Archive
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Compensation needs more thought
IT is grossly unfair that the widows of hepatitis C victims, including Dawn Mobey, look like they will be denied compensation. Not only have they lost their family because the NHS was not screening blood, they have also been told they do not need the
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Level headed
'HANDY' Andy Nicholas is rapidly becoming a County Ground favourite, but he is quite determined not to fall into the 'Big-time Charlie' trap that has dashed many a young player's promising career. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise since joining
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It's sweet 16 as Snell steals win
WESTLECOT overcame Avon Valley in a dramatic finale to reach the last 16 of the Egham Trophy, the national indoor mixed inter-club championship. In a tense match throughout they snatched victory on the very last end with a count of two to win by a single
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Residents campaign against sports wall
ANTISOCIAL behaviour by some youths in Harnham will cause even more misery to residents living in Parsonage Green and around the recreation ground if plans go ahead for a sports wall. This is the claim of local residents, who this week campaigned for
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Nurse celebrates legal success
TISBURY staff nurse Marie Needham is this week celebrating the successful end of a four-year battle for justice, after the Nursing and Midwifery Council decided her name should not be removed from the nursing register. Mrs Needham had admitted a series
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Time to detox your business
WHILE many bosses may be rushing to sign expensive gym memberships, it seems a significant amount would also benefit with a New Year business detox. Those entrepreneurs who fail to get their firms in good shape risk losing vital sales to their leaner
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£5m pilot scheme to ease childcare problems for parents
The Government has launched a £5 million pilot scheme aimed at easing childcare problems for parents going back to work. Unemployed parents in three pilot areas Bradford in Yorkshire and the London boroughs of Haringey and Lewisham will be given a week's
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M4 crash victim 'killed instantly'
Ref. 20224-49GRAPHIC designer Mark Jenkins was killed instantly when a lorry careered into the back of an ambulance in which he was being treated on a motorway hard shoulder, a court heard. Mr Jenkins, 28, of Ferndale Road, Swindon, called for paramedics
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Innogy are hit for six
Ref. 28792-39SWINDON SUNDAY LEAGUE: SHANE Davis hit Innogy for six as Division 2 league leaders Penhill United kept their title charge on track. Davis hit a double hat-trick as Penhill beat Innogy 14-1. A brace of goals for Darren Smart, Lee Edgell and
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Town schools to step up a class
Ref. 28730-116SWINDON TOWN could have representatives in this season's play-off final, even if Andy King's men fail in their push for promotion, writes CRAIG LYUS. Two Swindon schools donning Town red are hoping to grace the Millennium Stadium at the
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Couriers roar back
Mainlink Couriers closed the gap to four points at the top of the league following a tight 3-2 victory against Brookes Baggies. Baggies led 1-0 with a goal from Adam Willis and Mainlink, who missed a penalty fell further behind as Jamie Brookes scored
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Grants available to help boost energy efficiency
Landlords in Swindon can take advantage of grants to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. WarmLet is a scheme being piloted by Swindon Council whereby money is given to private landlords with properties in Swindon Borough and Kennet District
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Hunt bags double to snatch win
MALMESBURY edged out Aldbourne 36-32 in a high-scoring clash. The game was played at Supermarine and Aldbourne opened the scoring with a try by Dave Paulin, who took the ball from a maul and broke away to touch down. Shaun Munday missed with his conversion
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Second-half collapse
A MUCH-CHANGED Chippenham third string was on the receiving end of a hammering as Cleve defeated them 40-6. Chippenham made eight changes but still started with the bare XV and Cleve dominated the first 20 minutes. Chippenham held firm, but the pressure
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Latham power play rescues the visitors
MARLBOROUGH lost ground to leaders Cricklade in the chase for the Dorset & Wilts Two North title as Wootton Bassett's third string claimed a 15-15 draw. The game got off to a disastrous start for the visitors, who defeated Bassett 52-5 at home back
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Swindon gets set for jobs boost
THOUSANDS of government jobs could be coming to Swindon within the next five years. The town is among the favourites to attract a share of 20,000 top civil service posts, which are being relocated from London to the regions in a drive to save money. A
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Marine's mix
HARRY Dibble's try and Louis Armstrong-Jones' conversion were not enough as Supermarine went down 17-7 to Grove in the first of their under 12 clashes. But Marine picked up to earn a 14-14 draw against Wheatley, Armstrong-Jones converting both tries by
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Widow's plea
Ref. 28795-25Dawn Mobey believes her husband Chris died because of a National Health Service bungle. Now she is demanding compensation from the Government so that she can support her three children. THE WIDOW of a man who died after contracting hepatitis
