Archive
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Groups urged to plan for carnival
CARNIVAL enthusiasts are being encouraged to join next summer's massive festival event in Midsomer Norton. With the annual carnival event over for another year, the organising committee is already planning next year's Mardi Gras on July 14. Committee
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Orphan poverty shock
A BATH student was so moved by the plight of children she met when visiting a Romanian orphanage in July that she is determined to go back there to work as a volunteer. Rebecca Mitchell, 19, worked with the 350 poverty-stricken children at the Brosov
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Tourist spot isawarded
Prior Park Landscape Garden, in Bath, is celebrating success after being awarded the Our South West Award. The park is owned by The National Trust and has received the reward, from the South West Government Office and Sustainability South West, due to
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Nurse cadets course
A campaign to encourage 16 to 19-year-olds into nursing has been launched by health trusts in Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The nurse cadet scheme is being promoted locally by Bath's Royal United Hospital, Chippenham Community Hospital and the
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Family history search
AN Australian woman has launched an appeal to find the Bathonian family of her father. Keely Cotter wants information about her father's biological mother and the family he was born into in the Oldfield Park area. She said: "He has tried various avenues
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Furious rail users mind the gap
Rail users from Freshford and Limpley Stoke have blasted Railtrack after the company failed to mend a dangerous station platform. Railtrack's community relations representative John Wood was met with a barrage of complaints at a meeting hosted by West
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Bath's clean image
BATH is among the top 10 finalists in this year's Cleanest City Award, run by the British Cleaning Council. The city has been chosen from 30 entries, half the total number of cities in Britain to be shortlisted. The work of local pressure group Keep Bath
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New plea for shoppers to be vigilant
CHRISTMAS shoppers are being warned to be on their guard as police re-issued warnings about the possibility of a terrorist attack in Bath. The Avon and Somerset police began its Stay Vigilant Stay Safe campaign on November 21, as part of a crime prevention
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Camera care has vital role
Avon and Somerset Police have been advising local shops and offices to keep their CCTV systems in top condition during the Christmas period. Close-circuit cameras play a vital role in identifying criminals but the images can often be of poor quality if
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Spa plan go-ahead
Tourist bosses believe the Bath Spa Project which will bring the city's famous hot springs alive again will bring tourists flooding to the city in 2002. Tourism leaders who met in the city were given an outline of the Bath Spa Project, which is due to
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Angling diary
Thur Nov 30: Meeting for Team Elgin, Swindon at 8pm at the Oxford Hotel. Every Friday: Ivy House lake's Veterans Open 10am draw. £7 all in. Ring Barrie on 850048 or Jo on 01666 510368 to register. Sat Dec 2: Pewsey AC Open Draw 9am fish 10.30am to 3.30pm
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Dog appeal
Avon and Somerset police are appealling to the public to help them recruit force dogs. The force are seeking German Shepherds aged between 12 and 18 months. Contact PC Cannon on: (0117) 945 5473.
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News in brief
BATH and Bristol Tourist offices have issued their first joint brochure, entitled Bath, Bristol and Beyond, which is printed in four languages. The brochure includes ideas for touring the lakes and villages outside the cities and new tourist attractions
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Commuter chaos
Many Wiltshire roads were grid-locked today after a three-vehicle smash led to the part closure of the M4. The motorway was blocked between junction 14 and 15 in both directions after two heavy goods vehicles and a car were in collision. The accident
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Comfortable for Coleview
Coleview ran out convincing winners against Maidenhead after a whirlwind start. Rosie Spalding put the home side ahead in the first minute, but the visitors equalised within a minute. Coleview were stung into action and goals from Kayleigh Smith and Holly
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New plan to clear housing benefit delay
AN ACTION plan to clear Swindon's housing benefit backlog will be discussed by councillors on Thursday. More than 2,000 people faced delays with their payments in September because a computer system used to process applications was so old office staff
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Punch drunk again with prize
IT wasn't the most romantic of first meetings. Wendy Paddon was, to put it mildly, not feeling herself. The 19-year-old, not used to drinking spirits, had made the mistake of believing the punch at a Hallowe'en party thrown by a friend was just an innocent
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Fourteen phones taken in burglary
A SWINDON trader is offering a £250 reward after thieves made off with a haul of mobile phones. The burglary occurred at Prestige Communications in Corporation Street at 2.30am on Monday. Thieves got away with more than £2,000 of mobile phone gear. Now
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Roadworks making village life a misery
TRADERS say roadworks which have caused rush hour jams along Lyneham High Street are costing them money. But Wiltshire County Council says the work is essential and claims disruption has been minimised as much as possible. Steve Masi, manager of Lyneham
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Park and ride battle reaches next stage
TWO councils are set for a showdown next week as the planning inquiry into a controversial park and ride scheme goes ahead. And now Swindon Chamber of Commerce has entered the fray by supporting the development of a park and ride at Spittleborough Farm
