Stories for 9 March 2006
Amesbury News
A SERVING soldier from Tidworth is fighting for his life in hospital after receiving serious head injuries in a late-night fracas outside a Ludgershall pub. more...
Calne News
An elderly woman handed over £4,200 to unscrupulous men who charged her £1,200 to take down a tree and £3,000 to cover her driveway and around her fish pond with gravel. more...
DOG lovers in Calne now have their own special area to walk their canine companions. more...
SOMERFIELD is remaining tight-lipped over plans to turn the first floor of their Calne store into 23 apartments. more...
CHILDREN in Calne are being given the opportunity to attend a special disco organised by the town's police next week. more...
Accomplished youngsters at the Calne Speech and Drama School are celebrating top results in their LAMDA awards. more...
CANCER sufferer Louise Gorry and her family are determined to put five hard years of suffering behind them. more...
Chippenham News
FRAIL grandmother Lilian Mortimore has been left traumatised after bogus water board workers pushed her to the ground before running off with her life savings. more...
CHIPPENHAM and Devizes are preparing for royal visitors over the next few weeks. more...
The countdown is under way for the Chippenham Eddie Cochran Cherished Memories Weekender in five weeks time. more...
ADDITIONAL taxi ranks could be found in Chippenham town centre following a growing number of taxis. more...
MORE than 1,000 patients at Caledonia Dental Practice in Chippenham will keep their places on the NHS list after an eleventh hour funding reprieve. more...
WOMEN from Chippenham who have fought or are fighting breast cancer are producing a calendar to mark the tenth anniversary of the town's breast care group. more...
WOMEN from Chippenham who have fought or are fighting breast cancer are producing a calendar to mark the tenth anniversary of the town's breast care group. more...
DIGITAL artist Katy Shepard will be working with students at Wiltshire College Chippenham as artist in residence. more...
A bright future beckons for North Wiltshire MP's wife Sarah Gray as she emerges from a dark and difficult journey fighting breast cancer with a clean bill of health. more...
HYGRADE managing director Jeff Steer has refused to bargain with the Transport and General Union over his firms 550 redundancies. more...
THE son of leading North Wiltshire District councillor Dianne Moore has been jailed after he stole her jewellery, including her engagement ring, to fund his gambling. more...
FAMILY and colleagues have paid tribute to Hilmarton's Queen of Indian dance, Jannanee Muniandy, who died suddenly at home on February 26, aged 33. more...
DEVOTED daughter June Jaques is fuming after health bosses secretly moved her frail mother from one hospital to another in what she branded a "covert, SAS-style exercise." more...
City Events
WINNERS of the club's City Supaloot draw for week ending Saturday, March 11 are as follows... more...
City Ladies
LEAGUE champions Salisbury City Ladies will take on Andover New Street away on Sunday, March 19 for a place in the final of the Hampshire League Cup. more...
City Squad
"COOKIE" signed for Salisbury City in October 1999 on a free transfer after being released by Millwall. more...
Corsham News
VINTAGE car enthusiast Leslie Butt took his own life after suffering relationship problems, poisoning himself with fumes in the front seat of one of his vehicles, an inquest heard. more...
THE funeral of Corsham father-of-one Simon Sproule will be held at St Aldhelm's Church today. Mr Sproule, 31, was found dead at his Charles Street home by his father, William, on February 25. more...
Devizes News
DEVIZES School teacher Carl Musgrove has stepped up his campaign to get compensation for the 1,000 or more British servicemen suffering from Gulf War Illness. more...
A MAN from the Devizes area has been told he faces a substantial period in prison after being found guilty of sexual offences against children. more...
KENNET District Council is looking for visitors to their leisure centres to report back on the services. The council wants to recruit the mystery shoppers as part of a leisure centre improvement plan. more...
TWO groups who have used the Corn Exchange in Devizes for annual fundraising events for years have moved to other venues because of a hike in hire and catering charges. more...
DENTAL nurse Sarah Wrigglesworth plans to trek up three volcanoes in Italy to raise money for dental equipment for Third World countries. more...
