Archive
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Shoppers must be protected
THE news that the police are considering taking out anti-social behaviour orders against youths harassing two Upper Stratton shopkeepers comes not a moment too soon. Like most small business owners Suketu and Sangita Patel, who run a shop in Meadowcroft
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That was childish
ANDY KING insists he has nothing to answer for after tangling with Northampton boss Martin Wilkinson in the closing stages of Town's 1-0 defeat at Sixfields Stadium. The County Ground boss branded the Cobblers' actions 'unprofessional and childish' after
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National glory for Westlecot
WESTLECOT are celebrating their first national indoor championship success. The ladies' team are the toast of the club after comfortably defeating Cheshunt 48-29 at Basingstoke in the final of the Women's Over 60s Double Rinks. It was club's first title
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How will the big boys get on?
And how about some of Swindon's largest firms? How will the Budget affect them? With Nationwide, Honda and Motorola being among the town's largest employers, they doubtless will be hoping that no further NI increases are announced, while Motorola and
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Anger and a lot of anxiety
MARCH 10: ATTEMPTS by peace protesters to invade RAF Fairford ended with 12 arrests. They were trying to cut through the perimeter fence surrounding the Gloucestershire base, where 14 United States B-52 bombers are stationed. But protesters from Swindon
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200 hear MPs' views
MARCH 10: OPPOSING stances on the war on Iraq clashed in a fiery meeting held by Swindon MPs Julia Drown and Michael Wills. It was standing room only in the Steam Museum's lecture theatre as upwards of 200 people representing all sides of the debate crammed
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Scrap lorry overturns and closes major commuter route
A LORRY shed its load across Great Western Way this morning, causing long delays for commuters joining junction 16 of the M4. The scrap lorry overturned while travelling towards the M4 on Great Western Way at the Blagrove Roundabout at 5am, spilling 20
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Bidding for best triple word score
NEARLY 200 people gathered in Swindon for the biggest Scrabble tournament in Britain. Everyone from youngsters competing in their first big contest to world championship contenders took part in the event at Nationwide's Piper's Way headquarters There
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£4,000 price of few minutes of madness
MOBILE phone entrepreneur Fraser Hutton has been ordered to serve 180 hours' community service for assaulting two policemen. At Swindon Crown Court, 44-year-old Hutton, of Osborne Street, Swindon, was cleared of damaging a police Vauxhall Astra van following
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Customers are too afraid to enter store
POLICE are considering taking out anti-social behaviour orders against five teenagers in Upper Stratton. The youths, who are all 16, have been identified as being at the centre of a gang which is targeting a newsagent and off-licence store in Meadowcroft
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Gallimore to the four for hosts
Supermarine warmed up for their crucial Dorset & Wilts Two North clash with Minety by thumping an understrength Devizes side 77-0. Supermarine kept up their good form, scoring 11 tries without reply. There were four tries for Tim Gallimore and two
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Minety reign in the wet as Tetbury are shut out
MINETY came through the rain, wind and mud to run out 30-0 friendly winners at Tetbury. The Dorset & Wilts Two North champions dominated the contest from start to a finish that was brough forward by 20 minutes because of an injury to one of the home
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Howse break seals win for Cricklade
CRICKLADE stayed in the hunt for second place in Dorset & Wilts Two North with a 27-6 win at Marlborough. Jason Johnson's side moved level on points with second-placed Supermarine, with both sides in the hunt for an end-of-season promotion play-off
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No Oscar for Jennifer
WITH Maid in Manhattan, the closest Jennifer Lopez is likely to come to holding an Academy Award is when she dusts down the one on the mantlepiece that hubby-to-be Ben Affleck won for co-writing Good Will Hunting. Lopez is as good an actress as she is
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A tour de force
IT would be a great shame if the dependable Moore didn't win something for her efforts in her two current releases. Curiously, both films see her playing troubled housewives in deceptively idyllic 1950s settings. After her eye-catching turn as the suicidal
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Cup joy and misery
ONLY a handful of fixtures survived the weather in the Wiltshire League but those that did provided some exciting cup and league encounters. Premier Division league leaders Shrewton enjoyed a break from the league strolling to a 5-0 win over Aldbourne
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Belcher's day in derby win
A late goal from Mark Belcher gave Highworth a 2-1 win over local rivals Fairford Town in a hard-fought Premier Division game at The Elms. It was Highworth's third win on the trot and gave them an outside shout of the title should the leaders slip up.
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Last-ditch Redditch foil Marine's survival plan
SUPERMARINE manager Ray Baverstock could only watch on in despair as his side spurned a golden opportunity to boost their Western Division survival hopes on Saturday. Baverstock's band of battlers led in-form Redditch 1-0 at half time, but the rampant
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Debut boys bag point for Town
CHIPPENHAM TOWN continue to lead the race for runners-up spot after drawing 1-1 with third-placed Stafford Rangers in a cracking clash at Hardenhuish Park. Two home debutants played key roles for the Bluebirds, with Scott Walker netting the crucial equaliser
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What's inside Mr brown's box?