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Hosts go second
CHIPPENHAM'S development squad claimed a 23-20 victory over Bournemouth to take sole possession of second place in the Dorset & Wilts Under 18 Merit Table. Chippenham had their first points on the board after just three minutes with a try from Andy
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Ellis leads way
IT was derby day on the junior rugby scene as Minety and Wootton Bassett took teams to close rivals Swindon. Minety opened up well at under 11 level, defeating Bassett 21-0. They were 7-0 up at the interval through a try and conversion from Ellis Garland
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Champs just two good
Stratton Youth under 14s became the second title winners of the inaugural North Wilts & District Youth League season after beating Highworth Town 3-1 to claim the Division Two crown. Following on from Stratton Juniors' triumph in the Under 15 Division
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Brown Bomber
Ref. 28582-12Malmesbury gained sweet revenge in the Cirencester & District League with a 3-2 win over old rivals Highworth. An early season 5-1 defeat dealt a hammer blow to Malmesbury's under 15 title hopes, but they bounced back to settle the score
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Cricklade's late two-goal surge guns down brave Arsenal
MID-WILTS YOUTH: The young team from Bath Arsenal gave an outstanding team performance in the first half of their under 16 Blue Division game against Cricklade Youth, holding them to a 0-0 score line at the break. Jack Wyatt and Tom Purcell saw Bath take
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Spitfires' Under 14s draw, while seniors lose at Bath
Swindon Spitfires' under 14 side grabbed a superb draw against Bradford on Avon courtesy of debutant Michaela Hesleton's goal. Spirtfires had already lost against Bradford twice this season. Spitfires went behind early on but hit back through Lauren Wakeling
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Swindon make it a yeovil double
SWINDON Town Ladies completed the double over Yeovil Town in the South West Combination League, winning 3-2. Town made the early running with Michelle Rich picking out Claire Moreton on the right, but she could only find the side netting. And, when Jenny
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Backlog worrying Ciren boss
CIRENCESTER Town boss Brian Hughes admits his team's increasing fixture backlog could cost them a tilt at the Dr Martens Western Division title. The Centurions travel to fellow contenders Halesowen tonight, having played just 19 of their 42 fixtures to
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Valuations offer from stamp and autograph experts
WORLD-renowned stamp and autograph firm Stanley Gibbons is coming to Swindon to value collections. A team from the company, whose headquarters are in the Strand, in London, will be at the Villiers Inn, in Moormead Road, tomorrow between 9.30am and 2.30pm
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Razor cuts a dash in jungle
FOOTBALL hardman Neil Ruddock played the hero in the first episode of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. The former Swindon Town star, whose nickname is Razor, braved jungle nasties crawling over his face to earn extra food for his fellow campers. He
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Renewing those old school ties
Ref. 28789-05Nostalgia and fond memories of schooldays past filled the air when former pupils of Penhill Secondary got together for a 40-year reunion. KEVIN SHOESMITH watched the old boys and girls come out to play. AT first, old school pals eyed each
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Why has nobody been prosecuted?
Ref. 28797-07A PART-TIME soldier serving in Kosovo is demanding to know why nobody has been prosecuted for a crash that left him injured. Darrin Lynton, 36, of Barbury Close, Moredon, was riding his Honda 400cc motorbike along Kemble Drive outside the
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Invitation to new students
STUDENTS interested in attending Swindon College have been invited to an open evening to find out about courses on offer. Year 11 pupils and their parents will be able to chat to specialist lecturing and advice teams tomorrow from 5pm to 8pm at the Regent
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Young blades get to the point for Outlet shoppers
Ref. 28779-74SWORDS were drawn at the Designer Outlet Village on Saturday when Swindon Fencing Club treated shoppers to a four-hour display. Twelve members of the club took part in the demonstration, which attracted great interest from passing shoppers
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Front Garden fight goes on
CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to continue fighting against development of the Front Garden despite Swindon Council giving the go-ahead for 4,500 new homes to be built there. The Front Garden Action Group (FRAG) led by Terry King lost its latest battle when the
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End of an era as John cycles off
Ref. 28800-24THE owner of one of Swindon's oldest cycle shops has reached the end of the road. John Mitchell, 56, who owns Express Cycles, in Manchester Road, has decided to wind down the business after 36 years of trading during which time he believes
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Offensive comment about a respectable academic
The assertion by Jean Saunders of Friends of the Earth that Professor Breakwell's assurances that Coate Water will be protected from further development are 'pie in the sky' is an offensive comment about a respected academic vice-chancellors are not given
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Do we really care about twin towns?
