Archive
-
Date
Our citizens need more protection
THE news that Wiltshire is behind all other counties when it comes to imposing Anti-Social Behaviour Orders is disturbing to say the least. While it may be true that Wiltshire has fewer problems with crime than counties with poverty-stricken, drug-ridden
-
Date
Situation with Iraq isn't helping
Neil Douglas, a partner in Swindon Homes Direct in Commercial Road I think house prices have reached a levelling out point. Having said that, I think there are some properties in certain price bandings that if presented well and in the right location,
-
Date
End this madness
Thousands of protesters at RAF Fairford make a plea for peace as the war in Iraq intensifies The stars were out in force at Fairford's mass anti-war protest at the weekend which saw six arrests for minor offences. Some 3,000 people, several thousand less
-
Date
End this madness
MARCH 24: Thousands of protesters at RAF Fairford make a plea for peace as the war in Iraq intensifies The stars were out in force at Fairford's mass anti-war protest at the weekend which saw six arrests for minor offences. Some 3,000 people, several
-
Date
Time to rate cap?
IN reply to Coun Mike Evemy (Letters, March 4), my criticism was mainly of his fellow Councillor Wendy Johnson, who was thanked by Labour Councillor Jim D'Avila for reading out a list of councils which had imposed large council tax increases, which implied
-
Date
Waste not, want not
WITH reference to Mr Kane's letter regarding Barnfield Household Recycling Centre, I would like to make the following points. Wiltshire County Council closed the old incineration unit in 1991 as it was inefficient and did not meet European Community air
-
Date
What's in a name?
THREE-LETTER acronyms aren't everyone's favourite way of describing things and I think we need to operate on the new hospital management quickly before we're stuck with an acronym that doesn't say what it means. It seems that instead of being known as
-
Date
End this madness
Thousands of protesters at RAF Fairford make a plea for peace as the war in Iraq intensifies The stars were out in force at Fairford's mass anti-war protest at the weekend which saw six arrests for minor offences. Some 3,000 people, several thousand less
-
Date
People of Wiltshire Awards launched
AN award scheme to celebrate the achievements of Wiltshire's unsung heroes is being launched today. It is the second time the People of Wiltshire Awards are being held in the county. Last year's Carer in the Community award went to Mary Lowe for her work
-
Date
'I would welcome an order'
POLICE are considering taking out ASBOs against five 16-year-olds who persist in targeting a newsagent and off-licence store in Meadowcroft, Upper Stratton. Shopkeeper Suketu Patel says the yobs are ruining his trade by driving customers away. He claims
-
Date
Vandals fire at pre-school window
Little Pinetrees Pre-school, at the back of the Pinehurst People's Centre in Olive Grove, has had a long-running problem with vandalism. Last week we reported how vandals using an air rifle shattered six double-glazed windows at the site, causing repairs
-
Date
'Yobs should be made to pay'
Upper Stratton pensioner Valerie Hearn, 68, who has been a target for vandals, says they should be made to put right the damage they cause rather than serve ASBOs. Valerie and her partner Ray Millin, 72, have been under siege from youths and have now
-
Date
ASBOs are now easier
The Government has moved to make ASBOs easier to introduce, following complaints from police and councils. Magistrates can now impose the orders on top of a criminal conviction, instead of requiring an application from the police or a council. They can
-
Date
Letting them off lightly?
