Archive
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Living life at the double
Lesley Bates finds out that some mums have twice as much to look forward to this Mother's Day WALK into a meeting of the Salisbury Twins and More Club on the second Monday of any given month and the noise and chaos hits you. It must be double the normal
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Town boss in trek for new player
ANDY KING is quite literally prepared to go the distance as he strives to add to his squad in time for Saturday's mouthwatering battle with Bournemouth at the County Ground. The Town boss hinted he was going on a long journey north today in order to pursue
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Ambulance service speeds up response
WILTSHIRE'S troubled ambulance service is on the mend, according to a report by a special county council task force. The scrutiny task group of councillors was set up last August after the ambulance service received a zero-star rating for the second year
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Chile trek aids cancer research
A COURAGEOUS fundraiser kept the memory of her late husband alive when she trekked across the Andes with the widow of soccer legend Bobby Moore. Jane Young (60), of Enford, answered an appeal by Stephanie Moore, who was seeking volunteers to conquer the
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Royal visitor for almshouses
Prince Charles greets Brympton Almshouse residents. 3/3/5HIS Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has paid a visit to Salisbury to meet staff, residents and trustees of the Almshouse and Welfare charities. A few hardy royal supporters braved the sleet and
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Inquest hears of crash helicopter's fatal flaw
A HELICOPTER crash which killed a Durrington pilot and two of his colleagues was caused by the wrong coating on a crucial part of the gearbox, an inquest heard this week. Captain Ian Shoobridge and engineers Neville Moger and James Gordon-Stables died
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Speed fines to be refunded
Clair Allison: "I would advise drivers affected to seek legal advice." 3/3/5WILTSHIRE Constabulary could be facing a compensation bill of more than £1m for thousands of motorists unlawfully accused of speeding on the A303. Wiltshire and Swindon safety
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Tributes paid to eye surgeon
Mr Ogg last year. 3.3.5RETIRED eye surgeon John Ogg, who was known professionally for his pioneering work and personally as a man who delighted in magic, miniatures and corkscrews, has died, aged 83, at Ashley Grange Nursing Home, near Downton. Tributes
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Former hostage to give lecture
JOHN McCarthy, the journalist and writer held hostage in Beirut for more than five years, is giving a lecture in Salisbury Cathedral next week. His lecture, Who Do You Say They Are?, is part of the cathedral's Lent series, Life Beyond Terror. Mr McCarthy
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Ambulance service speeds up response
WILTSHIRE'S troubled ambulance service is on the mend, according to a report by a special county council task force. The scrutiny task group of councillors was set up last August after the ambulance service received a zero-star rating for the second year
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Taxing issue of inheritance law
A DAY to let the public know about equity release and inheritance tax went down a storm. The Stroud and Swindon building society branch in Regent Circus, Swindon, held the day aimed at pensioners. It took the form of a mock 60th birthday party to emphasise
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Colleague and pupil inspired sub-zero dash
SUE Holliday aims to be on top of the world by April. The Tisbury school administrator is heading for the Arctic and a marathon dash to the North Pole to raise funds for cancer charity Cancer Research UK. Her efforts have been inspired by a colleague
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Friendly advice for companies
ONE-in-four firms in the south west has gone to a Business Link centre for free support and guidance in the last year, according to new figures. Some 46,000 established companies and a further 15,000 people looking to start up in business have been advised
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Chile trek aids cancer research
A COURAGEOUS fundraiser kept the memory of her late husband alive when she trekked across the Andes with the widow of soccer legend Bobby Moore. Jane Young (60), of Enford, answered an appeal by Stephanie Moore, who was seeking volunteers to conquer the
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Royal visitor for almshouses
Prince Charles greets Brympton Almshouse residents. 3/3/5HIS Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has paid a visit to Salisbury to meet staff, residents and trustees of the Almshouse and Welfare charities. A few hardy royal supporters braved the sleet and
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Inquest hears of crash helicopter's fatal flaw
A HELICOPTER crash which killed a Durrington pilot and two of his colleagues was caused by the wrong coating on a crucial part of the gearbox, an inquest heard this week. Captain Ian Shoobridge and engineers Neville Moger and James Gordon-Stables died
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Speed fines to be refunded
Clair Allison: "I would advise drivers affected to seek legal advice." 3/3/5WILTSHIRE Constabulary could be facing a compensation bill of more than £1m for thousands of motorists unlawfully accused of speeding on the A303. Wiltshire and Swindon safety
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Watch out silly Billy!
