TEAMWORK is the secret to 60 years of marriage, according to Ken and Mary Jones. The grandparents, of Ferndale Road, are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary today after tying the knot at St Mary’s Church in Rodbourne Cheney on September
SWINDON survived a third-period comeback to defeat Slough 7-5 at the Hangar tonight in their third and final challenge match of 2012/13. Slough’s Darius Pliskaukas opened the scoring (2:35), only for Jonas Hoog to level with a neat finish on the
A PETITION with almost 800 signatures against a decision to end a bus service between Park South and Great Western Hospital is to be presented to Swindon Council. In January 2012, Thamesdown Transport amended the number 18 route, which ran between
BUFFET cars will cater for commuters from Swindon in a different capacity as they aim to help ease train congestion. The number of seats on rail services between London and the west has increased after 15 former buffet cars were among those converted
PARENTS whose children will be going to primary, junior or secondary school for the first time in September next year are being advised that they now need to apply for school Places for them. This year, the council was able to give 91 per cent
AFTER seeing hundreds of Paralympians triumphing in the water, Thamesdown Hydro-therapy Pool is urging a generation of potential athletes to make the most of the facility. The pool, in Jefferies Avenue, near Pinehurst , which has about 700 visitors
PUBS across Swindon are celebrating being part of a revival in real ale after landing coveted listings in the latest edition of the Campaign for Real Ale’s Good Beer Guide. The 40th edition of the best-selling series includes The Dockle Farmhouse
A LOCAL artist has created a series of Swindon-inspired paintings for a new community art gallery at Great Western Hospital . Artist Tim Carroll is behind the inaugural GWH exhibition, entitled Streets of Swindon, which features four canvasses
TEAMWORK is the secret to 60 years of marriage, according to Ken and Mary Jones. The grandparents, of Ferndale Road, are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary tomorrow after tying the knot at St Mary’s Church in Rodbourne Cheney on September
A SHOPPER ejected from a Tesco store yeterday by police after a sit-down protest over a faulty TV said he was feeling sore from baton strikes sustained in the struggle. Eric Rawlinson, 41, went back to the supermarket to request CCTV of the incident,
A COMPETITION has been launched at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, to give an official name to one of the iconic entrances into the tree collection. Run by the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, the charity that works in partnership with the Forestry
A wedding fair is to take place at Lydiard House Conference Centre on September 30, which will generate cash for Swindon Autistic Society. A dress valued at £900 will be auctioned and donations will be collected throughout the day for the charity.
HEART-THROB Gino D’Acampo has already sparked a stampede from female fans even before stepping into an Old Town restaurant to launch his new book. The Italian chef and I’m a Celebrity winner will appear at Fabio to sign copies of Gino’s Pasta. He has
Members of the Swindon Society are to mark the 40th anniversary of the organisation at the Southbrook pub on Sunday, September 16, from noon to 4.30pm. The society aims to record the social history of the area by creating a collection of old photographs
WORK on Haydon Brook is now well under way. The work is being carried out to help prevent 118 homes, four commercial properties and an electricity sub-station from river flooding. It will provide protection and mean there is only a one per cent chance
: An e-petition against alcohol duty backed by the Swindon Campaign for Real Ale branch has reached 93,000 signatures – just 7,000 shy of the number which could prompt a debate in Parliament. Every year the tax escalator increases the tax on beer by
The Wiltshire Community Transport Development Fund is now open to support community travel projects. The Wiltshire Council-backed fund worth £100,000 is open to support the expansion and establishment of Community Transport services. Managed by Community
SWINDON’S very own town crier really is the cream of the crop after bagging himself his 16th award for Best Dressed Town Crier. Fred Ferris, 80, of Penhill, won the trophy after competing against others from around the country at the Banbury Town Criers
PRODUCERS of Swindon: The Opera are looking for young boys to join their singing classes and perform with them. The Janice Thompson Performance Trust produced a modern day opera about Swindon’s heritage to sellout audiences in July after receiving a
The town’s light operatic society is looking for boys aged seven years and over for Oliver! Auditions will be held on September 23 for the parts of Oliver and Dodger. Oliver! will run for four performances at the Memorial Hall from April 25 until April
FIRST aid charity St John Ambulance will be teaching people in Wiltshire vital skills this month as part of its annual Save a Life September campaign. It is the second year the charity has run the campaign. Last year, the scheme was hugely successful
