that in 2010, just 19 complaints
YOUTH team coach Paul Bodin urged the Swindon youngsters that were not offered professional contracts yesterday to look to former Town striker Charlie Austin as an example that their career in the game is not necessarily over. The club decided to give
PAUL Hart believes the appointment of a permanent manager of Swindon Town should be made as soon as possible to give the club the best chance of being able to prepare fully for next season. The former Nottingham Forest boss has made no secret of his
SWINDON’S reserves were edged out 3-2 by Exeter City in an entertaining clash at St James’ Park yesterday. Paul Bodin fielded a youthful side with Alan O’Brien the most senior player in the starting 11 while Thomas Dossevi, whose future at the club remains
SUPERMARINE maintained their push for third spot in Dorset & Wilts 1 North with a comprehensive 36-12 victory over Avonvale on Saturday. With Pewsey Vale keeping up hot pursuit of Marine a win was a must for John Godsell’s side, and they responded with
SWINDON College Old Boys were left to rue early indiscipline in their Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier clash with Thatcham at the weekend, as they slipped to a 28-22 home defeat. A series of offences within the first five minutes saw Old Boys fall 9-0 behind
HAVING set the amateur scene alight, Swindon’s Danny Bharj is looking to ignite the professional code when he makes his debut on Keith Mayo’s next promotion at the Olympiad Sports Centre in Chippenham on April 30, writes PETER FOLEY. The 22-year-old
GRAHAM Slack was crowned Cirencester Table Tennis League’s singles champion after winning the Open final recently. Slack pipped Russell Hayward to victory after seeing off Barry Duke in the semi-final. In the junior singles final Ryan Marvel beat Lewis
LAWN Netball Club are celebrating success on an individual and team level, after one of their young players was selected for the English squad and one of their sides progressed to the finals of the All England Netball Nationals. Natasha
