Archive
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Extra time!
TOWN boss Andy King may have to wait until mid June before he can effectively begin to shape his squad for the forthcoming campaign. The club have yet to receive a single 'yes' or 'no' from those senior professionals still pondering over their respective
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Long theatrical tradition
Baron Bolligrew performed in January 2004DEVIZES has a long theatrical tradition with many productions being staged in the town throughout the year. There was a theatre in the town in the 18th century on what is now the site of Sainsbury's supermarket
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Power of superstition?
A NAME inextricably connected with Devizes is that of Ruth Pierce, a widow from the village of Potterne whose death highlights either the power of superstitious thought or of divine retribution, depending on your point of view. She was one of a group
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Smoking doesn't light up sex lives
SWINDONIAN sex lives are under threat from smoking. A new campaign in the town features the effect smoking can have on performance and fertility. Posters and leaflets spelling out the impact of smoking on young people have gone out to all secondary schools
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Flood of hate from suspect
Vincent MacNameeATTEMPTED murder victim Vincent MacNamee was bombarded by text messages and phonecalls in the days leading up to his stabbing, Bristol Crown Court heard yesterday. In the third day of the trial Karen Wooldridge, the former partner and
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Smoking ban and MRSA
QUEEN'S SPEECH - SMOKING & MRSA: THE showpiece health legislation in this parliament is likely to be a Health Improvement and Protection Bill which will ban smoking in enclosed public spaces. It will also include key measures to combat MRSA and improve
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Follow Swindon's lead says Blair
Headmaster David WilliamsQUEEN'S SPEECH - EDUCATION: TONY Blair is expected to announce that a method used to help kick-start a beleaguered Swindon school will be rolled out across the country. The Queen's speech will include an Education and Skills Bill
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Incapacity benefit
QUEEN'S SPEECH - INCAPACITY BENEFITS: ANOTHER potentially explosive new law is the plan to reform incapacity benefit. Ministers want to remove disincentives to work for the country's 2.7m sick and disabled. Former Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson
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Government's ace may be trumped by rebels
Home secretary Charles Clarke with a trial identity card printed at the Passport OfficeQUEEN'S SPEECH - IDENTITY CARDS: THE Prime Minister is today expected to embark on a collision course with disgruntled Labour backbenchers as he revives plans for identity
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Mum goes sick
FOOTBALLER Wayne Rooney's mother has taken sick leave from work because of negative publicity about her son. Jeanette Rooney continued working as a dinner lady at De La Salle School, in Liverpool, after her son became a top footballer.
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Star's on stage
STARS in their Eyes contestant Carl Sharp will perform at a charity ball in September. Tickets are now available for the Duke of Wellington Golf Society's summer party at the Blunsdon House Hotel on September 17. A four-course meal will be followed by
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Cookery demo for special diet
COELIAC UK's Swindon group will hold a gluten-free cookery for Coeliac Awareness Week. Coeliac disease is caused by intolerance to gluten and is managed by adopting a gluten-free diet. Coeliac UK has organised Coeliac Awareness Week with the aim of raising
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School on the radio
Bradon Forest School pupils will display a variety of musical talents live on Flame FM this week. The Purton school's orchestra and the Brandon singers will both be giving performances, on Wednesday 4-5pm at Bath Road Methodist Church.
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Firehose your car
STRATTON fire station will hold a charity car wash this month. The event is 10am to 3pm on Bank Holiday Monday, May 30. All money raised will go to the Fire Service Benevolent Fund, to help firefighters injured on duty.
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5km race full and extended
Race for Life is three weeks early with 6,000 women entering the Cancer Research UK fundraiser. The 5km run is on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. It has been extended to two days. Now is the time to start raising funds. The target is £390,000, which
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Chopper cash
WILTSHIRE'S air ambulance has been given a £5,000-boost from North Wiltshire District Council. The chairman of the council, Coun Dianne Moore, pictured, has presented the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal with the cheque. The money was raised through a series
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This story has a sting in the tale
NETTLES are usually considered a troublesome weed with a loathsome sting. But Nature for All, a Swindon Services Ranger project, is trying to change this common perception with a forthcoming event. They will be holding an adventure day where you can discover
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Date is set forunited service
SWINDON'S churches will come together for a music and prayer service next month. A World in Need will be a service of music to celebrate the world and pray for the stewardship of its resources and people. The service will take place at 4pm on Sunday,
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Man cut from car after road accident
A MAN suffered spinal injuries after his car was in collision with another one in Lydiard Millicent. Firefighters had to cut the man free from the car after the accident in The Butts yesterday at 4pm. Police, fire and ambulance crews attended and it took
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Why the head's off
PUPILS at a Swindon secondary school where both the business manager and headteacher are off sick have been given a letter about the situation. Ridgeway School in Wroughton is currently without headteacher Elizabeth Cooper and business manager Astrid
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RAF man's command and leadership accolade
A WING Commander based at RAF Lyneham has been recognised for his command, leadership and management excellence. Craig Stanniforth, of the Defence Medical Services (DMS) was given an award to recognise the impact he has had on team performance and morale
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Drink to a family tradition
IF you stand in Devizes Market Place and look north west, you will see facing you the imposing Victorian red-brick structure of Wadworth's Northgate Brewery. The family firm survived the 1960s and 1970s when many small local breweries were taken over
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Spooky goings on!
