REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2019: Charity hit £1m target and gold ring found against all odds in November and December

Shirley Garman fought tirelessly to help people with breast cancer.

Her inspirational efforts to support people with the disease – while battling it herself for 15 years – motivated her loved ones to continue her work after she died in 2009.

They celebrated reaching the million-pound goal and paid tribute to the Breast Cancer Now pioneer on the 10th anniversary of her death, aged 61.

Friend Eunice Salmon said: “To make that promise of raising a million pounds was no mean feat and it was very emotional to finally get there.

“There were times when we were not sure that we would make it and it’s been a long work-in-progress, but with patience, persistence and perseverance, we reached our goal.

“It’s a great legacy for her. We held a special event at the Blunsdon House Hotel to celebrate and she was in the room with us, watching over us and there in spirit. We all raised a big cheer for her.

“We started this year with the target in sight so we organised more events than usual to get us over the line.

“If people had not attended our events and business had not been so supportive with their donations, we would have never reached this incredible amount so it’s all thanks to them, really.

“Some of the people who have helped are no longer with us, while others have come and gone.

“This is a tribute to them and to Shirley.”

The celebration included Shirley’s husband, son, grandchildren and other relatives – members of the original committee when the charity was founded by Shirley in 1995 as the Wiltshire Breakthrough Breast Cancer Group.

NOVEMBER: WHEN great-grandmother Pauline Payne lost the gold ring given to her by her late daughter she thought it was gone for good.

Then, against the odds, the ring was found and returned to the 75-year-old, who was full of gratitude toward the man who handed it in.

“I’m over the moon to have it back,” said Pauline.

The pensioner lost the piece when she visited Walcot Community Shop three weeks ago.

It had great sentimental value as it was bought for her by daughter Annette before she died of cancer.

Ryan Brown, who frequently visited the shop to buy toys for one of his daughters, found the ring in a bag of recent purchases.

Pauline said: “Just to know that there are people around like that - I mean, he could have easily kept it but he handed it back.

“And I just can’t thank him enough.”

Ryan said: “I emptied the toys on the table and the ring fell out.

“It was only small and it said ‘mum’ on it, so I thought perhaps it was a child’s ring,” he said.

“I gave it to the little one and she put it in her jewellery box. I really thought nothing of it.”

After seeing posters put up by Pauline with a picture of the ring, Ryan recognised it instantly and headed back to the shop.

“When I saw the notes, my heart went out to her straightaway,” he said.

“It’s a great end to the story and I’m sure anyone else would have done the same.”

NOVEMBER: AN inflatable bird taller than an African elephant toured Swindon for BBC Children in Need.

The bizarre blow-up great bustard – Wiltshire’s county bird – toured towns across the county, pulled by BBC Wiltshire breakfast show presenter Ben Prater.

Ben and his team hauled the 12ft inflatable 10 miles a day and aimed to raise £5,000 for the annual appeal.

People were invited to “stuff the bustard” by putting coins and notes into a collection bucket in the bird’s midriff.

Ben said: “It’s good to get out of the studio and into the fresh air. People are coming to see us. It proves someone’s listening.

“You never know who’s going to stick £20 in.

“You can go through posh parts of town and you don’t get anything. Go through other parts and people are stuffing in £20s.”

Asked what people made of the bird, Ben said: “We were told to ‘move that dinosaur off my driveway’ on Springfield Avenue, in one of the posher parts of Swindon.

“They were chuffed. Once we moved it they gave some money.

“Yesterday we raised just over a grand. Today we’re hoping for the same.”

While the bald-headed bird was attracting some odd looks from drivers, it seemed to be a hit with pedestrians.

Trevor Andrews, 61, of Ferndale Road, had already donated cash when he spotted the BBC Wiltshire entourage on the High Street in Old Town shortly before 2pm.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s a good charity.”

DECEMBER: AN appeal by druids against a Stonehenge trespass conviction was thrown out by judges – after one of the women admitted she could “charge her crystals” at Avebury.

Judge Peter Crabtree delivered the crushing verdict at Swindon Crown Court on Friday more than a year after the three pagans were convicted at the nearby magistrates court of breaching heritage laws and Stonehenge regulations.

Lisa Mead and Maryam Halcrow – respectively a druid and a solitary hedge witch – jumped a rope cordon in February and May last year during protests against what they branded English Heritage’s mismanagement of Stonehenge.

Druid Angela Grace was involved in the May incursion.

The women appealed their conviction to the crown court on the basis that they had a reasonable excuse for their actions under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Stonehenge regulations contravened their rights to freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom to protest, they claimed.

Judge Crabtree acknowledged that the Stonehenge regulations restricting access to the sacred stones impacted the women’s human rights.

He said the restrictions were proportionate and English Heritage offered free access into the stone circle on four days a year and paid access for pre-booked groups of up to 30 before and after opening hours.

Judge Crabtree said: “The restriction serves to protect the very essence of the monument for current and future generations by strictly controlling access into the stone circle.”

During the two-day appeal all the women spoke of the importance of Stonehenge to their beliefs – but each noted they had links to other stone circles.

Lisa Mead, 53, formerly of Banff, Scotland, said she could perform healing at Avebury and charge her crystals there, but that Avebury was not as a powerful as Stonehenge.

DECEMBER: SHANZAY Zohaib became a Christmas toy tester after beating 400 applicants to become join a team of six putting gifts through their paces.

The five-year-old Colebrook Infant School pupil got to test toys including the DC Transforming Remote Control Batmobile, Boppi the Booty Shakin’ Lama and – the winner – Juno the Elephant.

To help decide the victor, the six testers had to judge toys according to categories such as fun factor, usability and coolness.

Shanzay said: “I loved the unique testing experience, especially playing with the top toys this year.

“I loved meeting Juno which was my favourite of all the toys. I’m so happy it won.

“It will be on my Christmas list this year and I would love to continue testing products, especially toys.”

The baby elephant toy’s features include a moving trunk, a trumpeting sound, and having fun with a pet mouse, and the children thought Juno both funny and cute.

The judging was held at the Broadway Shopping Centre in Bradford, with Juno scoring 136.5 out of 256.

Battery maker Varta staged the gathering to help parents know the best things to get their children at Christmas.

Varta marketing manager Mona Chan said: “We hope, by sharing what children really want to find under the tree, that we will help them make the most of this year’s festivities.”

Varta selected children ‘not afraid to share their opinions’ to be on the panel.

The Swindon girl’s mum and dad were grateful to the company for selecting her as a member of the panel, and that Shanzay had loved the experience.

The job of toy tester was something that Shanzay took seriously, her mum revealed: “Shanzay absolutely loved the testing part and I loved seeing her little self counting the sleeps each night.”