MAKESHIFT cameras in cardboard boxes and reflections in windows or glasses helped thousands in Swindon witness the near-total eclipse of the sun today. A layer of smog threatened to obscure the view but parted briefly in sections as the moon passed
SWINDON Robins boss Alun Rossiter has Grand plans for the new Blunsdon stadium. Rossiter, who doubles up as manager of the Robins and the Great Britain side, is hoping the facility at Blunsdon can host meetings at speedway’s highest echelon, the
MY NAME is Marion and I am judgmental. Don’t judge a book by its cover – over and over I remind myself not to fall in that familiar trap and yet I can’t help myself. I am learning from my past mistakes but bad habits die hard and I still occasionally
A SENIOR Ministry of Defence official who pocketed £100,000 from the sale of scoops to The Sun has been jailed for 12 months, it can now be reported. Bettina Jordan-Barber, 42, from Swindon, was cultivated by Sun chief reporter John Kay as his
DOZENS of youngsters from Swindon Academy trekked up to the big smoke last week to take part in a special conference aiming to develop their confidence and reach their full potential. More than 30 students from the school in Beech Avenue went to
The Praxair building in Greenbridge Retail Park caught fire this morning, after a cleaning unit ignited the roof of the building. The fire began at 10.46am when an electrical cleaning unit set fire to roof space. Three fire engines from Swindon
SWINDON Robins will hold a number of youth races in support of the Bob Kilby Memorial meeting next Thursday. Riders from the British Youth series will race for the Malcolm Holloway Memorial Trophy, with the Robins also looking to give youngsters
AHEAD National Butchers’ Week, which launches on Monday, Andy Crump shares a potted history of his family business, K&EJ Crump & Son Family Butchers, in Royal Wootton Bassett. THIRTY years ago Keith and Jean Crump took a detour on
PLANS have been unveiled for a brand new speedway stadium meaning the Swindon Robins will have a new home from next year. Work could start as early May on the new stadium which will not only have new facilities for the riders but is being designed
DENSE cloud over Swindon has begun to lift as the once in a generation opportunity to see a near total eclipse of the sun begins. A Met Office spokesperson said: "It will be rather cloudy in places, but there will also with some breaks across the
AS THE clock hit the 90-minute mark on Tuesday night at the Keepmoat Stadium, Town’s dream of automatic promotion looked to be on shaky ground. But Jon Obika’s 91st-minute goal secured a huge three points and back-to-back away wins at a crucial
The Chalkboard JOHN Fisher takes a simple approach to the game, lining up his side in a solid 4-4-2. The back four is a rigid line, with Ashley Taylor’s size and aerial ability complimented by Sam Wadieh’s tenacity. John Davoile is the key
IT IS not just any sponsorship deal, it is an M&S sponsorship deal as the Swindon Robins announce the town-based van rental company as their new backer for the upcoming season. The Cheney Manor-based business, M&S Van & Truck Rental
CHAIRMAN Rohan Haines reckons that his club’s show-stopping FA Vase adventure is just reward for the rebuilding job manager John Fisher undertook during his second spell at the Elms. Fisher, whose first tenure at the Elms was between 2002 and 2007
SWINDON Supermarine are set to be without top scorer Luke Hopper for tomorrow’s Southern League Division One South & West match away at Bridgwater Town. Hopper limped off injured in Marine’s 2-0 defeat at home to Mangotsfield United in midweek
NATHAN Thompson has refused to be drawn into making predictions for the run in to the end of the season after seeing that back-fire earlier in the season. Instead the skipper is sticking to the old cliché of taking things one game at a time, but
PEOPLE who have made a great contribution to the Swindon community were recognised yesterday at the Pride of Swindon awards 2015. The Steam Museum in Firefly Avenue played host to the afternoon tea and awards ceremony for 185 pillars of the community
YOUNGSTERS from three Swindon schools have taken part in a project aimed at helping children with disabilities express themselves through art. Teenage pupils aged 14 to 19 from Commonweal School’s special needs unit, Uplands and Crowdy’s Hill schools
THE POWER of the pen has been celebrated with the launch of Swindon’s first ever schools poetry and short story competition. Joffre White, Swindon’s patron of reading and writing for 2014 to 2016, popped into Nova Hreod yesterday to announce The
TROY Batchelor has conceded he will be hard pushed to retain his title at the Elite League Riders Championship on Saturday night. The Swindon Robins skipper triumphed at last year’s event at King’s Lynn towards the end of the 2014 campaign but
THE long-derelict sensory garden at Swindon train station has now been removed to allow British Transport Police to have a firm presence at the site. Efforts to maintain the small fenced-off patch of concrete, previously filled with a handful of
A NEW welcome service for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s visiting Great Western Hospital has launched. The programme will see volunteers meeting outpatients with the conditions and their carers at GWH’s entrance, where they will then escort
