MEMBERS of the public watched in horror as a van went up in flames. Just before 6pm on Monday, fire crews from Stratton were called to a van fire on the corner of Dores Road and Beechcroft Road in Upper Stratton. The fire, believed to have been caused
MAGISTRATES in the town have made a U-turn decision in identifying a troublesome youth who terrorised the Penhill and Abbey Meads community. During the court case, held yesterday at Swindon Magistrates’ Court, chair of the bench Jane Flew decided to
A NOVICE biker is riding more than 700 miles in just three days to raise thousands for charity. Jo Heaven, 48, of Kingshill, left Swindon yesterday morning on the second day of her journey to raise money for the Lights for Learning Gambia project
MONTHS of fundraising scored the weekend of a lifetime for Tony Dance with family, friends and his biggest idols. The 42-year-old, of Eldene, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and has been told by doctors that he has less than a year
THE man who died when his tractor collided with an articulated lorry on the A419 this weekend has been named by police as Bruce Howard Willis. The 44-year-old, of Cricklade, was travelling towards Cirencester in a tractor towing a trailer at around 8pm
WI-FI firm Digital City is set to scoop another slice of taxpayer cash, the Adver can reveal. The council-backed company has won grant funding for research and development work on the Swindon wi-fi network, along with another firm called aQovia
THIS year’s charity ball is taking place on May 14 at the Marriott Hotel. The popular charity ball continues to support projects in Swindon and through the generosity of those who have attended over the years, has helped to raise nearly £600,000
LYDIARD Park offers the perfect solution to entertain the children during half-term. Firstly, ‘Flights of Fancy’ is a new children’s trail round Lydiard House to seek out decorative textile birds that have been carefully placed among the museum displays
VOTERS in Wroughton will have a new polling station for council elections in May. At Thursday’s full council meeting, councillors voted unanimously for a new polling district for the Wroughton Ward to accommodate a new polling station so voting is more
ASPIRING models can snap up a photoshoot this weekend to help raise money for terminal cancer patient, Tami Brown. Studio portraits will be taken in town by Kris Talikowski on Saturday in exchange for at least a £25 donation to the 27-year-old who has
How far is a Swindon Central Library enquiry officer prepared to go to answer a question? Well I can tell you a very long way indeed - upstairs and beyond, in fact. I recently wrote a Remember When article quoting from an intriguing document
A DEDICATED group of volunteers from North Swindon have been awarded for their fundraising efforts. The North Swindon Fundraising Group for the PDSA won the title of ‘Fundraising Team of the Year’ in the veterinary charity’s annual Volunteer Awards having
A CAMPAIGN for cheaper rail fares for commuters is building up steam as many of the town’s top figures get on board. Kingshill resident Chris Watts started the petition, along with website Fair Fares 4 Swindon, after getting frustrated by high prices
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a number of incidents in Swindon over the weekend. Officers from Stratton fire station were called to a car which was alight on the road between Wanborough and Foxhill just after 7pm on Friday. Crews used a hosereel and
A QUIZ and raffle in aid of the local RSPCA will be held at The Saracen’s Head Hotel, in Highworth, on Sunday at 7.30pm. All proceeds will go to the RSPCA North Wiltshire Branch to support sick and injured animals in the area. Entry is £10 for a team
IT’S BILLED as ‘tailor-made’ for women and it’s fair to say The Naked Truth lives up to its name. This fun and poignant comedy packs a punch, touches hidden human stories and is a call to arms, a sort of rallying cry to women of all ages, shapes
FIREFIGHTERS dealt with a car which had been set alight in a suspected arson attack in Rodbourne early on Saturday morning. The vehicle was set on fire near the Rodbourne Arms, in Cheney Manor Road, and was well alight when crews from Swindon fire station
YOUNG library users are being asked for their views on the town’s library service as part of a national survey. Bookworms under the age of 16 will be asked to complete a questionnaire for the Children’s Public Library User Survey (PLUS) while visiting
YOUR correspondent Roger Harvey criticises the comments made in letters from Anne Pollard and myself as illustrating the cult of ‘somebody else must do it’ (SA, February 9, 2011). Mr Harvey is referring to letters in response to an article by Stephanie
I WOULD like to respond to a letter from James Barrington in Thursday’s Adver. Mr Barrington calls himself an ‘Animal Welfare Consultant’ but what is omitted is that he is the animal welfare consultant for the Countryside Alliance, a dubious organisation
RALLY mums Shelly Taunt and Julie Murphy are encouraging youngsters to try their hand at karting. The Highworth duo, who will return to action this weekend following a three-month break, have new sponsors in Swindon Karting F1 and are hoping
