LIGHTNING struck a boxing gym where Commonwealth Games gold medal holder Jamie Cox was training. The strike, which also hit surrounding buildings, occurred at 3.08pm yesterday, downing phone lines, setting off alarms and short-circuiting computers and
I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. I’m not watching big brother. Ok, I am
I hold a surgery at the Walcot Dome every Friday 11.00am till 1.00pm. The Dome is a very busy centre with lots going on, they have a Bambi Club every Wednesday for mother and toddlers, Luncheon Club every tuesday for the senior citizens, Karate lessons
A SWINDON care worker who stabbed his pensioner friend to death has been told he will have to serve at least 14 years behind bars. Robert Marshall stabbed 66-year-old Keith Clarke 18 times with two knives, in the back, abdomen and chest, in September
A WOMAN who fell off the Croft Road M4 bridge remains in a critical condition. The 69-year-old, from Swindon, has been identified by police but her family have requested that her identity is not revealed for the time being. Police say she is currently
CUMBERWELL Park professional Steve Surry played himself into contention for a place in The Open Championship after carding a one-under-par round of 71 at Local Final Qualifying. The 2008 Jamega Tour Order of Merit leader was tied ninth at the halfway
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has announced a three-year £1.9bn funding programme - saving 150 jobs in Swindon and securing the future of Joddrell Bank. The STFC has its HQ in Swindon and the money will be distributed from the
SPEEDING hotspots in North Wiltshire will soon be targeted with mobile signs. North Wiltshire District Council has spent more than £6,000 on two electronic signs designed to get drivers to slow down. The speed-activated signs were bought by the council
CHILDREN at Liden Pre-school put on their karate suits and boxing gloves to raise money for Prospect Hospice. Ashley Eaglestone, from Swindon Martial Arts Alliance, invited youngsters to take part in karate, tae-kwon do and other martial arts last week
WOOTTON Bassett-based Brunel FM has been sold to Laser Broadcasting. Laser owns half a dozen stations up and down the country and has its headquarters in Darlington. As well as buying Brunel the company has taken over Bath FM and 3tr fm Warminster.
ANNE Snelgrove states that the UK must make a bigger cut in CO2 emissions than the 60 per cent commitment as contained in the Climate Change Bill. She suggests that an 80 per cent reduction is a more meaningful target if we are to limit the alleged global
Thousands of messages from people in the South West will flutter on bamboo trees in Japan this week. These wishes' will be tied to trees in accordance with a Japanese tradition, to remind the G8, who meet in Japan from July 7 to 9, of their promises on
A SPECIAL service was held on June 28 at the Armed Forces Memorial at Alrewas, Staffordshire. The event commemorated the names, carved on the memorial, of the 102 British troops who died while on duty for our country in 2007. I remember, with pride,
My son came home from school today with a letter informing me that his trip to Sevington Victorian School, arranged for Friday had regrettably been cancelled. The reason for this? A big majority of parents were unwilling to pay for the trip and the school
David's Story DAVID Harvey was Swindon's first NHS baby. Mum Violet had gone into the Kingshill Maternity Hospital at 11.30pm on July 4 and had already paid a non-refundable 10 shillings deposit for the birth. David was not Violet's first baby. Two
I READ in disbelief your feature regarding council leader Roderick Bluh. He is obviously under a great deal of pressure with regard to the number of buildings that have been demolished within the town centre and appear to be going nowhere. He appears
SAD but official. We now have the least popular Labour government ever. Only 17 per cent of people now approve of the Brown government's record, while 70 per cent disapprove (source: poll of polls for The Independent newspaper). Are we sleepwalking towards
IF the Adver has got it right and not misquoted Mr Hanks on his comments about Swindon cemeteries being the circus of bad taste' then I find them offensive, upsetting and judgmental. On July 24, 2002, I lost my beautiful and only daughter, Abby, to a
AS Shirley Mathias is no longer with the Swindon Advertiser, I am writing on behalf of everyone who has appreciated her journalistic prowess through the past four decades; to express our profound gratitude. Shirley's forthright approach to the uncomfortable
OVER 100,000 patients die each year through hospital acquired infections and medical mistakes. This means that one per cent of all patients in hospitals will die from a death that is avoidable. Patient safety has been sacrificed in the headlong rush
NEARLY a year on from the floods that left hundreds of people across the town homeless, Swindon residents are worried the same could happen again. Heavy rain has been falling on the town since the weekend and reports from the Met Office say that the
TWO hours after a gang of yobs started throwing stones at his windows, Sydney Davis got so fed up he chased them away with a lump of wood. At that precise moment the police arrived outside his home in Magnolia Court, Pinehurst West, and arrested him.