Taxi driver Paul Swain, who was accused of making a racist remark to a child, says he is at his wits' end after failing to get school contract work back even though the police dropped the case against him
Mr Swain vehemently denies that he made a racist remark to a child he was transporting in his cab. more...
Father-to-be Zak Ridley beat up his girlfriend after hearing that their unborn child might have Down's Syndrome, a court was told. more...
LARGE multiple chains are not interested in coming to Devizes and plans to rejuvenate the town centre have foundered on trying to attract them, Kennet councillors were told last week. more...
FATHER and son Peter and Joe Kent will be competing in this year's Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race but in different canoes. more...
DEVIZES firefighters had to call for an aerial appliance from Salisbury to dismantle a dangerous chimney in the town centre on yesterday night. more...
COUNCIL officers raided a noisy neighbour and seizes his stereo and TV after he ignored a court order. more...
STAUNCH Kennet Valley bandsman Bob Watts had a surprise waiting for him at his 100th birthday celebrations. more...
DRIVERS using London Road in Devizes are being warned to expect delays when Wessex Water starts three weeks work on making connections to two mains to serve new homes at Le Marchant Barracks. more...
HIGHWAYS bosses have given in to protesters and agreed to carry out a £35,000 traffic study in Devizes that could shape the future development of the town. more...
Entertainments
AN exciting pilot project reaches fruition next week, when a specially devised workshop production, When Brecht Met Stanislavski, is performed in Salisbury Playhouse's Salberg Studio to GCSE and A-level students studying drama and theatre studies. more...
Gazette Agony Column
I've got a great job that I really enjoy but it means I work the most unsocial hours often, I'm going to work at 10pm. I've had girlfriends but they can never cope with the fact that I'm not there when they want to go out. more...
Gazette Chippenham Town Fc
CHIPPENHAM Town boss Darren Perrin is set to offload any weak links as he looks to restore some of the passion in his stuttering side. more...
Gazette Film Reviews
AL Pacino at his growling, brooding best cannot raise this routine sports drama from its mundane, by-the-numbers stupor. more...
IF you are a fan of gore-filled horror then this remake hacks its way efficiently through all the bloody clichs required of the genre. more...
ANTHONY Hopkins is as commanding as ever in a film that he dominates from start to finish. more...
Gazette Food And Drink
Forget jars of jam for nearly a century the Women's Institute has enjoyed an unsurpassed reputation for delicious home cooking. more...
Gazette Football
DEVIZES boss Nathan Sheridan has told his side they need to ensure safety within the next six games, as they embark on their biggest two months in years. more...
Gazette Music
MARCH 18 2006, CHIPPENHAM: Chippenham audiences are in for a treat on Saturday March 18 when Craig, Morgan, Robson and the Tabbush Sisters, two of the country's foremost a cappella trios, join forces to present Women in Harmony at the Cause in Chippenham. more...
Gazette Rugby
CHIPPENHAM'S rugby star Tom Boreham has his sights set on the senior England team after being selected for the U16 side. more...
DEVIZES Rugby Club had their skills tested on the international scene at the weekend. more...
Gazette Sue Pycroft Column
WHEN I rang up to book the cottage in Norfolk a couple of months ago the owner hesitated before telling me the price. more...
Gazette Theatre & Arts
UNTIL MARCH 25 2006, SALISBURY: Charlotte Jones' perceptive play, Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, is a quirky, touching, hilarious depiction of richly diverse characters. more...
MARCH 16 - 18 2006, WOOTTON BASSETT: Wootton Bassett's long-established amateur dramatic society, The Clarendon Players, will stage Peter Gordon's hilarious spoof whodunnit Murdered to Death. more...
MARCH 16 - 18 2006, WOOTTON BASSETT: Wootton Bassett's long-established amateur dramatic society, The Clarendon Players, will stage Peter Gordon's hilarious spoof whodunnit Murdered to Death. more...
MARCH 7 - 11 2006, BATH: Masks, magic and mayhem characterise this Australian company's debut contribution to an English celebration of the Bard. more...
Letters
I WOULD like to take this opportunity in thanking members of the Carnival crew, the police, first aid, PACT, Pewsey Parish Council and Kennet cleansing team for helping out last Saturday. more...