A LOW bridge notorious for being hit has been struck again, causing traffic chaos. A lorry was trapped for almost two hours when it hit the Whitehouse Bridge in Whitehouse Road at around 10am yesterday. Police spokeswoman Alvina Kumar said: "The bridge
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Dancers to go it alone
SWINDON Dance could become an independent charity by the summer. Plans to remove the national dance agency from Swindon Council's control are set to be endorsed by the local authority's cabinet tonight. And the move should allow the agency one of only
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'Sympathy could have saved Mark'
76273-21THE mother of an unemployed man who killed himself says he should have been shown more sympathy by Jobcentre staff. Mark King took his own life by lying in the path of a train after becoming depressed. The 42-year-old, of Dogridge in Purton, had
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Licence to drill in the Falklands
A SWINDON firm has joined the rush to strike black gold in the Falkland Islands. Rockhopper Exploration, which was established last year, has offices on the Windmill Hill business park in Swindon and a licence to explore for oil. It has now signed a deal
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Wayne walks it
ON Saturday the first of regular open matches at Westleaze Waters took place. It was, however, a very bitter day, cold and gusty winds but that did not stop the determined anglers from having a days fishing. Venue regular Wayne Smith drew a peg just up
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How should we honour them?
The ten British Servicemen who died when their Hercules crashed in IraqTHE servicemen killed when their Hercules plane crashed in Iraq may soon be remembered with a permanent memorial. The 10 men, including eight based at RAF Lyneham, died when the transport
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We're keeping fingers crossed
Andrew Ireland joins as acting director of social servicesSAVE OUR SWINDON: SO Swindon Council has a new man at the top to drive through improvements again. Back in 2002, when the then chief executive Paul Doherty resigned, a Mr Fix-It was brought in
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Jones looks for Bassett response
WOOTTON Bassett boss Chris Jones has demanded a vast improvement ahead of the club's Hellenic Premier Division trip to title contenders Bishops Cleeve this evening. Bassett's recent spell of good form came to a shuddering halt in a dismal 2-0 Supplementary
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Leo steps down as Vics boss
GRAHAM Learmonth has parted company with Hellenic League strugglers Malmesbury Vics. Leo, as he is known, and assistant Paul Rose have stepped down from their posts at the Flying Monk Ground, with the club currently placed second-from-bottom of Division
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Getting people up to speed with broadband
A WILTSHIRE-wide drive to increase the usage and awareness of broadband technology is celebrating success nearly two years earlier than expected. The eWiltshire and eSwindon campaigns have already encouraged more than 20 per cent of residents and businesses
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Superstore makes a blooming good effort for hospice charity
GIANT sunflower headdresses added a splash of colour to a celebratory party. Staff from the Tesco store at Octotal Way raised nearly £17,000 for the Prospect Hospice. And to say thank you the Wroughton-based hospice held a tea-time buffet for the fundraisers
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Pupils get into tourism
A GROUP of students from St Joseph's Secondary School will take part in a tourism industry customer service course as part of the Springboard Festival 2005. The festival is a nationwide celebration of the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries
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MP to deliver petition
NORTH Wiltshire MP James Gray is delivering a petition to Parliament tonight containing 700 signatures from the residents of Minety. They are appealing for the Government to remove a gipsy encampment in their area and are asking for the House of Commons
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Names of good teachers sought
RESIDENTS of Swindon are being asked to nominate an outstanding school or inspirational headteacher, teacher or teaching assistant for the Teaching Awards 2005. There are ten categories for the awards which include the Healthy Schools Award; BT Award
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Man burnt his partner's pics
A PINEHURST man was sentenced to a two-year community rehabilitation order after he admitted burning his partner's photos. Sean O'Donaghue, 32, of Poplar Avenue, was arrested for arson after setting fire to Anne Leach's private photos and her children's
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Woman carried out threat to kill herself
A WOMAN killed herself after being wrongly discharged from a mental hospital. A coroner's jury heard that Fiona Gale, 29, of Sherston, near Malmesbury, was made a scapegoat for the bad behaviour at Green Lane hospital, Devizes, and was discharged despite
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Winter is gone in snow time at all
THE WINTRY weather continues in Swindon but children needn't reach for their sledges just yet. While a dusting of snow left areas like Coate Water looking idyllic, it doesn't appear to want to settle. Kevin Hogg, of the Met Office, explained why the snowfalls
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'Patients are being denied'
