Archive
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We all wish the reservists well
A CONTINGENT of 37 reservists from Swindon were among more than 100 on their way to the Gulf this morning. There are those in the town who say such developments are wrong, and there are others who say war is the only way to rid the world of a murderous
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Youngsters shouldn't all be blamed
TRADERS in Walcot must have good reason to shut up shop early. But whether the blame for the dip in trade they have been experiencing can be placed entirely at the feet of young people who congregate in Sussex Square is not clear. Certainly there seems
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Baroque music feast salutes composer
BATH Baroque will be presenting a feast of music by Handel at a concert in Bath on February 15. The programme will accompany the composer on his journeys in Germany, Italy and Somerset, giving an account of his noble struggle with the treacherous Italian
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Small firms ride to help cancer charity
The Federation of Small Businesses is cycling for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Rupert Cox, regional organiser for the Federation of Small Businesses' Somerset and Wiltshire region, together with Paul Goffe from its Bristol and Gloucestershire offices are
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Tips on lessening insurance blow
Time is running out for Swindon companies preparing for the increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs). According to South West accountants and business advisers PKF, if you don't act now, you could be hit with a much bigger tax bill from April
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War planes arrive as protesters keep watch
FOURTEEN American B-52 bombers, which will be used in any war against Iraq, were in place at RAF Fairford today. The B-52s belong to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and more could be sent if a bombing campaign gets underway.
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Wheeler's first-half goal eases Town relegation fears
SWINDON Town Ladies picked up three valuable points when they entertained Reading in a South West Combination League fixture and won 1-0. The visitors came close to taking an early lead when Vikki Smith crossed from the left but Denise Daniel's shot was
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Lions find route barred
JB's Lions slipped down a place to fourth following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bar OC. Lions grabbed the lead, but Bar hit back through Tom Evans fired home. Tom Paget's run and shot late on sealed the points. Devizes Snooker Club moved up to third
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Welcome back, Jack
JACK Heard made a spectacular return to action for North Bradley, bagging a hat-trick in his side's 5-0 demolition of Old Lane United in Division Two of the Vanitec-sponsored Chippenham & District Sunday League. Playing his first match for the club
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Blow for League as Two Clubs Quit
THIS week's programme was marred by the resignation of two member clubs who have struggled to raise teams all season. A lack of players has forced Ashton Keynes under 14s and Blunsdon under 15s to fold, and their results for the season have been deleted
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In the grip of abuse
DOMESTIC violence is costing Swindon more than £10 million a year more than half of which is being borne by the town's employers. This is according to a report entitled The Cost of Domestic Violence, compiled by Jenni Manners of the Swindon Women's Refuge
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Spending a penny for the tax office
MOST people would be over the moon if they received a tax bill for one penny. That is exactly what happened to Robert Grant, and at first he laughed out loud. But then he realised he would have to spend more on the stamp than what he owed the Inland Revenue
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Doctor admits failing to visit baby who died hours later
A DOCTOR who provided care in Swindon has been found guilty of failing to fully investigate the condition of a sick baby, who died hours later. Doctor Paul Dryden is currently working as a locum in the town and in 2000 he provided out of hours care. The
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'Youths make this area a no-go zone'
TRADERS in Walcot are shutting up shop early because their customers have become too frightened to buy groceries. The shops say Sussex Square has become a no-go zone for many elderly shoppers who are intimidated by youths using the arcade as an area to
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Marine are improved, but beaten
SUPERMARINE Under 11s travelled to Wallingford to take on the hosts and fellow visitors Abingdon in a three-way event. Wallingford and Abingdon opened up with the hosts winning 14-5, before Marine tackled the home club in game two. The first half ended
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Goodbye, son, and good luck
Reservist Andrew Hyde today flies to the Gulf, where war looms ever closer. And as they bid him farewell, his parents are calling for the country to get behind our service men and women RESERVISTS from Swindon were today flying to the Gulf as preparations
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Wright on form for Swindon side
Swindon Under 14s bounced back from the previous week's defeat to Wootton Bassett with a 67-5 victory at Grove. Winger Jason Wright opened the scoring with a try after three minutes and No 8 Nick Honeyman-Brown added a second try four minutes later. Wright
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Bispin score wins it
Chippenham's mini sections faced teams from Trowbridge and Marlborough at Allington Field. The under 11s opened up against Trowbridge, who strengthened their squad with a number of under 12s. But despite some excellent rugby, neither side was able to
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Unhappy champions
Chippenham Under 18s have been crowned champions of the Dorset & Wilts Under 18 Merit Table but there were few celebrations at Allington Field at the weekend. The team were due to play Bournemouth on Sunday where a win would have meant that they remained
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Supermarine crowned
ALL-CONQUERING Supermarine Ladies are setting their sights on joining the English elite after being crowned league champions. The South Marston side's 48-17 home victory over Worcester 2nd made it 11 wins out of 11 in Midlands One. And the good news continued
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Stratton's colours are lowered by 147.