HAVING read the report in the Adver regarding the problems with the town's twinning I wonder whether the majority of people in Swindon care one way or the other whether or not we have twin towns. I would not mind betting that most people living in the
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Voluntary sector cuts are false economy
I MUST write to you to express my dismay at the proposed borough council, social services, budget cuts to the voluntary sector, Children's Services. Considering that the Government is clearly placing a much greater emphasis on prevention and wants to
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Fewer councillors will mean greater savings
HOW very kind of the Swindon Borough Council to ask the electorate to chose from a list of given options as to where cuts in expenditure can be made, although they say that the outcome will in no way be binding. This is nothing more than a confidence
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Sad Swindon are run out of it at the death . . .
Swindon suffered their first defeat of the season in Division 1 of the Swindon & District League, going down by one run to Civil Service. Batting first, Civil Service made 124-4 with Sean Smith scoring 39 not out. In reply, Swindon were well-placed
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Residents sick of bad behaviour
LAW abiding citizens in Penhill are trying to fight back to stop yobs making their lives a misery. But they are not reacting with vigilante tactics, but demanding the authorities take action to ensure their neighbourhood is a pleasant place to live. To
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Chocolate and whiskey the key, says 103-year-old
Chocolate and whiskey are the secrets to a long life, according to the Kimberley House Nursing Home resident, Jane Powell who celebrated her 103rd birthday on Tuesday last week. The former schoolteacher and miner's daughter, who worked in Wales and Marlborough
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Residents campaign against sports wall
ANTISOCIAL behaviour by some youths in Harnham will cause even more misery to residents living in Parsonage Green and around the recreation ground if plans go ahead for a sports wall. This is the claim of local residents, who this week campaigned for
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Nurse celebrates legal success
TISBURY staff nurse Marie Needham is this week celebrating the successful end of a four-year battle for justice, after the Nursing and Midwifery Council decided her name should not be removed from the nursing register. Mrs Needham had admitted a series
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Chocolate and whiskey the key, says 103-year-old
Chocolate and whiskey are the secrets to a long life, according to the Kimberley House Nursing Home resident, Jane Powell who celebrated her 103rd birthday on Tuesday last week. The former schoolteacher and miner's daughter, who worked in Wales and Marlborough
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Zurich sets up disability advice line
POTENTIAL Zurich employees can now get free advice on disability issues, thanks to a new scheme. It is hoped the new helpline, which will be manned by trained disability consultants, will encourage more disabled applicants. Sabre Employment Limited, which
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Unskilled staff can lead to costly mistakes firms warned
A DRAMATIC reconstruction to show how a business can make expensive mistakes when its employees lack essential skills in literacy or numeracy has been organised. No Problem? is being performed today at Wiltshire College's Lackham training centre at Lacock
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Shareholders' anger over £2.6m 'golden hello' deal
WH SMITH faces a tough week after it emerged that the new chief executive could get a £2.6 million "golden hello". Shareholders of the struggling retailer, which has its head office in Swindon, say they will use the company's annual meeting on Thursday
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Nose are close
The top two sides in Division Three of the Vanitec Computers sponsored Chippenham & District Sunday League put their unbeaten records on the line with Parsons Nose emerging 3-2 victors to close the gap on leaders Four Seasons. Seasons led 2-1 through
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Money will be the deciding factor ...