MAY I ,on behalf of the young people and volunteers of the Drop In centre, thank the Baccay Trust for their gift of a computer. more...
I REFER to your article Car park plan scaled down.' The planning policy in relation to car parking in Devizes is, once again in confusion a never ending saga. more...
LAST Thursday morning, in New Park Street, I tripped and fell. A young man in a red van stopped and helped me up, and as I was bleeding badly from a gash above my eyebrow, he took me to casualty and waited with me until I was attended to. more...
MAY I through the columns of your paper thank everyone who supported the Save the Children Tea Party on Shrove Tuesday. It was a sell-out and just under £600 was raised for the charity. more...
MAY I say a sincere thank you to the three ladies that helped and tended me in the Marlborough High Street last Wednesday when I slipped on the ice and went a cropper. more...
IN RESPONSE to your review of the concert given by White Horse Opera's professional team of soloists in Devizes Town Hall I feel I have to completely agree that this was, indeed, an evening of operatic brilliance from all those involved. more...
SCRABBLE in Swindon will never be the same again. Steve Perry of Highworth Scrabble Club (HSC) masterminded his 10th and final Swindon Open at the Nationwide building on March 5. more...
I WRITE to protest about the covert SAS-style exercise undertaken early this morning to transport patients from Westbury Community Hospital to Melksham Community Hospital. more...
I WOULD like to respond to a letter written by V Compton. I feel it is only fair that both sides of this are heard. As Ms Compton has publicly had her say I would like mine and I'm sure others would agree. more...
JUST to say a big thank you to the Gazette for its part in the organisation of the Shelley Rudman Celebration Day. It just goes to show what the residents of Pewsey and the Gazette can do when we work together. more...
I READ with interest that it was hoped that the speed in the Durley area near Burbage, could be reduced. I and members of my family, travel that route most days and we would agree that a speed reduction is indeed necessary. more...
YOUR report last week on Kennet's justification for the imposition of wheelie bins contained a series of disgraceful statements from council officers. more...
I WOULD like to add my own experience of bi-weekly refuse collections to the debate which has come into your letters page over the past weeks. more...
I WOULD like to thank Geoff Kunkler and his many helpers, who put on a marvellous show in Pewsey for our silver medallist winner Shelley Rudman. more...
Malmesbury News
A WOMAN who made a scrapbook of old pictures after the death of her parents has published them as a pictorial history of Malmesbury. more...
Malmesbury businessman Badrul Amin is appealing to the people of Wiltshire to support fundraising efforts for 500-bed cancer unit in Bangladesh. more...
THE roof at Brinkworth's historic church had become so leaky that the Rev Derek Ormston was on the verge of asking the congregation to bring umbrellas into the service. more...
SHERSTON School celebrated its first birthday last Thursday with a helping hand from the Bishop of Swindon. more...
The Friends of Athelstan Museum in Malmesbury are calling for volunteers to join them in revitalising the building when they take over its management from North Wiltshire District Council next month. more...
CAT lover Nikki White has flown back from a holiday in South Africa to search for her cat after he went missing from her new home in Garsdon, near Malmesbury. more...
Malmesbury Town Council has started taking nominations for the Citizen of the Year Award 2006. more...
Marlborough News
MARGARET Baker from Marlborough is taking two of the German shepherd dogs she has been breeding for 30 years to Crufts. more...
THE inquest into the death of Marlborough dating agency tycoon Christopher Matthews in a helicopter crash in the USA in August 2004 will be held in Swindon next week. more...
Garage owner Zubair Dean has been charged with bigamy and bailed to appear in Salisbury Magistrates Court on March 22. more...
THE chain of office worn by the Mayor of Marlborough Hilary Cripps was borne on a black velvet cushion carried by her Chaplain, Father Philip Thomas, to her civic memorial service on Thursday. more...
THE chain of office worn by the Mayor of Marlborough Hilary Cripps was borne on a black velvet cushion carried by her Chaplain, Father Philip Thomas, to her civic memorial service on Thursday. more...
Pewsey News
EVEN for an Olympic champion the excitement of a homecoming was almost too much to handle. more...
BANNED driver Miles Parker is facing a community sentence after driving to an urgent hospital appointment. more...