SWINDON Road Club’s cyclocross riders dominated at the Cirencester Off-Road Duathlon recently, with Dan Lewis securing victory in the senior men’s race. Competitors took on a two-mile cross-country run before completing a 10-mile mountain bike ride and
THE events and revelations at the recent Scrutiny Committee meeting were marked by a number of important statements. The first was the failure of Digital City UK to have achieved its sales revenue targets and network coverage as set out in
RE: Cycling on the pavement in Swindon. I recently had the need to write to Wiltshire Constabulary in respect of the above matter. I set out below the email communication concerned which is dated January 15, 2011. I am sure that you will find the contents
WANBOROUGH wheelchair tennis star Louise Hunt won the women's doubles at the Jura Indoors in Delemont, Switzerland. In her first tournament of the season on the 2011 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, the 19-year-old British number three paired up with Switzerland's
WHETHER it’s flooding, power outrages or cyber attacks, businesses in the UK today face a host of different threats to the data on which they rely. The effects of such disasters can be ruinous for small organisations in particular, so I was surprised
COASTAL Cobras have experienced mixed fortunes of late in Division One of the Indoor Cricket League. They recorded an impressive 51-run defeat of Wootton Bassett but then lost to Asians by three wickets, who also beat Swindon by 25 runs. Jag Chahal
IRISH eyes were smiling when little Aisling Venables was born to Irish mum Olwyn Menzies at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital. The tiny bundle of joy weighed in at 8lb 9oz and was delivered by Caesarean section at 12.17am on Tuesday, February 8. Olwyn
TRIBUTES have been paid to a devoted husband of 64 years who died at Great Western Hospital on Sunday, February 6. Eric John Webb, 88, who lived for 60 years of his life in the same house in Tiverton Road, Gorse Hill, was born at Milton Road Maternity
ORIGINALLY known as the Front Garden, Wichelstowe was given its name by developers. They said that Wichel was the original name for the area recorded in the Doomesday Book of 1086 and Stowe is an old English word meaning a meeting place. Planning permission
FAMILY and friends said a fond farewell to centenarian Beryl Bryant at Kingsdown Crematorium on Friday, February 11. Mrs Bryant passed away peacefully on January 23 at the Great Western Hospital. Mrs Bryant, of Meadowcroft, Upper Stratton, celebrated
A FIFTY-six hour labour for new mum Lynn Mayneord ended in happiness with the birth of baby James William, even though he was eight days late. He was born weighing 7lb 11oz at the Great Western Hospital at 7.14pm on January 26 to the delight – and relief
BROOME Manor is one of the most exclusive areas of Swindon and is so popular that many of its residents have lived there for decades. On the doorstep of Coate Water and Broome Manor Golf Complex, the private area boasts larger than average homes and
EDUCATION is at the heart of the community in Old Walcot. The residential area, made up of private housing, is within easy reach of the town centre and it benefits from a number of schools for all ages with Lainesmead Primary School, Holy Rood Junior
LIVING on the Lawn Estate is about being part of a community that has much to celebrate. Residents live in largely private housing close the Lawn Woods, a stone’s throw from bustling Old Town, with Coate Water near by. But the community benefits from
A BUSTLING market, eclectic collection of shops and some of Swindon’s most historic buildings make up Old Town. Visitors wandering through its streets will find a plethora of eateries, shops, hairdressers and professional businesses for all tastes and
The life of Swindon can be different every day,Famous for the Great Western Railway. For day time we’ve got,Designer Outlet, Oasis, Link and Shaw Ridge,But for the night life we’ve got,Liquid, Bushwackers, SUJU and don’t forget our Old Town,For something
On Friday 28th January 2011, Joel Garcia and Callum Blunt of The Ridgeway School and Sixth Form College held a quiz in aid of The Prospect Hospice, a local charity. The quiz was aimed at anyone of any age, and participants could enter in teams of up
New headmaster, Mr Mark Pearce, was given a warm welcome by the pupils of Prior Park Preparatory School, Cricklade when he joined the school at the start of term. Mr Pearce was formerly the deputy headmaster (academic) of St John’s Beaumont School in
We all were surprised to hear that Swindon’s much beloved Oasis leisure centre had fallen into a state of disarray and that Swindon Borough Council had plans for it to be replaced by something else. However, after the initial shock we all began to question
DISABILTY sport in Swindon as been given a boost with the introduction of new wheelchair basketball sessions, to be run by Swindon Council for the local community. Swindon Council’s Leisure Services Team will be running wheelchair basketball sessions