THE British Heart Foundation has announced it will be holding a black tie ball at Swindon Marriott Hotel next month. The event, which takes place on October 5, will be held in aid of its Mending Broken Hearts (MBH) Appeal, and with just over a month
THE historic former home of Swindon’s Hammerman Poet is on the market with Atwell Martin at £475,000. As the many devotees of Alfred Williams (1877-1930) know, he was a railway worker who taught himself classical languages and published acclaimed poetry
STRATTON Parish Council is replacing all the notice boards in the parish as the old ones are worn out. In addition, at both cemeteries new location boards will be provided to help relatives locate their loved ones. As well as the new noticeboards there
NORTH Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson is calling on residents in the town to host a HEART UK Hearty Tea Party during National Cholesterol Week. HEART UK’s National Cholesterol Week, which takes place from September 17 to 23, aims to raise funds and awareness
PROSPECT Hospice is still looking for a team of supporters to take part in a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Everest Base Camp during their first overseas challenge. Really Wild Travel and Prospect Hospice will be hosting an evening at 6.30pm
Residents can have their say on the development of sports in the town through the Swindon Sports Forum. It is specifically for sports clubs of any size and is run by a committee of dedicated volunteers with varied backgrounds and from local sports clubs
Elm Tree Surgery will be holding a flu vaccination clinic at the memorial Hall on October 9 between 2pm and 7pm. Vaccinations are strongly recommended for people with diabetes, kidney, heart, lung or liver disease, stroke, those who have had their
ART students in Swindon are being given the chance to win free exhibition space at Hobbycraft. The store, at St Margaret’s Retail Park,is looking to help young artists kick-start their art career by launching an in-store art competition where one winner
THERE is something for everyone to enjoy at the Haydon Centre Open Day on October 7. From adults and children to young people and grandparents the open day is a great way to bring people together, find out what’s happening in your local leisure centre
WILTSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service is reminding householders to make sure their chimneys are fire-safe. Watch manager Neil Chamberlain said: “There were over 220 chimney fires in Wiltshire during 2011, but many of these could have been prevented. “To
PARENTS in Royal Wootton Bassett, Cricklade and Purton are being encouraged to apply now for the school they would like their children to attend in September next year. The online application form at Wiltshire Council’s website, www.wiltshire.gov.uk/
A STAR of the TV show Geordie Shore has pulled the plug on a club appearance in Swindon just one day before the event. Jay Gardner, star of the reality TV show, was set to appear at Bushwackers in Swindon’s town centre tomorrow night but has
THE Royal British Legion’s first Run2Remember will take place on November 10. Everyone is invited to remember loved ones or all those who have fought and fallen in war, at the race at Lydiard Park at 11am on the day before Remembrance Sunday. Runners
A TALENTED teenaged singer raised nearly £300 for charity by busking outside Sainsbury’s. Charlie-Anne Bradfield, 13, sang her own songs as well as covers of well-known hits outside the store in Stratton. Customers made donations to The Open Door
HIGHER rate taxpayers in Swindon who have failed to submit tax returns will receive reminder letters from HM Revenue and Customs this month. The letters will explain they have only one month left to take up a special opportunity being offered by the
The Lion King Bristol Hippodrome until November 17 To book, visit www.thelionking.co.uk or call 0844 871 3033 IT’S about 10 years since I first experienced the dazzling spectacle that is The Lion King at London’s Lyceum Theatre. It was astounding
CHICKENS, guinea pigs and tortoises have been welcomed into Ruskin Junior School thanks to fundraising by the school council. Pupils raised £3,500 to pay for a courtyard area to be refurbished so it can house animals twice a week. One of the teaching
A LOCAL indie band are hoping to get the troops rocking as they fly out to Germany for a charity gig. The Swindon-based indie rock band The Blackwaters was contacted by a soldier to perform at a one-off gig before the servicemen are deployed to Afghanistan
A meeting is to be held to discuss plans to turn Kembrey Grass into a community forest and reinstate the allotments at Pickards Small Field. The Hreod Burna Parkway Preservation Group is holding its monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 12 at 7pm
A former RAF aircraftman who was jailed for his part in smuggling cigarettes through RAF Lyneham has been ordered to pay back £80,000. Last year, Paul Garbutt, 31, of Avon Grove, Billingham, Teeside, was jailed after admitting conspiracy to cheat the
A clerk is being sought for the parish council. The clerk will be responsible for managing the day to day business of the council, including the production of agendas and minutes for all council meetings and committees, liaising with outside bodies,