Ghost walker John Girvan knows how to send a shiver down your spineDON'T look now, but you could be being watched. Devizes has more than its fair share of haunted properties and one man knows more about them than any other. Local historian and blacksmith
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Modern fortress
Devizes Castle todayAFTER Oliver Cromwell defeated the Royalist forces in Devizes, the end was nigh for the medieval Devizes Castle. In 1646 it became a source of building materials for the community. A sketch of 1730 shows the castle mound surmounted
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Lawyers slate claim-chasers
Industrial disease lawyer Brigitte Chandler says adverts which encourage people to make compensation claims should not be handed to people waiting for treatment in hospital A&E departments. And other lawyers have said such firms are giving honourable
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A chance for you to meet the Adver team
Victoria Tagg and Ben Payne meet members of the public 77459-64READERS came forward to share stories with our reporters at the Brunel Centre. We are manning a stand in the town centre every day this week, so come down and give us your scoop. We have set
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School praised by Ofsted team
72007-63A SWINDON school that was shut down and reopened after being labelled a failure is finally on the mend. Headlands School has faced a turbulent three years after being placed in special measures by Ofsted inspectors in 2002. But the news is good
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Shirley's right
Shirley Mathias is right to be indignant about case of the teacher who was found not guilty of assaulting one of his pupils. We should all be indignant that while Clive Harding has been under investigation and suspended from teaching, his school has been
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Think again
HAVING had the privilege of taking part in the official opening by the Sustrans of the cycle route through Coate Water Country Park last summer and enjoying many trips on my bike through the area since, I find it very hard to understand why such a lovely
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Time to fight
I WRITE in response to your front page on KFC. It's time for all of the people of Swindon to fight this sort of thing. I have been fighting with Tesco and SwindonCouncil to oppose the expansion of the Ocotal Way store. Our lives are being made hell by
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Speeding kills . . . end of story
I HAVE noticed over the past few months there have been a lot of complaints from people and organisations over speed cameras. I would like to know exactly what their problem is. Don't they realise there is a law in this country on speeding and the police
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Wilts lose out at home
WILTSHIRE lost a high-scoring matches against Hampshire 2nd their final warm-up before the start of the Minor Counties season at South Wilts. Hampshire scored an impressive 271-8 in their 50 overs, Jimmy Adams (99), Chris Benham (48) and Lawrence Prittipaul
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What's going on in Devizes?
2005 - June 3 to 25: Devizes Festival, scores of jazz, rock and classical concerts, plays, talks and other events at various venues across the town full details in the festival programme available free from outlets all over town. July 2: Devizes Beer
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Oarsome challenge
Devizes to Westminster canoe raceEvery year canoeists converge on Devizes for the sport's most demanding test the gruelling 125-mile Devizes to Westminster canoe race IN 1948 a group of Devizes Scouts set off in their home-made canoes to paddle from their
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Town's heritage on display
DEVIZES is proud to be the home of the Wiltshire Heritage Museum, which houses one of just 62 collections nationally which the Government has officially designated as outstanding. Housed in two Georgian houses in Long Street, the museum is owned and run
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Do make yourself at home
DEVIZES has three town centre hotels, all with restaurants, in the same price range. On the Market Place are the Bear (01380 722444) and Black Swan (01380 723259) while the Castle can be found in New Park Street (01380 729300). The area is very well supplied
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Town knows how to throw a party!
A happy face at Devizes CarnivalIN the days before the National Health Service, local health services had to be paid for by donations from rich benefactors or determined fundraising by the doctors and nurses themselves. Devizes Carnival began as a means
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Local landmarks
BECAUSE much of the landscape around Devizes is chalk downland, local people have often chosen to commemorate a special event by cutting out a figure on a prominent escarpment, allowing the underlying calcium carbonate to show through. So have emerged
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A hidden message from space?
IF you are in the Devizes area between April and September, chances are you could be lucky enough to see at least one of those amazing formations that appear in fields of growing farm produce known as crop circles. Every year for almost 20 years, investigators
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Moonrakers? we're no fools...