LOWER Stratton were the latest club to succumb to the goal power of 147 Club, who maintained their 100 per cent record in the Premier Division with a 7-2 victory. Dean Parsons led the way with five goals and Paul Childs hit a 30-yard screamer for his
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Dynamo dimmed as Plough win at last
IT was a red letter day for Division Two side Highworth Plough as they gained their first points of the season. The bottom-of-the-table team romped to a fine 2-0 home win over Dynamo Ashton, thanks to goals from Chris Wardroper and Robert Groves. Despite
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Eastville lads are on to a shaw thing!
EASTVILLE Boys closed in on the under 16 title after extending their unbeaten run at Highworth. Brunel Boys went goal crazy in the under 14 section and Wootton Bassett's under 12s staged a remarkable recovery at Ballards Ash. under 11 Fairford continue
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Bassett him 'em for six on their return
Wootton Bassett's Under 14s returned to Oxfordshire League action after the winter break and defeated Haywood United 6-0. In a lacklustre first half, Bassett had difficulty rediscovering their form. But after 15 minutes, Megan Brakes scored an individual
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Chemist's fight against supermarkets
CHEMIST Cathy Jones has launched a campaign against government plans to allow supermarkets to supply prescription drugs. She says the recommendations from the Office of Fair Trading will threaten smaller chemists which will mean a less individual service
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Taking the lead . . . dogs strut their stuff at the Oasis
Hundreds of dog lovers watched man's best friends strut their stuff at a dog show at the Oasis. Organised by the Swindon and District Canine Society, the show saw dog owners from across the area arrive at the leisure centre to show off their canine friends
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World Cup drinking spree led to a fight
A MAN who went on a day-long pub crawl after England were knocked out of the World Cup claims to have been stabbed in a scuffle. Kaz Knight told Swindon Crown Court yesterday that following the ill-fated clash with Brazil last June 21 he drank about nine
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Staff pull out stops for Red Nose Day
STAFF at a Swindon eaterie will give up food, shave their heads and wash cars to raise money for Comic Relief. The Running Horse Beefeater in Wootton Bassett Road is participating in the company's drive to raise £200,000 for Red Nose Day on Friday, March
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Days are numbered for the ruddy duck
TIME is running out for a breed of ducks who have set up home on lakes near Swindon. Some of the wildfowl known as ruddy ducks tend to fly to Spain for the winter and then stay on for the spring mating season. And they are mating with the local rare species
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Grapple your way to the top
THE ACTION-packed world of professional wrestling has body slammed its way into Swindon. And wrestler Rampage, real name Martyn Pearce, says he can train a youngster to be the next Hulk Hogan or British Bulldog. The pro from Gorse Hill, who wrestles with
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Get tickets for ball before they run out
TICKETS are still available for the mayor and mayoress of Wootton Bassett's charity ball. The ball, on Saturday, April 5, will raise funds for Burton Hill House School, which caters for children with special educational needs. The mayor and mayoress,
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Rise is positive
PERHAPS I am one of the few to welcome the 15 per cent council tax rise. Although it hurts to pay it, the next time I walk through the numerous parks (Lydiard, Queens Park), visit the cemetery, see the rubbish collectors when I put my rubbish bag out,
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Lights needed
I WOULD like to add my comments to those regarding the road 'improvements' around Swindon. If any roundabout needs lights it is the Greenbridge one. I'm amazed there haven't been more accidents there. All the speed bumps installed for traffic calming
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Excuse is not acceptable
GARY Sloman (EA Feb 27) draws attention to the fact that five councillors were absent from the vitally important council meeting (Feb 29) which resulted in an extortionate increase in council tax for the coming year. Conservative councillors representing
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Welcome to a healthier mode of transport
I FEEL that I must comment on the article in Thursday's (Feb 27) Adver headed 'Free Wheeling'. I must say that I was pleased to read that our very own Mayor Stan Pajak gets on his bike every day to travel to and from work. Stan's a man after of my own
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Could you live in a windmill?