According to the budget gurus at Solomon Hare, the Chancellor will probably play the waiting game on April 9, and is therefore unlikely to announce any significant rises in business tax. For the time being he is likely to turn to borrowing, with perhaps
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This wedding cake may be a little bit different!
THE Evening Advertiser Bride of the Year and her childhood sweetheart have been looking for their perfect wedding cake. Courtesy of Sugar Celebrations, Lucy Griffin, 20, and fiance Neil Zerebecki, 23, have been looking at a range of tempting cakes to
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Plans for school and church to go before planning committee
A PRIMARY school and church are set to be built as part of Swindon's Northern Area Development. Housed within a single cross-shaped building, the new structure will form part of the proposed Taw Hill Village Centre and is set to open in September next
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Residents protest over phone mast
A PLANNED telephone mast has been denounced as a monstrosity by people in Wootton Bassett. Network Rail wants to put the 100ft (33m) mast on railway land behind New Road. The plans have angered residents, who say they were not consulted over the plans
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Get your ticket for charity ball
TICKETS are still available for the Mayor and Mayoress of Wootton Bassett's charity ball. The ball, on April 5, in Wiltshire Golf and country Club, will raise funds for Malmesbury's Burton Hill House School, which caters for children with special educational
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Bereavement counselling branch takes on chairman
CRUSE Bereavement Care in Swindon has appointed a new chairman. He is Joe Culkin, a freelance human resources and organisation development consultant who lives in Nythe. Joe trained as a Cruse counsellor in 1988. He succeeds Nigel Hall who is staying
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Farewell to funeral man
Gerald 'Wally' Dinsey, 65, is retiring from Hillier Funeral Service after 23 years of hard work. Wally, from Walcot, moved to Swindon more than 40 years ago and started working for Hillier's in 1979. His colleagues at the Hillier Funeral service have
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Step closer to library
AN APPEAL to raise money to build a better library for pupils in Lechlade has been boosted by extraction firm Hanson. The firm, which operates at gravel pits near the town, has donated £300 to the fund to build a new library at St Lawrence's Primary School
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Pioneering stance will support research
A SWINDON organisation is part of what it calls a pioneering partnership to support university research in the Aerospace and Defence Sector. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has teamed up with BAE Systems to promote research
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I have to bend my neck!
Walking through town in my lunch break, I noticed a new square area paved with slate where the buskers usually set up. Cool! I thought, a nice stage area for buskers/bands. Then I noticed a new shiny pole. I followed it up bending my neck and saw the
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Newcomers have no respect
CONSIDERABLE effort and expense goes into the maintenance of the grass verges and tidiness of our village, both professionally and by some residents who take pride in its appearance. The grass verges and our many period houses are the main attractions
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On your bike, councillor!
AS A 78-year-old cyclist, I fully endorse the comments of Clive Alexander (EA, March 4) about cycling and deplore the views of Coun Lister who should get on his bike. He would find that the exercise would improve his health and might even convert him.
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Don't mess around with this fine old town
NOT more traffic lights. Have our councillors not yet realised that they have got the plans and the scribble pad mixed up? We are going to have another set of costly and unnecessary lights at Westcott Place. Why? It's not an accident blackspot as far
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We must support our troops
MAY I please comment on two items in recent issues of the Evening Advertiser, February 21 and 22 respectively. Firstly it is most heartening to see the letter, "I'm with you all the way, Mr Blair," written by 17-year-old Daniel Lake. That a youngster,
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Some protesters are the veterans of conflict
MAY I please reply to Daniel Lake's letter (EA Friday Feb 21). He says he is disgusted with the way peace protesters have been behaving. I would like to ask him what gives him the right to call them traitors and cowards. Is he aware that a lot of them
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Religious leaders praying for peace
AS the world stands on the edge of armed conflict over Iraq, we leaders and members of the faith communities here in Swindon, stand together in prayer for peace and justice in our world. In particular, we believe that world peace, now and in the future
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Not too high a price for child safety
Moves to make roads safer for schoolchildren by implementing 20mph zones around the town's schools are to be applauded. All too often people break the speed limit while travelling around the town and you do not have to be travelling very fast to cause
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What's inside Mr brown's box?