A LITTER pick in Lydiard was organised by Asda. As part of the supermarket’s Community Life initiative, staff from the West Swindon store organised their first litter pick at Lydiard Park. Staff from the North Swindon hypermarket also took part, as
Helping Hand Club will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. It meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 7.30pm in the Silver Threads Hall and has a fundraising event once or twice monthly. Thanks to members of the carnival committee, it has
Wiltshire councillor Allison Bucknell may not have a head for heights, but that is not stopping her choosing to skydive thousands of feet for charity. Allison, who lives in Royal Wootton Bassett, will be tandem skydiving on Saturday in a bid to help
Police are still appealing for information after a man tried to grab a nine-year-old girl while she was playing. The incident happened at 8.15pm on Friday when the girl was on the corner of Brentfore Street and Yelland Wal, East Wichel. The man,
A JUDGE has warned a man who peddled cannabis ‘you’ll be answerable to me’ if he fails to comply with the terms of a suspended sentence order. Samuel Fenton was given the warning after Judge Douglas Field ruled that the public interest was best served
TWO reality television stars are swapping the shores of Newcastle for Swindon tomorrow night as they head to two rival town centre nightspots. Heart-throbs of the MTV show Geordie Shore, Gary 'Gaz' Beadle and Jay Gardner will be making an appearance
A TEENAGE rapist who repeatedly abused a 10-year-old boy has been jailed for five years. Samuel Cole was himself just 15 or 16 years of age when he committed the offences. Cole, now aged 22, also got a six-year-old boy to indecently touch himself after
"Dear all, . Well…!?….not a lot I can say except that the Mrs King jinx bit again….I truly can't find any other reason for such a tame display, new faces... yep some confusion, fear factor…some bad passes or hesitancy, bad night's sleep with
THREE fundraising fitness fanatics made a relay Channel swim in memory of a boy who died of cancer. Simon Harris 47, brother Matt, 40, and Nick Hague, 42, braved the waters of the English Channel to swim the 23- mile distance between Dover and
POLICE are appealing for information after a high value burglary took place at The Spot nightclub. The theft took place at around 3.15am on Saturday, July 8 at Godwin Court, Old Town. A large amount of cash was reportedly
THE Paralympic Games might have drawn to a close but the legacy will live on as people across the town sign up for disability sports. Disabled sports clubs in Swindon have been inundated with requests from people who have been inspired by the heroics
NORTH Sector neighbourhood policing officers are cracking down on rural crime by running an awareness campaign. The campaign will see neighbourhood police officers giving out advice across the rural areas north of Swindon until Sunday, and also
A CLUBBER is lucky to be alive after he plunged eight feet in a night club. The man, in his 20s, was in intensive care in hospital for three hours after the incident at Tiger Bills in Old Town on Sunday. The Ambulance service was called to
A PATIENT treated by a herbal medicine practitioner convicted of groping a woman at a high street clinic has told how he left her in agony after a botched Chinese therapy. The woman, who had gone to Herbal Shop in the town centre, received a “cupping
WILDCATS’ two new imports will strike fear into the rest of the English Premier League this season, according to British forward Aaron Nell. Head coach Ryan Aldridge recruited Michal Kapicka and Matias Perkkio during the summer and Nell says it
JAMIE Hayes is looking forward to life back in the English Premier League after a season in the tier below. The 22-year-old forward spent last year with his home town team of Cardiff in the English National League, racking up impressive numbers
SWINDON’S Sam Hutt believes Andy Murray’s superb sporting summer will inspire young Britons to pick up a tennis racquet. Hutt, a regular at Futures events around Britain, was delighted to see the Scot become Britain’s first male Grand Slam singles
TROY Archibald-Henville has been making waves both on and off the pitch at Swindon Town, having spent the past three weeks learning to swim during his rehabilitation from a knee injury. The summer signing from Exeter impressed during pre-season
WOOTTON Bassett centre David Martin has claimed he and his teammates “proved the doubters wrong” with their 20-13 victory over Frome on the opening day of the new Southern Counties South season. Bassett lost a number of key players over the course
DAVE Turner admits Wootton Bassett ’s FA Cup trip to Conference South giants Dorchester will be ‘the biggest game in the club’s history’. Bassett visit the Magpies in 10 days’ time in what will be the club’s first-ever second qualifying round tie
SWINDON may be sitting pretty at the top of South West 1 East but head coach Neil Loader is not about to start getting too excited just yet. The Greenbridge Road side battered Marlow 41-19 away from home on Saturday, to add to their opening-day
SWINDON skipper Hans Andersen has called for calm after the Robins lost ground in the battle for top spot in the Elite League. Defeat at Poole on Monday night means the quest for the summit is no longer in the Blunsdon side’s hands, with the Pirates