BOOKKEEPER Ashley Barlow claims he saw a panther-like big cat by the railway line in Pewsey. more...
THE Ice Queen of Pewsey Shelley Rudman, the only member of the Great Britain team to win a medal in the Winter Olympics, proved on Saturday that she has melted the hearts of the people. more...
Salisbury Business News
THE Forum of Private Business is on the look out for the country's business champion from the political world. more...
TELECOMMUNICATIONS company 4com, of Churchfields industrial estate in Salisbury, is sponsoring Gary May, a rising star in British motorbike racing. more...
THREE companies with outlets in south Wiltshire have announced major developments. more...
Salisbury Children'S Page
Hi, everyone and welcome to the Journal Gang. Did you get caught in any snow? more...
Salisbury City Fc News
MATT Tubbs will find out the results of his MRI scan tomorrow. more...
MATT Tubbs will find out the results of his MRI scan tomorrow. more...
SALISBURY City will be looking to maintain the winning habit when they welcome Mangotsfield United to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium on Saturday. more...
SALISBURY City will be looking to maintain the winning habit when they welcome Mangotsfield United to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium on Saturday. more...
Salisbury News
SALISBURY radio station Spire FM will be hosting the Big Big Auction on Sunday, March 19, in aid of local charity the Trussell Trust. more...
SALISBURY radio station Spire FM will be hosting the Big Big Auction on Sunday, March 19, in aid of local charity the Trussell Trust. more...
A DUCK is fighting for survival after its bill was taped together in a sickening attack. more...
Shelleyg
A wellwisher with his own skeleton bob tribute more...
Shelley Celebrates more...
Shelley waves to the crowd from the Moonrakers Pub more...
Shelley Rudman shows off her silver medal more...
Shelleygallery
Shelley Rudman shows off her silver medal more...
Stfc Headlines
SEAN O'Hanlon says collective responsibility is the order of the day and the Town captain is adamant the current slump will not fracture the spirit in the County Ground dressing room. more...
THE fans' fight to raise spirits takes to the road on Saturday with the first official Red Army Loud and Proud away day. more...
JON RITSON looks at the run-in for Iffy Onuora's team and discusses whether they can avoid the drop. more...
RICKY Shakes admits nothing less than five wins from the final 10 matches will do as Town contemplate a relegation dogfight that seems increasingly likely to go to the wire. more...
Swindon Business Headlines
Stroud & Swindon Building Society has posted a strong set of results for 2005 despite a competitive market and increasing costs of regulation. more...
Honda's Civic Choir TV ad has been viewed online more than three million times in just one month. more...
Honda's Civic Choir TV ad has been viewed online more than three million times in just one month. more...
A Swindon company which has links with Serbia has just moved its head office to Wootton Bassett. more...
Halcrow, the Swindon engineering company which has worked on million pound projects across the world, has now sorted out a waste water system in Honduras. more...
Halcrow, the Swindon engineering company which has worked on million pound projects across the world, has now sorted out a waste water system in Honduras. more...
Swindon Eating Out
SSSHH....don't let the health and safety people know, but a dog roams around the dining tables at the Vine Tree in Norton. more...
Swindon Football
ANDY CRYER chats to Cliff Puffett, chairman of non-League Swindon Supermarine, about his big ambitions for the club. more...
Swindon General Sport
DARTS: Wiltshire Youth will be staging their first-ever County Youth darts match this Sunday with a friendly versus Dorset at the Gorse Hill WMC. more...
ATHLETICS: RICHARD Batsford has run into the Wiltshire team for the English Schools' Cross Country Championships later this month. more...
Swindon Ice Hockey
WILDCATS coach Ken Forshee has warned his players against complacency ahead of tonight's crucial clash with Peterborough. more...
SWINDON npower Wildcats have raised over £13,000 for charities from their festive memorial match. more...
Swindon Letters
ON March 13, 1996, 16 children were shot dead at a school in Dunblane. more...
A EUROSCEPTIC masterstroke. more...
I COULD not agree more with Alan Hayward's letter, Review loss of this school. more...
