Archive
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Turning lives around
AS Chippenham-based Kandu Arts celebrates its first anniversary by winning national acclaim for its work with homeless people Jen Bishop spoke to Spice Girl Mel C and others backing the project A homelessness project, run by a Chippenham arts charity
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We can meet the challenge ahead
IN many ways 2001 has been a disastrous 12 months, just ask any farmer, but there is plenty to look forward to in 2002, and many challenges ahead for the county. The farming industry must believe that nothing worse lies ahead than the destructive forces
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Girl, 15, has bag snatched
A handbag containing £74 worth of items was snatched from a 15-year-old girl in Calne. The bag was discovered minutes later in the car park of The Pippin and £72 worth of its contents were still there. The incident happened at 3.40pm on December 18 when
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Topping time for festive WI
VICTORIAN-STYLE hats of all shapes and sizes brought a splash of colour to a Women's Institute gathering. Members of Pewsham WI organised a fancy hat competition and the group of creative women invited WI members from Hardenhuish, Monkton Park and Hungerdown
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More staff are taken on
WILTSHIRE Probation Service has appointed six new trainee probation officers this month, as part of a national recruitment drive. Over the last three years only two have been taken on each year and the increase is part of the Government strategy to reduce
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Cash hike for care homes
A FIVE per cent rise in cash to care homes in Wiltshire has been approved. In a report to Wiltshire County Council's cabinet, Annie Hudson, director of social services, welcomed the extra cash but said it did not resolve the problem of bed blocking. The
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Heroin addict is given four years for dealing
DRUG addict Stewart Donachie, who stepped into the shoes of heroin dealers when they were jailed after a massive undercover police operation, has been sent to prison. Donachie 31, built up a customer base of about 25 after about three months of selling
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Cherry Records Hellenic League
HIGHWORTH Town made it eight wins from their last nine matches when they beat Division One side Bisley Sports 4-0 in the second round of the Hellenic Supplementary Cup. Highworth never looked in any danger of being the victims of a cup upset, scoring
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Chippenham Sunday League
PLAYERS and referees from the Vanitec Computers sponsored Chippenham Sunday League had an unexpected pre-Christmas break as all but two of the planned 30 fixtures were postponed. With a number of games already lost to holidays and work commitments the
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Alert over first-time drug use
A £1.5 million Home Office campaign aimed at preventing youngsters from trying illegal and dangerous drugs at parties this New Year's Eve is being launched today. As millions of people gear up for the biggest night of the year on Monday, it is predicted
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Landlord is bound over
A PUB landlord has agreed to be bound over to keep the peace for the next six months after admitting to a confrontation with his former partner. Stephen Gurling, 39, licensee of the Dog and Gun at Netheravon, near Pewsey, had originally pleaded not guilty
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Dumped pets find a friend
THE first of the Christmas strays has arrived at Devizes Kats and Kits in Care, the animal sanctuary set up and run by veterinary nurse Lorraine Spencer. The shelter gets no grant aid and its running costs, amounting to several thousand pounds a year,
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Outcry over hospital scheme delay
CAMPAIGNERS have hit out at the delay in plans to replace Devizes Hospital. The proposals, which were announced in February, are for a multi-million pound health campus to replace Devizes Hospital and bring together staff from health and Social Services
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Promised review has been put back a year
PEOPLE have reacted with fury to news the review of changes to Devizes Market Place, will not take place until March 2003 12 months later than promised. When work started in March this year, Kennet District Council promised a review within a year. But
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Help hospital to celebrate
To celebrate 150 years of caring for sick children in 2002, Great Ormond Street Hospital is on the hunt for past patients, nurses and doctors. Were you a patient, or the parent of a patient who benefited from pioneering surgery? Or perhaps you remember
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Race to help out
As a supporter of Breast Cancer Care, I would like to encourage anyone with a place in the London Marathon 2002 to run and raise funds for Breast Cancer Care. Last year, Breast Cancer Care had their most successful London Marathon ever, raising over £78,000
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Royal visit delight
I have been asked by my members to express their joy at the visit to Malmesbury by the Queen and Prince Philip. It was a wonderful day, the weather was kind and the welcome given by the people of the town was genuinely warm. We would also congratulate
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Band thank you
Phoenix Brass would like to thank everyone, including the Gazette who has supported the band in any way throughout the past year. In particular, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the members of the Friends of Phoenix who have continued to work
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Plan is a blight
THE misguided aims of Wiltshire County Council and others to transfer the record office etc to the Devizes Wharf site is undoubtedly the major factor behind the cancellation of the whole Northgate/Wharfside development proposed by Heritage Commercial
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We must preserve our quality of life
What a year it has been for the people of Chippenham and North Wiltshire. Outstanding in all of our minds are the terrible events of September 11 although we are thankful for the success of military action in Afghanistan so far. I was pleased and proud
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Charity hands out a little Christmas cheer to needy
PEOPLE in need in Chippenham enjoyed a special treat at Christmas. The Borough Lands Charity, based in the Market Place, handed out Christmas food luxuries to families and pensioners in need. The charity first launched the Christmas hamper scheme three
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Lottery grant means new look for museum
CHIPPENHAM'S Museum and Heritage Centre has been awarded a £195,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The news means that ambitious plans for extra galleries and an education centre can be put into action. Phase II of the heritage centre project will
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£5m revamp for shops' precinct
THE shopping precinct in the centre of Corsham could be modernised as part of a £5 million plan. The proposal, which incorporates suspended glass canopies, stainless steel and Bath stone finishes, were revealed last week by developer Castlefield Land.