HAVING recently read in your paper about the electricity generating windmills that farmer Adam Twine wishes to erect on the old airfield at Watchfield, and the opposition of local residents and environmentalists to this, I had an idea that instead of
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Trio in ko fear
ANDY KING was sweating on the fitness of three key players this morning as his troops trained ahead of Cheltenham Town's visit to the County Ground tomorrow. New boy Jon Beswetherick, Matty Hewlett and Danny Invincible were all in the treatment room yesterday
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Westlecot Miss Out
WESTLECOT won the local derby featuring Swindon's two indoor bowls clubs, but just missed out on winning the East Region of the Wessex League by a single point. They defeated Thamesdown 89-75 for a 14 points to two victory. Westlecot took the honours
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Chippenham get a new wide boy
TOMMY SAUNDERS has bolstered his Chippenham Town squad ahead of tonight's crucial Dr Martens Cup semi-final at Halesowen. Former Bath City winger Scott Walker has joined from Newport County until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move.
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Chippenham celebrate cup successat the double
THE Chippenham Town Ladies club were celebrating at the weekend after two of their teams went through to their respective cup finals. After three weeks without a game, Chippenham travelled to Keynsham for their league cup semi final. The Chippenham squad
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Title favourites' bandwagon is halted by Lambourn goal feast
Division One title contenders East Hendred suffered their biggest defeat of the season as they went down 7-4 at Lambourn Sports, with Paul Davis hitting four for the home side. Adrian Mooney, Derek Hillier and Mike McInally scored the other goals. In
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Croft keep on the heels of cricklade
Top-of-the-table Cricklade were beaten 4-2 by closest rivals Croft in an under 17/under 18 game littered with own goals. Croft went ahead through Stephen Palmer only for Cricklade to level from a free-kick. Cricklade then took the lead when a Croft player
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Free at last after 21 years of beatings
For 21 years Jane (not her real name) endured beating after beating at the hands of her husband. He beat her when she was pregnant, he beat her when his dinner was not ready and he beat her when it was ready too early. He even beat her when she bought
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Spillane double is enough
FLY-HALF Jon Spillane scored twice as Wootton Bassett 2nd downed their Frome counterparts 15-3 at Stoneover Lane. Bassett opened the scoring after 15 minutes when superbly won ruck ball was spun wide through the backs to set winger Sean Dunham clear for
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Boys attacked and robbed by older teenagers
POLICE are seeking witnesses to two robberies in West Swindon which they believe were committed by the same gang. The first happened at about 1.40pm on Sunday when two 14-year-olds walking from the West Swindon Centre to Shaw Ridge Leisure Park were approached
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Seconds best as Minety bury foes
An inspirational performance and a brace of tries from pack leader James Hazel helped Minety 2nd thump neighbours Malmesbury 38-0. Six tries to nil told the story as Minety picked up the pace after a first half in which Malmesbury had held out well. For
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Bassett run riot at home
WOOTTON Bassett Minis played host to Bracknell at Stoneover Lane, the under 11s enjoying a thumping 49-7 triumph. The under 12s continued to make progress, despite losing by five tries to two against well-drilled opponents. More players for both the under
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War planes arrive as protesters keep watch
FOURTEEN American B-52 bombers, which will be used in any war against Iraq, were in place at RAF Fairford today. The B-52s belong to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and more could be sent if a bombing campaign gets underway.