I WAS helping to collect signatures in Swindon town centre on Saturday for a national petition opposing the Government's proposal to introduce ID cards when I met about six or seven young people who had organised their own petition opposing a blanket ban on skateboarding in the centre of Swindon. more...
SWINDON Council is to raise our level of council tax again like they have every year no matter which party is in control. more...
I HAVE been looking at the Pro-Test website after hearing what they have had to say about animal testing. And have a few comments. more...
WELL done Laurie Pycroft. At last someone has had the guts to stand up to these animal rights terrorists. more...
Swindon Music
SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2006, LECHLADE: String, one of the south west's most prominent bands in the late 1980s, are getting together again this weekend. more...
Swindon News
BOMB disposal experts were called to Swindon Bus Station to blow up a suspicious package which turned out to be a harmless box of frozen fish. more...
ROCK group Bon Jovi could have been playing in Swindon this summer if the town's football club had a larger capacity. more...
SWINDON MPs Anne Snelgrove and Michael Wills can sleep soundly in their beds. more...
STAR Wars fanatic Luke Skywalker has been feeling the force of a tattoo artist's needle in a bid to create a lasting tribute to his heroes. more...
SWINDON Station has been given a facelift, thanks to children at one of the town's special schools. more...
RIVAL football fans caused chaos when they clashed at a Swindon pub after two games were cancelled. more...
A NURSE fighting breast cancer had her High Court battle for the right to the wonder drug' Herceptin put on hold pending the outcome of a test case involving a Swindon woman. more...
CARER Wendy Beebee is looking forward to giving herself some TLC after scooping £20,000 at Gala Bingo at Greenbridge. more...
SWINDON train operator FirstGroup has been cleared by the Competition Commission to buy the new Greater Western rail franchise. more...
ABBEY Meads councillor Justin Tomlinson has issued some recycling advice to residents wishing to find out more about the ward's fortnightly recycling collection. more...
ABBEY Meads councillor Justin Tomlinson has issued some recycling advice to residents wishing to find out more about the ward's fortnightly recycling collection. more...
Swindon singer and songwriter Billyjon is holding a charity gig evening, on Friday, at the Coleview community centre. more...
Swindon singer and songwriter Billyjon is holding a charity gig evening, on Friday, at the Coleview community centre. more...
AN ANTI-SPEED camera campaigner has condemned speeding traps as a Government cash cow after a national survey revealed that one in six people have been caught. more...
TWO men posing as policemen made off with a purse from a house in Rodbourne. more...
CHILDREN from Ashton Keynes' French twin town are learning all about life in the English village this week. more...
CHILDREN from Ashton Keynes' French twin town are learning all about life in the English village this week. more...
A BUDDING Delia Smith from Swindon has won the coveted title of Junior Chef of the Year in a national catering competition. more...
A BUDDING Delia Smith from Swindon has won the coveted title of Junior Chef of the Year in a national catering competition. more...
A BUDDING Delia Smith from Swindon has won the coveted title of Junior Chef of the Year in a national catering competition. more...
FIRST Great Western customers can tuck in to a tasty range of new snacks designed to celebrate this year's Brunel 200 anniversary. more...
WHEN his manager first suggested it might be good for him to take part in a new BBC TV programme, classical singer Russell Watson was reluctant to say the least. more...
WHEN his manager first suggested it might be good for him to take part in a new BBC TV programme, classical singer Russell Watson was reluctant to say the least. more...
IF the secretary of state for culture, media and sport makes it to Swindon in a month's time it means she has survived a tough few weeks in parliament. more...
IF the secretary of state for culture, media and sport makes it to Swindon in a month's time it means she has survived a tough few weeks in parliament. more...
IF the secretary of state for culture, media and sport makes it to Swindon in a month's time it means she has survived a tough few weeks in parliament. more...
PUPILS at Wootton Bassett have been munching on worms and massaging millipedes. more...
SWINDON-BASED train company First Great Western is to be the central feature of a new computer game. more...
THE local police officer for Liden, Eldene and Dorcan will hold a public surgery on Friday to give people a chance to air their views on police matters. more...
MARIE Curie Cancer Care is urging Swindon residents to support its Great Daffodil Appeal, which is running throughout March. more...