MUCH has been made of Apprentice winner Lee McQueen lying on his CV (SA, Don't copy TV Apprentice, p45, July 3). He claimed two years at university but this turned out to be four months. However, I can see a grey area. Technically if one was at university
LAZING last week on my lounger next to our honeysuckle tree cream and orangy flowers lovely scent, out of the corner of my eye I noticed something move and it was a chaser dragonfly. It was gorgeous and was intent on perhaps suckling honeydew from the
I CANNOT afford to travel by train. The fares are exorbitant and apart from the cost, there are always reports of overcrowding, the odd strike, poor time-keeping, the trains arriving late and last minute cancellations, with weekend trains erratic due
I have lived with cancer for six months. It was in my bowel, before a surgeon took it out soon after my diagnosis but, by then, I already had secondary cancer in my liver. With chemotherapy, I hope to outlive the 18 month prognosis my consultant gave
MOST of us agree with Bill Williams (Plea for building site workers, SA July 4) that the building trades don't deserve the lay-offs they are now suffering, but many of us could see it coming. It was always the case that the housing feeding frenzy, fuelled
I WOULD like to register my disgust regarding South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove's vote on MP's expenses. Times are tight, the credit crunch is starting to hurt and people are suffering. Given this, Ms Snelgrove should consider her constituents' feelings
MY reaction on the comments of Ian Hanks, Manager of A E Smith Funeral Directors, was one of horror. What gives him the right to declare that graves with all the statues on etc, are in his words tat' and a circus for bad taste. There are mementoes of
Much has passed in the eight years since Leila was last here. Keyboard player and live mixer for Bjork back in the 1990s', she released two albums at the tail end of that decade which surfed across the more delicate areas of the electronica and dance
WE all hear stories about the failings of the NHS and the things that have gone wrong. But here at the Adver, we also receive a lot of letters and emails praising doctors, nurses and other staff both at the Great Western Hospital and GP practices across
TRAFFIC is queueing on the M4 eastbound between J15, A419 (Swindon East), and J14, A338 (Hungerford), due to an accident involving a caravan. Two lanes are closed following the accident, which involved two vehicles.
A WORLD famous magazine has said a big Hello! to Miss Swindon. Rebecca Cole, 23, is now fully prepared for the final of Miss England after being part of a recent photoshoot with fellow finalists. The blonde from Stratton is pictured wearing a white
WORKERS have begun the transformation of Swindon's old Railway Museum into a centre for the young people of the town. The Grade II listed building on Faringdon Road is being converted into a cafe, radio station and youth centre. Organisers say the venue
I WOULD like to make a special appeal to running enthusiasts, who would like to take part in the Great South Run, a 10 mile run from Southsea to Portsmouth on Sunday, October 26. The Children's Trust has a few guaranteed places left to fill but the deadline
"Absolutely brilliant'' was how Covingham teenager Jasmine Brett described her first experience at the Barbury trials, writes JANET PERRINS. At only 14 years of age, Brett put in a creditable performance against seasoned professionals on her pony Summerhouse
A SWINDON woman who turned one hundred at the weekend received a special letter from American president George W. Bush. Frances Bartlett, who lived in Orange County, California, for more than a decade, celebrated her milestone birthday with friends and
FAIRFORD Town have agreed a strategic alliance' with Cirencester & District League side Real Fairford which will see players available to compete for both clubs next season. The agreement is intended to provide a conduit for local talent to progress
ALUN Rossiter is backing a dejected Mads Korneliussen to put the disappointment of Grand Prix Qualifying firmly behind him when he slips into Swindon leathers for the visit of Belle Vue Aces on Thursday. Korneliussen was off the pace at Saturday's semi-final
A BIKER who refused to take a police breathalyser test after a fatal crash has been found guilty of causing death by careless driving. Christopher Coe would not allow officers to take a sample for testing after he crashed into pedestrian Richard Flynn
DAVID Howell has pledged to continue his "scrap" for world ranking points after battling through the wind and rain to secure a surprise top 20 finish at the European Open. The Swindon ace shot up the leaderboard from 43rd to tied 18th with a final round
SIX-year-old Molly Strong wanted to help her mum who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last year. So she decided she would bake cakes and make fudge and sell them at her home in Grovelands Avenue, Old Town. The Lethbridge Primary School pupil raised
TO THE family historian who has found a skeleton in the cupboard, or a shady character from the past, spare a thought for Canon St John. When Sir Henry St John, the 5th Viscount Bolingbroke died in 1899, Canon St John was first in line to inherit three
Hold hands in forbidden love,As two doves, who fly through seas of red,So at last we can stay together,Without anyone standing in our way,I seem like your dark secret,Pushing me broken into thousands of pieces,Lust drives my eyes, and drives my sensesAnd
POLICE officers who rescued 50 people from last July's floods have been honoured for their dedication. Residents and motorists were stranded in South Marston when the floodwaters rose on July 20, but thanks to the work of 12 Swindon officers they were
HUNDREDS of people lined the streets to watch the annual Wroughton Carnival as the rain lashed down. The procession along the High Street featured many floats that were exciting for young onlookers. It included Doctor Who-themed Perry's Lot, the Bee