Ref. 28773-12TOP-UP FEES FEATURE: THE prospect of finishing university thousands of pounds in debt is making Sasha Vaughan think twice about doing a degree. The 17-year-old Ridgeway School pupil from Wroughton has been accepted to study forensic science
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Twins take a double look at the costs of going to university
Ref. 26181-42TOP-UP FEES FEATURE: HELEN Moscrop thinks she will be in debt to the tune of £16,000 after completing a pharmacy degree at Cardiff University. The 19-year-old first year from Old Town said: "I wanted a degree to follow the career I chose
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High degree of hardship
TOP-UP FEES FEATURE:The question of university top-up fees is a political hot potato which comes to a head with the vote in the House of Commons today. BHAVANI VADDE speaks to politicians, parents and students to find out just where they stand on a controversy
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Residents join up to tackle vandals
Ref. 28780-23VICTIMS of vandals in Penhill are fighting back. A plague of anti-social behaviour is causing misery for residents in Avebury Road. The situation has got so bad that some residents have resorted to installing CCTV cameras on their homes after
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Lucky pair escape injury in dramatic smash
TWO young men had a lucky escape when the car in which they were travelling flipped on to its roof in a Swindon road. The young male driver and a 16-year-old passenger walked away uninjured from the grey Renault Clio after the accident, which occurred
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M4 crash victim 'killed instantly'
Ref. 20224-49GRAPHIC designer Mark Jenkins was killed instantly when a lorry careered into the back of an ambulance in which he was being treated on a motorway hard shoulder, a court heard. Mr Jenkins, 28, of Ferndale Road, Swindon, called for paramedics
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Ben bashes the visitors
WOOTTON Bassett Colts continued their impressive New Year form with a routine five-try 33-5 home win against Bridport. Star performers on the day were powerful wings Stuart McInnes and Ben Lyon. McInnes collecting his try after a clever crossfield kick
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Birch's late double is enough for derby success
Wootton Bassett Under 16s recorded a 19-5 win at home against Swindon in the Wiltshire League. Bassett grabbed the lead when full-back Chris Hale scored a try under the posts which he converted himself. Swindon's cause was not helped by indiscipline which
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Pocock clincher ends Swindon's dismal run of five defeats
Swindon Primary Schools A team earned their first Cotswold League victory of the season with a deserved 1-0 victory away at league champions Gloucester. Having lost their five previous matches Swindon knew that they needed to win this match not just to
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Close run thing in Adver Cup ties
Ref. 28784-19CLOSE-FOUGHT battles were the highlight of quarter-final matches in the Advertiser Cup. Barron Heating from Division One turned in one of the best performances when they held Premier Division County Ground to a 2-2 draw after extra time.
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Five-star success
Chippenham Town Under 14s beat Swindon Town Ladies B team 5-0. Hannah Way and Laura Griffith struck twice with one from Louise Edney. Way broke the deadlock, tapping home a rebound from Rebecca Watson's free-kick. Way set up Griffith for number two before
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Shoppers' pennies turn into pounds for charities
Ref. 28719-28Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves is the old adage and pennies donated from shoppers have helped raise more than £2,000 for local charities. The Prospect Hospice, in Wroughton, and Brimble Hill Special School
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Vandalised toilets are reopened
PUBLIC toilets in Wootton Bassett closed after vandalism have now been reopened. The women's and disabled toilets in Station Road were out of use for more than 18 months. North Wiltshire District Council recently completed major repair works, which cost
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Author passes his own fantasy laws
BEST selling author Jasper Fforde became Swindon mayor and made the radical decision to change the town's official language to Welsh. And this event didn't even occur in one of his fantasy novels, which are set in a parallel version of 1980s Swindon.
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Wheelie bins are rolling in
A ROADSHOW about the introduction of wheelie bins in Wootton Bassett gave residents a demonstration of the green 180-litre containers. The bins take up to three sacks of rubbish and will be delivered to homes on next Monday. An information pack, which
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Police make appeal after man is injured
POLICE are appealing for more information about an accident in which a pedestrian suffered serious head injuries. Ian Williams, 23, from Shaw, West Swindon, was hit by a Toyota camper van as he walked along the Great Western Way between the Blagrove and
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Accident fears if speed humps go
THE mayor of Swindon, Derek Benfield, has spoken out about the latest plans for the controversial speed humps in Covingham Drive. The Covingham community has been split by the speed humps issue. Many people welcome them but others are calling for them
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The curious are delighted at book award
THE book that is fast putting Swindon back on the literary map has scooped another award. Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time has already won the Whitbread Novel Award and is favourite to win this year's overall Whitbread book
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You can do it, Julia tells constituents
JULIA Drown, MP for South Swindon, is encouraging the town's community groups to apply for the B&Q You Can Do It Awards. The awards offer £100,000 to local organisations whose premises are in need of renovation. The grants were officially launched
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They can't see the problems
TOP-UP FEES FEATURE JOHN Bridge estimates he has spent £80,000 on university educations for his three children. The retired businessman has seen changes in higher education from when there were grants for poorer students and no fees. His elder son David