THE husband of an Alzheimer's suffer is appalled by a proposal which could deny drugs to thousands of people with the disease. Joe Culkin, whose 65-year-old wife, Phyllis, was diagnosed in 2003, believes the news about the medicines, which can give patients
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Sleepy MPs who run our country
MPs often look like they have nodded off during a dull session in the House of Commons. And there could be a good reason for them catching 40 winks when they can. According to new research MPs are the most sleep-deprived group of workers in Britain. On
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Shops clear of killer dye
BANNED food containing the Sudan 1 dye is now off the shelves in Swindon, according to council inspectors. They say they have visited shops across the town and did not find any of the hundreds of foods that have been banned. The checks followed the biggest
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Police foiled ram raiders
POLICE have released CCTV images of two men they want to speak to in connection with a bungled ram-raid. Khan's Convenience Store, in Rodbourne Road, was broken into by a masked gang. Four men in a stolen red Vauxhall Cavalier attacked the cash machine
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Good work
I WOULD like to express a word of thanks to the staff of Great Western Hospital for taking the time to run an open day for the public on February 26. I was impressed by what I saw. These modern day Florence Nightingales are dedicated and compassionate
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Hard is best
REGARDING Mr Humphrey's letter about soft water. Hard water is good for your heart. If he wants soft water he will have to pay extra for it. The water rates have gone up because of repairing old pipes and more and more houses being built. The best way
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No to quango
THE South West Regional Assembly is in the process of deciding if 24,000 homes should be built in Swindon. But it is not an elected body and if you disagree with it you cannot alter anything by voting for a different party. The South West Regional Assembly
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Well done, ref
I READ with great interest the report of the abandonment of the junior football match by referee David Leppard. I ran a junior team for many years and applaud this official for his stance against bullying spectators. The parent, a professional man, should
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Do morons have bigger exhausts?
SOME weeks ago I called for the large noisy exhausts to be outlawed. A reader responded and asked what was my problem. On Friday evening last, while travelling along Drakes Way (where a vehicle left the road only recently) I followed a small car with
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Base salary on performance
THE news of the departure of the Chief Executive, Simon Birch from Swindon Council raises serious questions about the excessive remuneration paid to its management and the value for money which they give to the taxpayer. Mr Birch was appointed as director
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Tributes paid to eye surgeon
Mr Ogg last year. 3.3.5RETIRED eye surgeon John Ogg, who was known professionally for his pioneering work and personally as a man who delighted in magic, miniatures and corkscrews, has died, aged 83, at Ashley Grange Nursing Home, near Downton. Tributes
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MoD superintendent is awarded an OBE
MINISTRY of defence police superintendent Joseph Elder proudly displays his OBE after being formally presented with the medal by the queen at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on February 9. Supt Elder (45) was awarded the medal in December
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Barracks host annual parade
THE parade ground of the newly built Lucknow Barracks at Tidworth rang to the strains of Men Of Harlech on Tuesday, for the annual St David's Day parade of the 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Wales, who have almost completed their return to the UK
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Second park-and-ride opens next week
THE Wilton park-and-ride site opens next Monday, offering 400 cheap parking spaces to commuters heading to Salisbury from the west of the region. Situated off The Avenue, opposite the headquarters of Land Command, it will be Salisbury's second park-and-ride
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Little chef to stay
THE owner of Little Chef has quashed rumours that it is about to abolish the brand. TLLC Group Holdings is selling stand-alone restaurants, but keeping those that are next to hotels, such as the one on the Turnpike roundabout on the A419. It said: "Little
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Emma's will power
Charles Lucas & Marshall solicitors, which has offices in Wood Street, Swindon, has appointed another specialist to its wills and estate planning team. Emma Rubython, right, will work on existing accounts and develop her own client portfolio. She
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Couple reunited with missing birds
BIRD-FANCIERS David and Maureen Weymouth have been overwhelmed by people's kindness after vandals set free dozens of birds from their aviary and killed 20 fish by pouring washing-up liquid into their garden pond. So far, eight birds have been returned
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Dreweatt Neate's neat new offices
WORK has started on converting the former Victoria Bookshop in Wood Street, Old Town, into offices for Dreweatt Neate. The property consultants, which has an office next door for the estate agency, lettings and new homes business in Swindon, has employed
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How should we honour them?