A SWINDON patient had to spend almost two days in a police cell under the Mental Health Act because there was nowhere else for them to go. Figures released after a Freedom of Information request show that in the past two years almost 200 people
ISAMBARD Community School have officially appointed a new principal after the governors unanimously agreed to choose the acting headteacher for the role. Last summer, Rachael Mattey, who had been leading the school for eight years, retired from
WITH the play-offs on the horizon import Tomas Kana has assured Swindon Wildcats fans that the best is yet to come from him. The Czech import made an immediate impact after joining at the tail end of January. His big hitting style saw him given
JOHN Fisher has a not-so-secret method for making sure he gets a good night’s sleep before Highworth Town’s huge FA Vase semi-final with North Shields, a few pints. The Worthians boss is preparing for the biggest game in his club’s history as they
FORMER champion jockey John Francome is looking forward to seeing his nephew Sam Ricketts pull on the Swindon Town shirt, with the Wales defender on the verge of a move to the County Ground. Francome watched Ricketts make his professional debut
THE town of North Shields is getting right behind their team as they plan to send five coaches down for this weekend’s FA Vase semi-final. While it may not be the biggest game in the clubs history, that honour going to their Amateur Cup winning
JON Davoile says he would never have dreamed of playing in an FA Vase semi-final when he swapped Larkhall Athletic for Highworth Town last summer. Davoile captained the Larks to two Toolstation Premier Division titles in four years but left the
A POPULAR Royal Wootton Bassett Hotel is now on the market for £1.5m after its parent company went into administration last month Managers at Oyster Hotels Ltd, which operates the prestigious Marsh Farm Hotel in Coped Hall, announced they had gone
A FURIOUS mum is keeping her kids home from school today to watch the solar eclipse after their primary school banned pupils from watching the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. The headteacher of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Bessemer Road
WROUGHTON is set to become home to one of the country's largest solar farms following a government decision. Sited at the former airfield, the joint application was put forward by the Science Museum and Public Power Solutions, formerly Swindon
THE countdown to the 22nd Swindon Festival of Literature has officially begun after an announcement of an impressive line-up of acclaimed novelists and philosophers. The event, a firm favourite in the region’s cultural calendar, promises to raise
YOUNG dance prodigy Dino Fisher-Stephens is preparing for the next stage in his career after securing a scholarship to the prestigious Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. The 12-year-old from Gorse Hill, who attends Pinewood School, in Shrivenham
THOUSANDS of supporters will descend on The Elms tomorrow with Highworth Town one tie from Wembley. Swindon Town’s weekend off has put The Worthians top of the bill for Wiltshire football, with the all-ticket affair likely to have 1,200 fans turning
SWINDON head coach Sean Lynn wants his side to maintain their winning momentum to take into next weekend’s derby clash with champions-elect Chippenham. The Greenbridge Road side entertain struggling Buckingham tomorrow as they look to make it three
ROYAL Wootton Bassett director of rugby Alan Low has challenged his side to finish the campaign on a high. The Ballard’s Ash side head to Aylesbury tomorrow in Southern Counties North looking to rack up their 13th victory in a row. That incredible
AN alcoholic who self medicates with cannabis has had his home factory destroyed twice by police in drugs raids. Jason Varney, 46, of Butterworth Street, was hit in a series of raids under Operation Harness last month, when police found a rear
RUSKIN Junior School has taken its first steps forwards under special measures with the support of Ferndale Community Primary School. The Stratton school was slammed in November by Ofsted inspectors and told to buck up its ideas before more decisive
STREET Poet Danny Rowland has failed in his bid to become South Swindon’s next MP after his crowd funding campaign raised just £1. The 29-year-old chalk busker announced his intention to topple incumbent Solicitor General Robert Buckland last month
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to introduce superfast broadband across the town has been approved by Swindon Borough Council cabinet. Last week a £1.9 million proposal for the council to link up with UKB Network to introduce 4G-LTE to 99.4 per cent of homes
ALLEGED fraudster Melanie Buss has been permitted to take a family holiday while she awaits trial – but only if she surrenders her passport. The sister of Help for Heroes fundraiser Mike Buss has previously denied two counts of theft and one of
Now that the lighter summer evenings are here, make sure that your windows and doors are all functioning properly. As we all embrace the lighter evenings and the onset of Spring, now is the time to start looking at the outside of your home, to