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Snap up the chance to become a top coach
Fancy your chance as a football coach at a higher level? Well, now is your chance to do something about it as the Wiltshire County Football Association, in conjunction with New College of Swindon, invites applications from all FA Certificate holders who
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BSB win thriller
In a close-fought game, with both teams missing chances, BSB United defeated Brookes Baggies 4-3. Baggies, still looking for ther first victory of the season, pushed BSB all the way with goals from Mark Willis, George Smith and Gary Roberts. BSB, now
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It's the best fun to be had in Town
SWINDON Town's Football in the Community Office have been celebrating another successful soccer fun week. Nearly 200 children descended on St Joseph's School for the customary half-term event. Boys and girls were given coaching by community officers Jon
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Baize closing on Umbro Cup
GREEN BAIZE are closing in on the Umbro Veterans Cup after another fine win at the weekend. Tony Bedwell's team of ageing all stars beat their Corinthian Casuals counterparts 4-3 in an over 35s contest. Former Swindon stars Paul Bodin and Martin Ling
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Claire fires Town girls to the final
SWINDON Town Under 14s are through to the final of the Surrey Primary League Cup after a 4-1 victory over Aldershot Girls. It was sweet revenge for the Town girls, who had been on the receiving end of a 4-0 thrashing from the Shots earlier in the season
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Chef cooks up bid to win footie contest
FOOTBALL fan Phil Blundell has created a pancake in the shape of the FA Cup. A loyal Arsenal fan, Phil, 33, from Woodhall Park in North Swindon, works as the Chef de Partie at the Nationwide Building Society's headquarters. He struck on the idea for Shrove
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'These traffic lights must go and fast'
TRADERS in Gorse Hill are launching a petition against new traffic lights, which they believe are driving customers away. Maggie Mays, who runs As Big As You Like lingerie store, is spearheading the campaign, to which scores of shopkeepers have pledged
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Donating cash in aid of cancer victims
A HYPNOTHERAPIST is to donate a quarter of the proceeds of stop smoking sessions to the Prospect Hospice. Andrew Hill, of AH Associates, is donating the cash from payments from people who attend sessions during the week of March 10 to March 14. His aim
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House of the Lord to meet its maker
DEMOLITION work on a 19th-century church in Rodbourne has begun. Rodbourne Methodist Church is being flattened to make way for a multi-purpose centre which will act as a place of worship and a venue for community groups. It was designed to accommodate
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Swindon boys and girls clean up at chess tournament
WINNERS from the Wiltshire Junior Open Chess Championships included a host of children from the Swindon area. A record 300 youngsters from around the country took part in the 17th tournament of its kind, held at Greendown Community School. Holly Carter
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It's back to the future in state-of-the-art radiology department
THE Great Western Hospital's radiology department was visited by South Swindon MP Julia Drown, who was keen to see improvements to the department since it moved to the new hospital from Princess Margaret Hospital. Director of the department Dr Alf Troughton
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Wards still closed to fight the virus
WARDS at the Great Western Hospital were today still under strict isolation in a bid to stop a diarrhoea virus from spreading. The virus, which is similar to the notorious Norwalk virus, was brought into the hospital from the community around two weeks
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Talk to feature Atlantic class
A TALK about the Atlantic class of steam locomotive will be given at Steam museum in Churchward on Saturday, April 5. Expert Roger Hennessy has been invited by the Stephenson Locomotive Society to share his knowledge in a talk beginning at 2pm. The society
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Conference gives united voice to those with disabilities
THE Swindon Coalition of Disabled People is holding a disability discrimination conference on March 12. Aimed at giving the thousands of people with disabilities in Swindon a united voice against discrimination, delegates will be able to hear from nationally
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New timepiece does not fix the old ones
A CONSERVATION campaigner is ticked off that while Swindon has a new clock, little effort has been made to look after some of the town's existing timepieces. Martha Parry, better known for her involvement with the Mechanics' Trust, is calling for greater
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Children of God
Blair's and Bush's parentage is in question: "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." St Matthew, Chapter 5 Verse 9. Brian V Cockbill Hadrians Close Swindon
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How are you helping town?
OVER the past year and in particular the past few weeks I have read, with interest, the letters page of your newspaper. It is rare that I write a reply. On this occasion my name has been mentioned in a letter and I have no alternative but to rebut the
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Lib Dems were all present for vote
Frank Avenell states (letters 26 Feb) that Liberal Democrats gave 'encouragement and assistance' to the Labour budget in the Council. This is incorrect. Did he not hear me propose an amendment for a lower council tax and later speak against Labour's 15
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It is depressing
I FIND it depressing that in these times of impending planetary crisis rapidly diminishing natural resources, the global environment in a very fragile state and yet another devastating war about to start over oil that there are people out there campaigning
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Skipper set for Wales thumbs-up
Wales are hopeful their captain Jonathan Humphreys will be fit for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations clash against Scotland at Murrayfield. Hooker Humphreys went off with a shoulder problem during Bath's Zurich Premiership victory over Saracens on Saturday. But