The ten British Servicemen who died when their Hercules crashed in IraqTHE servicemen killed when their Hercules plane crashed in Iraq may soon be remembered with a permanent memorial. The 10 men, including eight based at RAF Lyneham, died when the transport
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Get tough on the dumpers
COUNCIL bosses in Swindon have called for stiffer penalties for fly tippers after the government revealed alarming figures about illegal dumping. Rubbish is dumped somewhere in England every 35 seconds and costs local authorities £100 per minute to clear
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Addict in attack on girlfriend
A heroin addict admitted punching his girlfriend in her face, fracturing her eye socket, as well as driving under the influence of drugs. Justin Rouse, 23, of Carter Close, appeared before Swindon magistrates yesterday charged with actual bodily harm,
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You've got six months to save us all
Mike Pitt is joining Swindon Council as interim chief executiveSAVE OUR SWINDON: SWINDON Council will be transformed, the latest man appointed to shake up the authority has promised. And if anyone can do it Mike Pitt can - he is joining Swindon as interim
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Arsenic and Old Lace - Theatre Royal
UNTIL MARCH 5 2005, BATH: This classic black comedy requires total suspension of disbelief then it's a romp. Set in Brooklyn in the early 1940s it concerns the nefarious activities of two elderly spinster sisters, Abby and Martha Brewster, sweet, kindly
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Thames Water gets an award
THAMES Water has received an award for its openness in reporting on social and environmental issues. The award was given in spite of the fact that in February the company was ordered to pay £58,000 in fines and costs after raw sewage spilled out of one
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Get your fresh food at farmers' market
THERE will be a farmer's market at the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Centre on Mothering Sunday. A range of locally produced produce will be on sale at the market including vegetables from three different local growers, beef and pork from local farmers
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Can you encourage adults to learn new skills?
SWINDON residents with some time to spare are being asked to do their bit for the community by applying to be learning ambassadors. The recruitment of learning ambassadors will be funded by the European Social Fund and supported by the Swindon Learning
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Parents get places they want for their children
THERE will be good news for most Swindon parents today when they receive a letter offering their child a place in their first-choice secondary school. Ninety-eight per cent of Swindon children will be starting secondary school in September in the school
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'You are all just abunch of cowards'
PARENTS have accused politicians of being too cowardly to face questions about school closures. They are angry that no councillors including Garry Perkins, cabinet member for education attended a consultation meeting last night. Around 300 concerned parents
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Centre will help bring families together
IT is a sign of our times that families are often ripped apart at the seams. But a new supervised contact centre in Swindon, which opened yesterday, will help families stay in touch. The In-Sight supervised contact centre in Milton Road provides a place
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New radio station set to hit the airwaves
A NEW community-based radio station goes on air on May 1 for a four-week trial from studios in Queens Drive. The station called Swindon Community Broadcasting will include music, literature and community news. It has received a special licence from OfCom
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What to report
TACKLING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR: The hotline 0845 605 2222 is for reports of: Rowdy behaviour and gangs Intimidation and harassment Litter, rubbish and fly-tipping Graffiti and vandalism Abandoned vehicles Nuisance neighbours Begging and street drinking
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15 orders issued in the last five years
The 15 ASBO orders issued in the Swindon area since 1999 include: Last month Daniel Smith, 16, who lived in Quarry Road, was given a two year ASBO for making a family's life hell, banning him from the vicinity of Quarry Road, Highworth. Prostitute Sarah
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Name and shame says Clarke
SWINDON Council has been urged to plaster the photographs of the town's worst yobs across newspapers, leaflets, billboards and the TV. Home Secretary Charles Clarke called on local authorities to "name and shame" yobs as he revealed record numbers of
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Battle of the Bottle
"I'M BEGGING you, please don't take me home," pleads the young girl, summoning all the pathos she can muster as her two litre bottle of cider is tipped down the drain. She looks younger than her 14 years, and is slightly built. It's hard to believe she
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In support of tree hugging
RE: MR Hall's attack upon tree planting and trees in general. He says that trees are high maintenance. In fact, a mature tree in a healthy condition only needs the occasional inspection by way of maintenance. The pavements are swept, so any accumulation