Abbey Meads A took another step toward the Division One title on Saturday with a close win over Pinehurst A. Abbey started well and settled into a controlled but fast pace with excellent centre court control from Rachel Nash and Beth Thompson. Having
A NEW golf tournament in aid of disadvantaged children is to be staged at Wrag Barn Golf and Country Club on April 28. The Urban 18 Charity Golf Tournament is an 18-hole shotgun start competition for teams of four players, and it is hoped that 30 teams
WE may be more than half way through the Football League season but for one local team, the path to Old Trafford is just about to begin. Westrop Primary School have fought their way through local play-offs to earn the right to represent Swindon in The
A POPULAR oral and facial surgeon who helped survivors of the Hungerford massacre among hundreds of other patients has died aged 64. John Fieldhouse, who led the expansion of the oral surgery department at the former Princess Margaret Hospital
OLDER people's charity WRVS would like to highlight the fantastic contribution that younger volunteers make to society and the role they play in helping to make Britain a great place to grow old. Student Volunteering Week 2011 takes place from
LIKE your recent correspondent, I too was unimpressed by the recent articles on Rodbourne Cheney. Lumping this area together with Rodbourne did no justice to either distinctly different community. In the case of my area, no reference was made to
PICKING UP the Adver (SA, February 15) I read the headline about the closure of the Swindon FC Study Centre. The main losers? Thousands of young children. The reason? Lack of funding. Turning the page I read about a young lady who had her car
British nationals caught up in a deadly earthquake that killed more than 65 people on New Zealand's South Island have spoken of the chaos and devastation following the crippling natural disaster. The powerful 6.3-magnitude quake struck around six miles
EXCUSE me if I seem a bit confused of late, but possibly having a long memory more than makes up for it, as I seem to recall the speech made by Margaret Thatcher to the Conservative Party conference on October 9, 1987 and I quote: “There is no
I WISH Steve Rosier all the luck in the world in suing Swindon Council for money he has spent on plans etc for the Locarno. This council is hopeless in making decisions, Mechanics’, Locarno, college - I could go on and on. Why can’t
ALTHOUGH Peter Smith (Feb 2) has largely failed to address my comments on the English Baccalaureate, let me respond to the points that he makes. The increase in the numbers going to university is of course the result of successive governments
THERE has been another death on Wilshire's roads. At around 7pm last night, a green Vauxhall Omega was involved in a fatal accident with a red Peugeot 207. A 64-year-old man died on his way to hospital. The accident happened on the A350 near East Knoyle
WOOTTON Bassett Town boss Dave Turner was hoping to have a new goalkeeper on board today ahead of this evening’s visit to Thame United in the Hellenic League Premier Division. Regular stopper Stewart Thompson limped off with a torn thigh muscle in Saturday
PENHILL Amateur Boxing Club’s super heavyweight Peter Richards was recently in action for the first time in a year. He travelled to Gwent in Wales were he took on the much taller Kristian Smith from host club Blaenau Gwent ABC. Richards
PATRICK McDonagh became the latest Walcot boxer to reach a national final when he came from behind to win his schoolboy semi in Surrey at the weekend. The 14-year-old encountered the tall Inda Basi from Gator ABC in London in a Class 2 (52kgs
ON A rain-affected weekend in the Swindon Sunday League, Division Four midtable side Deers Leap smashed 12 unanswered goals past rock-bottom Nationwide. Blaine Fitzgerald and Elric Furgeson both notched hat-tricks (3) while Richard Smith (2
SUPERMARINE joint caretaker boss Matt Robinson has revealed it may not be the “right time” for him to get into management. Current players Robinson and Gary Horgan took charge for Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Bashley following the resignation of Mark
SWINDON Spitfires became the first side to beat Salisbury City in the South West Women’s League Eastern Division 1 this season as they chalked up a 1-0 win. The only goal of the game came on 28 minutes, with Emma Skinner sending a free kick from outside
WILTSHIRE League Division One leaders FC Sanford made it 20 wins from as many games as they notched up a 5-2 victory at Swindon Nalgo. Terry Moore and Dan Hiscocks got the visitors off to a terrific start with a goal apiece in the opening 10
SWINDON Rangers racked up their 100th goal of the season as they saw off Stratton Youth 17-0 in Under Division One action at the weekend. Rangers’ goals came from Jack Lewis and Regan Lach with five apiece, a hat-trick from Gregor Thompson,
CHISELDON Reserves are still searching for their first win of the season in the Swindon & District League Premier Division after they went down 4-1 to high-flying DJC Marlborough. DJC powered into a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to an Anthony