The CrammerNATIVE-BORN Wiltshire people are known as moonrakers and there are many versions of the legend that led to this soubriquet. This is just one of them. In the 18th century, Government duty on certain imports, such as brandy, tea and coffee, was
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Drug addict burglar gets rehab course chance
DRUG addict Timothy Powell could escape a jail term after breaking into a house in Chippenham town centre. The 36-year-old, who was living in Swindon, has been told if he completes a three-month drug rehabilitation course he may receive a community penalty
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Youngsters tell what they want
David Blunkett, secretary for State for Work and Pensions, meets Ishen Stewart Dowding, 14QUEEN'S SPEECH - CHILD POVERTY: THE Government has vowed to make tackling child poverty one of the central themes of Labour's next term. David Blunkett Secretary
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Bid to slash knife peril
Tina and Trevor Harfield who fought off a youth who said he had a knifeQUEEN'S SPEECH: Today the Queen's speech in Parliament will announce what new legislation will be discussed in the forthcoming Parliament. Westminster correspondent Mark Hookham, and
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Wonder Mum
WONDER mum Sandra Young has scooped an award for the way she dotes on her family. Judges singled out the 45-year-old for the Asda West Swindon Wonder Mum award after reading about her hectic life. As well as looking after her husband, Doug, 45, and 18
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Masked man threatened to kill young girl
Attack victim Sophie Watt of Wroughton with the doll she was carrying when she was attackedA BALACLAVA-clad man pounced on a 10-year-old girl and threatened to kill her as she walked home from an after-school club. The attacker leapt out of a bush and
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Ease the stress of the office
MENTAL health charity Mind is calling on employers to address rising stress levels at work. It says 12.8 million working days each year are lost to work-related stress nationally. The organisation, which has a branch in Swindon, conducted a survey which
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We're making whoopee
THE good old-fashioned British whoopee cushion is set to take the Hungarians by surprise this summer after a UK firm struck an export deal. The practical joke which mimics the sound of someone breaking wind was shown to Eastern European businesses during
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Volunteers wanted
THE British Red Cross urgently needs more volunteers for its Home from Hospital Service, which operates from the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. This free service offers practical help and emotional support to vulnerable people in the first few weeks
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Get the facts on home ownership
INFORMATION about affordable ownership will be available in Swindon next weekend. Swindon Council will hold a stall outside Debenhams in the town centre from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, May 21, to promote its shared ownership schemes. To combat the problems
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Birthday in song
THAMESDOWN Ladies Choir will be celebrating its 30 anniversary next month. To mark the occasion members will hold a special concert, Sing to Celebrate, at the Wyvern Theatre on Saturday, June 25. One of the special guests singing in the concert is Louise
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Raid on kiosk
VANDALS wrecked a telephone kiosk then drilled their way into its cashbox. The two men were seen using cordless drills to break into the cash box in The Circle, Pinehurst at 1.30pm on Friday. Anyone with information about what happened should contact
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Case adjourned
FORMER Swindon Town star George Ndah has had his court case for speeding adjourned for three weeks. Ndah, pictured, who is worth more than £1.5m, is alleged to have been zapped travelling at more than 70mph on the M4 between junction 16 Swindon West and
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Drug addict burglar gets rehab course chance
DRUG addict Timothy Powell could escape a jail term after breaking into a house in Chippenham town centre. The 36-year-old, who was living in Swindon when he was arrested, has been told if he completes a three-month course at a drug rehabilitation centre
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Watching the world go by
THE gateway signs to Devizes, which you undoubtedly passed on your way here today, feature a canal barge at the foot of the Caen Hill flight of locks, one of the longest in Europe. The canal was built in three stages. The first, in 1723, made the River
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Get on history trail
WHERE did George Eliot reside? Which precocious artist was doing portraits aged only six? How did Ruth Pierce's wrongdoings get discovered, and what did the Queen do here in 1990? The answers to all these questions can be discovered by following the Devizes
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Smoking doesn't light up sex lives
SWINDONIAN sex lives are under threat from smoking. A new campaign in the town features the effect smoking can have on performance and fertility. Posters and leaflets spelling out the impact of smoking on young people have gone out to all secondary schools
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Kids blown away by castle and cop car
77438-49BLUSTERY weather did not stop the fun at the annual Asquith Nursery fete in Wroughton. Much of the activity had to be moved inside to the school hall to escape the strong winds but there was still plenty to see and do. Face painting and a nail
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Soap star is the hook
A SMALL piece of Brookside Close will come to Swindon's Wyvern Theatre for the festive season. Brookside star Stephen Pinder, who played the role of Max Farnham in the former Channel 4 soap has been unveiled as the mystery star at the official launch
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It's wheelie good news
77455-39BLACK bin bags left by the side of the road will soon be a thing of the past for most residents in West Swindon. The first wheelie bins, which will replace the old bags, have been delivered to homes in the area and they will be delivered to every
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Charity hit by PC theft
THIEVES have stolen five laptops from a Swindon-based charity, which staff say will be a huge blow to the organisation. The computer equipment, worth £6,000, was taken from BTCV offices, at Beaver House in Victoria Road. Police say the crime is particularly
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You're lucky
MAY I through your columns say a big thank you to all the wonderful staff at the Great Western Hospital, especially the cardiac centre where I happened to be. Their kindness, concern and professionalism made an enforced stay more acceptable. They inspire
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Feel better and gain some pride
WELL done Shirley Mathias for saying exactly what I was going to write (EA Wednesday, May 11). We must all be responsible for our own lives. Anyone with an iota of common sense can work out that if you earn just £5,000 a year you cannot afford to pay
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In defence of tiny tearaways
I AM writing to say I am shocked about Graham Carter's opinion on the House Of Tiny Tearaways television programme. I love it and find it very interesting. If Graham has based his opinion on one programme then I feel that is very wrong to judge like that