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June drops by for an ab fab time
COMEDY star June Whitfield made her first-ever visit to Swindon to sign copies of her new book. June, 75, was in town to visit the headquarters of booksellers WH Smith, promoting her autobiography '...and June Whitfield.' She said: "This is the first
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Parent hits out at sex case sentence
CHILDREN'S entertainer David Payne has been jailed for 12 years for a string of sex offences on girls as young as four. But with good behaviour Payne may serve only half his sentence. The punishment was condemned by the parents of his victims and one
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Boo boys don't help us says King
SECTIONS of the County Ground crowd who are booing Town players have been told they are not helping the club's plight. Defender Mark Robinson and midfielder Bobby Howe were subjected to a chorus of displeasure from home supporters before and during Saturday's
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Robbo's told he must go
IAN WOAN has signed a deal that will keep him at the County Ground until the end of the season, but Aussie Mark Robertson has been told he can leave. Manager Andy King had mixed emotions yesterday after yet another busy day on the transfer roller-coaster
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Farmers blockade depot
Farmers blocked the entrance to the Iceland food depot near Mannington Roundabout in West Swindon Tuesday night in a protest against imported beef. More than 25 members of Farmers For Action took part in the demonstration which lasted two and a half hours
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Doctor remains suspended
Gynaecologist Peter Schlesinger says he wants to return to work at Princess Margaret Hospital after a statement by Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust saying that he has been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation. Having been acquitted of assaulting
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Steam is county's top family attraction
SWINDON'S troubled Museum of the Great Western Railway Steam has been named as Wiltshire Family Attraction of the Year 2001 by the Good Britain Guide 2001. The attraction, based on the site of the former Swindon railway works in Kemble Drive, is home
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Toys make all the difference
FAMILIES at the Swindon Women's Refuge are looking forward to a happy Christmas thanks in part to Evening Advertiser readers. They are one of a host of community charities set to benefit in the form of cash and toys from this year's Advertiser/Rotary
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Work to start on new central call centre
ALL three Wiltshire emergency services are set to merge in one call centre the first of its kind in the country. Ambulance, police, and fire services are set to have their call centres brought together on one site in Devizes. At the moment preparations
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Tony is sent off in style of jazz
WELL-KNOWN Swindonian Tony Hazell received a proper New Orleans send-off at his funeral last week. His funeral cortege was led to the crematorium by a jazz band, followed by friends on foot. Tony, who died at the age of 61 after suffering from heart problems
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What a cracking carnival!
By way of this letter I would like to say a public thank you to Sally Barker, the organiser-in-chief of this year's Swindon Christmas Carnival. Anyone who was able to get to the town centre to witness the street parade will know that this was an experience
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Looking for lost relatives
I AM looking for any descendants of Bertha and Humphrey Hayward who lived at 31 Exeter Street, Swindon in the 19th century. My grandfather who I never knew, called Albert Edward Hayward (b 1.1.1879), and his father worked at the former GWR works. My grandfather
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Home away from home for students
I AM hoping to find more friendly, hospitable people to join a local network of volunteer hosts offering invitations to international students. At present there are 37 of us in the Swindon area, each offering one or two invitations a year, to a variety
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Users with disabilities fear facility's future
The future of the Clapham Unit is uncertain and users, like myself, are very worried that this facility may close in the future. I am quadraplegic, confined to a wheelchair. I get enormous benefit from the unit, because along with the activities I do
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When 12 years is not enough
A JAIL sentence of 12 years sounds like long time. In fact children's entertainer David Payne, who raped a girl and indecently assaulted two others, will almost certainly be out sooner than that. And the fact that after his release his name is likely
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Response to mugging is just spot on
PEOPLE in Swindon are showing yet again that they have warm hearts and an impressively generous spirit. But their response to the mugging of a vulnerable 81-year-old who had just collected her own and a neighbour's pension from the Victoria Road Post
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Survival
ANDY KING has warned his beleaguered players they face a battle for Division Two survival. He believes promotion is nothing but a distant midsummer's dream and with all the hype and promise of pre-season now gone, the club must face the brutal reality
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Home buyers get added incentive
Home buyers had an extra incentive to reserve a new home at the weekend. Newland Homes offered £2,500 worth of carpets and £500 towards the cost of legal fees to anyone reserving a plot on Saturday on their Britannia Court development, in High Street,
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Debt danger at Christmas
THE DANGERS of debt and Christmas borrowing are being spelled out to Bath residents as the festive season approaches. The North East Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau has joined up with the Office of Fair Trading to try to warn people about the hazards
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Work to start on new central call centre