IN 1999, the Government introduced ASBOs Anti-Social Behaviour Orders to stop trouble-makers from terrorising their neighbourhood. But to date, Wiltshire agencies have issued only one such order, the lowest number in the country. GEOFF BENNETT asks why
-
Date
Vicar sits in the street as anti-war brigade hits the town centre
AROUND 250 peace activists marched through Swindon town centre on Saturday afternoon before trying - and failing - to join the peace camp at Fairford. The protesters met at the cenotaph at noon and then marched from the memorial through the town centre
-
Date
Bassett battle to a well-earned away point
Goals were hard to come by from the local Hellenic sides at the weekend with Highworth Town and Shortwood United drawing 0-0, Wootton Bassett and Abingdon United both failing to score and Fairford Town losing out to Carterton by the only goal of the game
-
Date
Paul treble not enough
Wanborough'S Paul Parsons scored all three goals for to put his side 3-1 up against Dunbar Westside, but the Intermediate leaders fought back to nick a point. Wanborough needed a victory to put the pressure on, but fell behind to a strike from Mike Wilson
-
Date
Conference reshuffle too late for Ray's troops?
A RELEGATION lifeline has been snatched away from Swindon Supermarine as plans for a major non-League reshuffle come to fruition. The much-mooted Conference 2 will go ahead, but not until the 2004-05 season possibly a year too late to save Marine from
-
Date
Bluebirds' mini-crisis continues
CHIPPENHAM TOWN'S first poor patch in the Premier Division continued with a 1-0 defeat at Moor Green on Saturday. It is the first time this season that Tommy Saunders' side have suffered back-to-back losses following last weekend's 2-1 reverse against
-
Date
Green space play area may be sold
THE future of a green space in the heart of Cricklade will be considered at a Wiltshire County Council meeting today. Campaigners have been fighting to prevent a children's play area in Bath Road from being sold for housing development. The cabinet favours
-
Date
Hairdressers add a touch of style to fundraising effort
Shoppers in Swindon donated £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Staff from the Hair Express salon spent Saturday in the Brunel Shopping Centre and gave away free hair makeovers worth £40 along with hair treatments and colour slices in a special lucky
-
Date
Project for 4,500 homes is on show
FULL details of the controversial plan to build 4,500 homes on countryside to the south of Swindon are now on the internet. Developer Bryant Homes has updated its website to include changes made in the wake of public consultation. These include the provision
-
Date
High sheriff steps down
THE HIGH Sheriff of Wiltshire Sir Christopher Benson said his farewells at a reception in the Steam museum. Sir Christopher steps down from his role at the end of this month after a year as the Queen's representative in the county. The office of High
-
Date
Voluntary groups get cash boost
GRANTS worth £1,136,286 are to be handed out by Swindon Council to voluntary groups over the coming year. The funding is up for discussion when the council cabinet meets on Wednesday. Annually the council gives grants to a variety of groups to help it
-
Date
Action plan in force to preserve our wildlife
SWINDON'S first Biodiversity Action Plan Conference will be held in May. The town's biodiversity has, according to organisers, been responsible for the continuing prosperity of the area, with workers attracted by both the opportunities available and the
-
Date
They could be Oscar winners of the future
EVENING Advertiser film writer STEPHEN WEBB reviews the youngsters' films . . . Headlands School - this secondary school near Penhill put together a remarkable think piece which they titled What If . . . It was basically about teenagers' hopes, fears
-
Date
Serious humour
As the war on Iraq continues, comic Rob Newman is coming to Swindon to perform his hit show From Caliban to the Taliban. It follows 500 years of "humanitarian intervention", from the Berlin-Baghdad Railway to the United States involvement in Vietnam,
-
Date
Were you in Korea?
THE British Korean Veterans Association is trying to contact former members of HM Armed Forces who served in Korea/Japan from 1950-1953, and also those servicemen and women who served in these two places at a later date with the Peace Keeping Force 1953
-
Date
Cars driven out of town
THE recent TV programme The UK's Worst High Street gave a very clear vision of Swindon to come. The winner of the "award" was Leatherhead. The council in this town, very similar to Swindon in many ways, has successfully excluded traffic from its centre
-
Date
An everyday story of intelligent feathered folk
FORGIVE me for this trivia while the world is in its present turmoil, but I just had to tell someone. As you see from my address I live in a copse of trees on the edge of the old Vickers site and I share my occupation of the copse with a rookery and a
-
Date
Rally round our troops
THE Evening advertiser has again allowed the Letters page to carry a wide variety of views regarding the rights and wrongs of war with Iraq. Whether Mr Blair and President Bush are right or wrong to embark on this course of action to achieve a laudable
-
Date
Let us hear of the good guys
AT times, when the news seems to brim with tales of the nasty and mean-spirited things people can do to one another, it is important to remember that there are many, many good people. Where badness shouts its existence for all to hear, goodness by its
-
Date
Sam's Town goal!