MARIE Curie Cancer Care is urging Swindon residents to support its Great Daffodil Appeal, which is running throughout March. more...
PARENTS could be prosecuted if they take their children out of school during term time. more...
PARENTS could be prosecuted if they take their children out of school during term time. more...
AN ARMY captain who ran one of Swindon's best-known businesses has died. more...
Stuck in GWH since January despite not being ill, amputee Tony Collins left his hospital bed to make a personal plea to council leaders... more...
Youngsters from Belarus have been having the time of their lives at a Swindon fire station. more...
Youngsters from Belarus have been having the time of their lives at a Swindon fire station. more...
A CD and DVD firm has closed with the loss of 160 jobs after a downturn in consumer spending. more...
A CD and DVD firm has closed with the loss of 160 jobs after a downturn in consumer spending. more...
PRIORY Manor residents have forced a developer to reconsider the location of a proposed children's park after concerns that it would be built too close to retirement flats. more...
SKATEBOARDERS say the police should have other things to do rather than drive them out of town. more...
SKATEBOARDERS say the police should have other things to do rather than drive them out of town. more...
SKATEBOARDERS say the police should have other things to do rather than drive them out of town. more...
SKATEBOARDERS say the police should have other things to do rather than drive them out of town. more...
SKATEBOARDERS say the police should have other things to do rather than drive them out of town. more...
According to a new study, Swindon is experiencing a financial boom. But what does this mean for the town? Anthony Osborne reports more...
According to a new study, Swindon is experiencing a financial boom. But what does this mean for the town? Anthony Osborne reports more...
TRAFFIC-calming measures have been installed outside a West Swindon school. more...
A WOMAN thought to be a victim of sex trafficking has been arrested following a raid in Swindon. more...
TWO homes in nearby streets were hit by distraction burglars in the space of a few hours. more...
THE parents of a Wootton Bassett man facing a life sentence in a Thai jail are delighted their MP is to enlist the support of the British ambassador in Thailand. more...
A CHARITY which helps 80 disabled people may have to close after Swindon Council voted against granting it a lifeline. more...
A CHARITY which helps 80 disabled people may have to close after Swindon Council voted against granting it a lifeline. more...
A CHARITY which helps 80 disabled people may have to close after Swindon Council voted against granting it a lifeline. more...
A MULTI-MILLION pound road scheme to speed up the A419 at Blunsdon was today given the green light. more...
Trowbridge News
A DEPRIVED area of Trowbridge has been chosen to trial a new policing initiative. more...
Westbury News
A WOMAN who has battled breast cancer for five years has organised an epic walk to raise funds for hospital equipment. more...
Wiltshire News
PRELOADER, the Wiltshire and Swindon Short Film festival, is coming to the Cove Theatre at Wiltshire College Chippenham next week. more...
WILTSHIRE County Council's Horton Road depot in Devizes is hardly the place you would think of to put a Mercedes through its paces, but the all-purpose Unimog is not everyone's idea of a Mercedes. more...
THE boards of Kennet and North Wiltshire and West Wiltshire Primary Care Trusts agreed their trusts should be merged into a larger organisation. more...
SCHOOL dinners supplier Sodexho is demanding more cash or it will scrap new healthy menus. more...
SENSE, the national deaf and blind charity, says Wiltshire County Council has improved its identification of deaf and blind people, which will help them receive the services they are entitled to. more...
Woottonbassett News
Wootton Bassett's ongoing restoration project of Jubilee Lake could receive a £20,000 boost today if North Wiltshire District Council agrees to funding. more...
Inspector Mark Levitt has warned the police will be coming down hard on motorists who fail to obey the one-way system that comes into operation in Wootton Bassett on Monday. more...
Staff at St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School are appealing for donations of reading books to take to Zambian pupils in the Easter holidays. more...
David Bishop could not accept that he had split up with the mother of his 12-year-old child. more...
Pupils from Broad Hinton Primary School were introduced to the delights of Indian food during a visit to a restaurant last Wednesday. more...
Wootton Bassett Town Rotary Club has raised £780, thanks to an evening of frog-hopping fun. more...