ALL three Wiltshire emergency services are set to merge in one call centre the first of its kind in the country. Ambulance, police, and fire services are set to have their call centres brought together on one site in Devizes. At the moment preparations
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Screen sites used
WITH the South West becoming one of Britain's hottest spots for film locations, South West Tourism has teamed up with the South West Film Commission to develop a new campaign called Screen Sites. The scheme is aimed at attracting more visitors to the
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Steam is county's top family attraction
WILTSHIRE'S troubled Museum of the Great Western Railway Steam has been named as Wiltshire Family Attraction of the Year 2001 by the Good Britain Guide 2001. The attraction, based on the site of the former Swindon railway works in Kemble Drive, is home
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Four-goal Tracy too hot for Reading
SWINDON Town Ladies scored an easy 6-1 victory over local rivals Reading as Tracy Peacock hit four in a South West Combination League fixture. Town took the lead in only the sixth minute, Leanne Taylor cutting in before knocking it on to Tracy Peacock
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Perry back
England have made two changes to their starting line-up for Saturday's clash against South Africa at Twickenham. Bath full-back Matt Perry and Wasps hooker Phil Greening are recalled to the side after missing last weekend's 19-0 triumph over Argentina
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Kosovan tells court how his face was covered in blood
A KOSOVAN scarred by a knife attack has told how his face was covered with blood during a clash with a rival Kosovan group in Swindon town centre. On Tuesday, Afrim Sulay, 23, showed the Swindon Crown Court jury the scar across the bridge of his nose
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Cash floods in for victim of violence
THE plight of an 81-year-old Old Town mugging victim has sparked a fantastic show of generosity. Shopkeepers were appalled after hearing about the attack on the lady, named only as Daisy, who was punched to the floor and robbed of £500 on November 16.
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Survival
ANDY KING has warned his beleaguered players they face a battle for Division Two survival. He believes promotion is nothing but a distant midsummer's dream and with all the hype and promise of pre-season now gone, the club must face the brutal reality
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Canal chance for Daiwa
TEAM Daiwa, after a poor start on the rivers, chalked up a runners-up spot on the canal on Sunday in the penultimate round of the Thames Division of the Angling Times League. With the final match this Sunday also on the canal, they are pushing Devizes
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The re-creation
FOR more than 40 years Reverend Peter Stone kept secret his wish to become a woman. From the age of four he would pray to God to ask for a new body, never dreaming that one day his wish would come true. But now, less than three months after a painful
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Rabbits join the pet care campaign for Christmas
PLACARD toting rabbits are reminding Swindon people that pets should not be viewed as last minute Christmas presents. Members of Swindon Animal Concern are backing national group Animal Aid's campaign with a costume demo at Petworld, Greenbridge, at noon
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Safety test goes ahead
CARRIAGES salvaged from the Paddington rail disaster were used in a safety exercises to simulate an evacuation from a fire on board a high-speed train. More than 100 people took part in the simulation on Tuesday, which was organised by train operators
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Intel team helps 600 climbers into book of records
A team of high flyers from Swindon have helped set a new world record for mountain climbing. Earlier this year the four, who work for Intel Online Services, took part in the largest ever simultaneous mountain climb which involved 600 people the largest
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Steam is county's top family attraction
WILTSHIRE'S troubled Museum of the Great Western Railway Steam has been named as Wiltshire Family Attraction of the Year 2001 by the Good Britain Guide 2001. The attraction, based on the site of the former Swindon railway works in Kemble Drive, is home
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Pokemon and baked beans highlight children's lives
SWINDON schools have captured a day in time for future generations. Four primary schools have each prepared a time capsule to be buried in the landscaped roof gardens of Swindon's prestigious new Plaza 21 development in Sanford Street next spring The
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Work to start on new central call centre
ALL three Wiltshire emergency services are set to merge in one call centre the first of its kind in the country. Ambulance, police, and fire services are set to have their call centres brought together on one site in Devizes. At the moment preparations
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Thanks to everyone for their support
I WOULD be most grateful if you would allow me to use your letters page to thank all the people who were so supportive last week through my legal difficulties with my former employer Swindon Borough Council. Everyone at Lethbridge Primary School, parents
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Wasting time over spilt beer
I think that it is ridiculous for Wiltshire police to have two cars and officers guarding the spilt beer after a lorry hit the Wootton Bassett railway bridge. It was all right for them to be on site during the two hour period when the road was obstructed
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Winter fun playing on the buses
FURTHER to Malcolm Sturges letter "building up for the main event," how disappointing it must be for the folk of Wootton Bassett to only get the odd chance to play the Stagecoach Game. We are on the Number 8 route from Freshbrook Swindon have the opportunity
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King James
BOTH sides struggled to cope with the monsoon-like conditions. The referee deliberated long and hard before finally allowing the match to take place. The conditions at the Nationwide sports ground were never going to allow any constructive rugby and the