SAM PARKIN insists he is happy to talk about extending his current deal and hopes the close season will see the club backing manager Andy King's recruitment drive. The 22-year-old crashed in a hat-trick, his second of the season, as Town trounced Notts
-
Date
Pick your estate agent carefully
Robert Skerten, owner and director of Henry George, with offices in Malmesbury, Marlborough and Commercial Road, Swindon: The optimism has disappeared but I don't think I'd say that a hard, fast 10 per cent has come off the market. Basically, prices haven't
-
Date
Nationwide predicts gentle slowdown
Alex Bannister, Nationwide group economist, said: "Over the last year the price of the average house in Swindon rose 23 per cent to just over £151,000. This compares with price rises of 25 per cent for the UK as a whole. Someone looking to buy the average
-
Date
Huge gains over four years
Simon Gunner, branch partner at Allan and Harris, College Court, Swindon. In terms of true value, we are having to reduce prices slightly. It's not the 10 to 20 percent that everybody seems to be talking about, but if you want to sell your house now,
-
Date
There's been a lot of over-valuing
Christopher Bice, owner of Christopher Bice estate agents, Cricklade I think house prices are going to level off. I think there's been a lot of over-valuing and I think that's where the adjustment has got to come. Over the last few years, there's been
-
Date
People are panicking, but this is just a blip
Tudor Wells, co-director of Ridgeway Estate Agents, Commercial Road, Old Town, Swindon: Prices have come down and levelled out but concerns over war with Iraq is making people very unsure about what to do. Thankfully, we've got no underlying economic
-
Date
Don't panic, the market's healthy
The bubble is NOT going to burst. At least, that's what Swindon's property gurus are saying, following the Evening Advertiser's recent story on falling house prices. Indeed, most of the town's estate agents say that prices are merely levelling off after
-
Date
Protesters storm council chamber
ANTI-War protesters stormed into Swindon's Civic Offices for a two-hour sit-in. On Thursday evening, a group of 75 people from the anti-war coalition occupied the main council chamber to mark their opposition to the war in Iraq. Secretary of the Swindon
-
Date
On yer bike
I AM surprised that Councillor Lister persists with his anti-cycle path campaign. While I am in no position to dispute his statistics which appear to indicate that the use of these tracks is declining, has he considered the cost of an accident to a cyclist
-
Date
MP warns of killer in the home
THOUSANDS of homes across Swindon could be silently killing their residents. That is the message from South Swindon MP Julia Drown, who is backing a campaign by British Gas designed to highlight the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and to make sure
-
Date
Stars sign on to help playgroup
A FUNDRAISING auction and quiz boosted the coffers of Croft Playgroup by more than £1,500. The event, at Swindon's Marriott Hotel, included more than 60 lots, including services donated by parents, donations from a variety of local businesses, and 15
-
Date
Brave show, but Swindon are beaten
SWINDON 2nd put up a fighting display but were unable to prevent their Swanage & Wareham counterparts from claiming a 29-11 in the Dorset & Wilts 2nd XV Cup final at Sherborne yesterday. It was a battling effort from the Wiltshire side, who fielded
-
Date
Devizes facing the drop
DEVIZES TOWN are staring relegation in the face after a 3-1 defeat to Bridgwater on Saturday. The loss leaves Pete Tripp's side tied with Welton on 16 points at the bottom of the Premier Division, but safety markers Barnstaple were victorious to leave
-
Date
Marine sinking
SUPERMARINE'S place in the Dr Martens League is hanging by a thread after an agonising defeat at the hands of neighbours Cirencester. Marine boss Ray Baverstock saw his toothless side crumble to a 3-0 loss against his former club and promptly dubbed the
-
Date
Beware this rip-off