According to the budget gurus at Solomon Hare the Chancellor will probably play the waiting game on April 9, and is therefore unlikely to announce any significant rises in business tax. For the time being he is likely to turn to borrowing, with perhaps
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TA families meet up for mutual support
MARCH 10: ALL 12-YEAR-OLD Elaina Fitzgerald wants is for her dad to return home. On February 1 her father Michael, from Rodbourne Cheney, was sent to the Gulf as part of an advance party of reservists from the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry. Hreod Parkway pupil
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All faiths gather to say a prayer for peace in the face of war
MARCH 10: A PRAYER for peace which crosses all boundaries of creed and faith is planned in Swindon tomorrow evening. Members of all the major faiths represented in the town will gather at the Friends Meeting House at the bottom of Eastcott Hill. The move
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Warriors for social justice
JILL Chadwick and Gareth Cheesdale are holding down full-time jobs but have still found time to join the anti-war protests near RAF Fairford. Jill, 52, is a university lecturer and one of the original Greenham Common protesters and Gareth, 42, works for
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Pupils rise to challenge of robot in the Arctic
PUPILS from Churchfields School rose to the challenge to produce a robot for a scientific expedition to the Arctic. The Lego Robotics challenge was held at Oakfield Campus at the University of Bath. The campus was recently in the news with the announcement
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Patels are not the first to speak out about intimidating youths
AS the Evening Advertiser reported last week, traders in Walcot's Sussex Square claim the intimidating behaviour of youths is driving away their customers. They have been shutting up their shops early, concerned that they may become targets for vandals
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One virus gone, but another hits hospital
TWO wards at the Great Western Hospital which were closed to new patients as a result of a Norwalk-type virus have been re-opened. But an outbreak of a new, as yet unidentified, bug causing similar symptoms has meant that staff have been forced to close
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Hope of new gym takes a tumble
TALENTED young gymnasts claim their chances of reaching world competition standard are being blighted by the lack of a training centre in Swindon. They are urging the council to allow owners of empty industrial buildings to make them available for use
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Scrap lorry overturns and closes major commuter route
A LORRY shed its load across Great Western Way this morning, causing long delays for commuters joining junction 16 of the M4. The scrap lorry overturned while travelling towards the M4 on Great Western Way at the Blagrove Roundabout at 5am, spilling 20
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Schools set to have 20 mph zones
HALF a million pounds is to be spent on making the roads safer for schoolchildren. Swindon Council is set to unveil a series of 20mph zones around the town's schools at a meeting on April 1. It is not yet known which schools will be involved, but some
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Late scores end Bassett hopes in Gloucester
WOOTTON Bassett returned from a trip to Gloucester's Longlevens a beaten side after a 31-14 reverse. Bassett started the game well and for 10 minutes were camped on the home side's line but could not convert this pressure into points. It was Longlevens
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Chippenham ease through in cup
CHIPPENHAM moved into the next round of the Bath Combination Cup with a comfortable 25-3 victory over Frome at Allington Field. After the previous weekend's lacklustre performance against Amersham & Chiltern, Chippenham regained their form with a
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Freegard strike not enough for Corsham
CORSHAM quite literally hit rock bottom following their 2-1 defeat at Clyst Rovers on Saturday 8 March. The loss leaves the Southbankers propping up the First Division and in real danger of a return to Wiltshire League football. Rob Speakman had put hosts
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Hero Hervin earns Ciren handy draw
A FULLY recharged Cirencester Town came from behind to claim a useful point at Stourport Swifts. Ciren playing their first game for two weeks found themselves trailing Kerry Giddings' goal on the hour, but Gareth Hopkins earned the Centurions a 1-1 draw
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£27m diagnostic centre in pipeline
WORK could soon start on a diagnostic treatment centre adjoining Swindon's Great Western Hospital. The new facility, which will cost about £27 million to build, could be up an running by 2005 and be able to treat an extra 6,000 cases per year. Plans for
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All faiths gather to say a prayer for peace in the face of war
A PRAYER for peace which crosses all boundaries of creed and faith is planned in Swindon tomorrow evening. Members of all the major faiths represented in the town will gather at the Friends Meeting House at the bottom of Eastcott Hill. The move comes
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Chips are off dinner menu
PUPILS of a Swindon school gave up junk food for the day to help a good cause. Students at St Joseph's School's upper site went without their usual chips and sweets for a lunch of bread and soup in aid of third world development charity CAFOD. And the
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Date set for opening of Memorial Garden
THE Swindon Disease Memorial Garden is to be officially opened by mayor Stan Pajak next month. Tuesday, April 8, has been chosen as the date for the ceremony at Queen's Park where the garden has been created as a permanent memorial to those who have died
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Wannabes to play wannabes in stage musical Fame
STARS of the future are set to take to the stage playing a group of hopefuls when the West End musical Fame comes to Swindon this summer. More than 500 youngsters are expected to audition for the 10th annual Wyvern Theatre Summer Youth Project show. People
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Ex-Brunel Rooms DJ cracks US
A DJ who played to a generation of Swindon clubbers has picked up one of the highest honours in the music industry. Paul Harris spent seven years as a resident DJ in the Amphi room at the Brunel Rooms nightclub in Havelock Square. He left the club in
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Children are not to blame
With regard to the 'Youths make this a no-go zone' article on March 4, I would like to make some observations. It seems that it is time again for the youngsters of the area to be blamed for the financial ills of Sussex Square. The basic truth is traders
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Speaking out
I AM one of the Commonweal students who was on the Stop the war protest on Wednesday. Yes, we had left school when we shouldn't have but we were doing it to contribute to stopping the war. I feel that if we can help save hundreds of thousands of Iraqi