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Land deal to boost school
SHERSTON Parish Council has backed county council plans to sell land adjacent to the village school and give up to half the money back to the school for improvements. At a parish council meeting last week, councillors approved the plans, for land at Manor
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Shark sparks musical project
WHEN Yatton Keynell man Will Lawton and South African Peter van Pletzen had a close encounter with a shark, little did they know the meeting would lead to a whole new musical endeavour. The two men were surfing on Boxing Day 1997 in South Africa when
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Dyson's in favour
WILTSHIRE entrepreneur James Dyson said Britain should join the euro as soon as possible. Speaking from the company's vacuum cleaner factory in Tetbury Hill, Malmesbury, Mr Dyson said: "Immediate entry to the euro is vital. "France and Germany are going
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Town bucks euro trend
A SURVEY has shown that a fifth of independent retailers across the west will be accepting euros from next week. But in Chippenham, trade across the tills will stick to the pound as usual. The new currency is to be introduced in 12 of 15 European countries
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Skurray's Wiltshire League
DESPITE losing their top marksman Glenn Armstrong, who signed for Screwfix side Devizes Town in midweek, Wroughton still managed to score six goals at Marlborough, the home side replying twice. The victory kept the Swindon side in touch with leaders Shrewton
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Alert over first-time drug use
A £1.5 million Home Office campaign aimed at preventing youngsters from trying illegal and dangerous drugs at parties this New Year's Eve is being launched today. As millions of people gear up for the biggest night of the year on Monday, it is predicted
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School speed cuts ruled out
BLANKET speed restrictions will not be imposed outside schools in the county. Wiltshire county councillors Angie Barker and Terry Chivers had called for the introduction of a 20mph speed limit outside all schools in the county. But a report compiled for
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Council joins court fight
DEVIZES town councillors have added their voice to the chorus of disapproval at the planned closure of the town's magistrates' court. Coun Ray Taylor reminded councillors at last week's meeting of the town council that the Assize Courts in Northgate Street
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'Nutters' needed to hunt for dormice
THE Devizes-based Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is urging people to get out into the woods to join in the Great Nut Hunt, a nationwide effort to find out more about one of Europe's rarest animals the dormouse. Dormouse detectives are needed because the loss
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Warning over unsafe trees
More than 100 trees in a plantation near Devizes need work on them to make them safe, according to a tree specialist. Highworth-based tree specialist Neil Portlock was commissioned to undertake a survey of the trees in Leipzig Plantation on Roundway Hill
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Pupils'work gets blessing
THE new vicar of Woodborough, the Rev Vanda Rowe, dropped in at the village school to bless mosaics made by the 120 children. The mosaics have been put up at the school entrance. Mrs Rowe has moved from Marlborough, where she was curate, to join the Pewsey
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Where Are They Now?Helping you contact your long-lost friends and family
Robin Elms is interested in information on the Elms and Humpheris families of Kington St Michael. In 1882 George Elms and Caroline Humpheris married at the Kington Parish Church. They subsequently had at least one son Henry John Thomas Elms. The 1881
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Scope for more aid
May I take this opportunity to send season's greetings to all readers, and special thanks to all those people who supported Scope during this past year. As the New Year gets under way, Scope enters an exciting era in its development as it approaches its
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Schooling battle
How many children are out of school worldwide? Think of a number. One million? Ten? In fact, it's equivalent to two times the entire population of the UK. That's a total of 125 million children who are denied the joy and inspiration of reading. When I
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What is achieved?
NOW that the so-called modernisation of Devizes Market Place has been completed, regardless of the opposition to the project, what may I ask has it all achieved? It all looks nice and tidy no doubt, but the loss of 50 car parking places, at the very heart
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I'm not critical
Further to the article in the Gazette last week about my village shop, I would like to make the following points. Yes, the future of the shop is under review. However, the tone of the article implied that I was critical of the villagers. I would like
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Ensure changes are for the better
I am delighted to wish everyone in the Devizes constituency a very Happy Christmas and a successful New Year. 2002 will be a year of challenge for us all. In the wake of foot and mouth there is still a lot of rebuilding of our local economy to do. Not
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Disposal of all our waste is a burning issue
People have been asking Wiltshire Friends of the Earth groups why we don't support the principle of burning household waste to make energy so-called "energy from waste." Waste is such an important issue for all of us in Wiltshire and our views are increasingly