A FIRM is sending small businesses official looking demands for £95 to register them under the data protection act when the official fee is £35. Now Swindon Trading Standards is warning companies throughout the area to be on the lookout for documents
-
Date
Lucy has a sweet treat
Chocolate may not sound like the most important ingredient to a successful wedding - but Evening Advertiser Bride of the Year Lucy Griffin is determined to get the details right. And with the help of La Zahra chocolate gift shop, in Victoria Road, she
-
Date
In memory of Abby, 3
A FUNDRAISING drive is being launched at Swindon's Marriott Leisure Club in aid of the Abby Smith Cancer Fund. The club's 1,500 members are asked to donate money to the fund before using facilities at the hotel in Pipers Way, Swindon. Fundraising starts
-
Date
Swimmer makes a splash for nurses
Sue Stratton swam 200 lengths to raise nearly £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Sue, 48, from West Swindon, was one of 36 swimmers who took part in a sponsored swimathon at the Link Centre, West Swindon, over the weekend. She said: "This is the seventh
-
Date
Window smasher in court
A JUDGE imposed a hospital order on a man with mental health problems who wreaked havoc in Swindon town centre. Swindon Crown Court heard how Robert Hughes smashed several shop windows in January and told police he did it for fun. Caretaker Hughes, 31
-
Date
Piazza plans are delayed
PLANS for a piazza-style development to transform the heart of Old Town are several months behind schedule. Countryside Properties is now expected to unveil its plans for The Square and Locarno Ballroom building in May at the earliest, rather than January
-
Date
Children experience some movie magic
Children in Swindon enjoyed a taste of Hollywood and saw themselves on the big screen. More than 200 people gathered at Cineworld at Greenbridge to watch the premiere of This is Me, a collection of films, starring youngsters from Parks and Penhill. Adding
-
Date
Volunteers take part in clear up job on ancient path
Volunteers took to the Ridgeway in a bid to improve the area for walkers. Armed with spades and saws, 25 people met on the Ridgeway at Bishopstone, near Swindon, for Green Lane Clearance Day over the weekend. The event, which takes place twice a year,
-
Date
Repairs to monument
REPAIRS to damage caused by treasure hunters at Silbury Hill are planned - 227 years after their dig. Three years ago, a gaping hole appeared at the top of the manmade hill, which archaeologists say was constructed at least 4,500 years ago. Work by English
-
Date
Dismay at PM's stance
I WRITE to air my dismay over this Prime Minister's appetite for war. There is no logic in his desire to attack an already crippled country apart from his need to fawn towards an evil administration in the US. I am amazed that he feels righteous in ignoring
-
Date
Fighting for national independence
At a time when attention is focused on the Middle East, it is easy to forget about important events closer to home. The EU Convention on the Future of Europe has just published a draft constitution which provides the European Union with power to co-ordinate
-
Date
Ignorant and selfish flouting of parking law
REFERENCE your article on March 12 about parking on the cycle lane in King William Street. I use this cycle lane several times a day in both directions. In the past 18 months I have reported to the police 339 vehicles (one of them 101 times). In this
-
Date
See where Cabinet system has got us
A WELL orchestrated campaign of letters blames local Conservatives for the huge rise in council tax, imposed once again by our Labour-run council. Familiar names say they will never vote Tory again, but were they not the ones who said the same last year
-
Date
No excuse for this cruelty
SUSIE Groess-Saurau (Letters, March, 17) is confusing keeping horses as pets and keeping horses for racing. Racing is a business, and owners keep horses to make money. Like other businesses, something will be 'loved' while it is making money; when this
