An offspring of this grumpy old man called me recently. Exasperated. Grandchild number one has a great liking for Disney’s princesses. She likes the DVD’s, the books, and the stickers.. The lot. Obviously in the Christmas riot of present opening she
TWO drivers had a lucky escape on the A419 this afternoon. A motor home and a Peugeot car collided on the southbound carriageway near Cricklade. The motor home ended up on its roof. The road had to be closed briefly while the vehicles were recovered
SWINDON Council narrowly missed out on fulfiling Promise 14 on time but says it is well on the way to completing the job. Adult social care is the only department which remains to be accredited by the Investors in People standard and the lead cabinet
ALL of Penhill will benefit from the re-opening of the church hall, according to the Rev Carol Stone. The building at St Peter's Church, Penhill Drive, which was officially opened by BBC Radio Swindon's Sandy Martin on Saturday, has been closed for
THE mum of a girl who has battled a life-threatening liver condition has thanked school children who raised £250 for charity. Pupils at Ferndale Infants, Juniors and Pre-school paid 50p each to wear yellow instead of their uniforms on Friday. The
MEN in Freshbook bared their chest and increased their pain threshold to be waxed in the name of charity. Ten willing volunteers agreed to have their hairs pulled out to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers. Joanne Harty, 23, from Shaw,
A MAN who has been married for less than a year is desperately appealing for help finding his wedding ring. The man accidentally left the gold ring in the changing rooms at Abbey Meads School before football practice on Monday, January 15, and when
BUSINESSMEN who only visit Swindon occasionally have had a surprise when turning up at their favourite lap-dancing bar after a couple of drinks - it's now a gay venue. "We've had quite a few business-types - who probably only come to the town once
A DATE has been set for the inquest of a man who died after celebrating a friend's 18th birthday. Paul Campbell, 21, of Turl Street, died on February 4 last year. The post mortem examination into the cause of death and a toxicology analysis both proved
SWINDON'S schools are below the national average but are improving, according to the council's yearly study of grades. The town's secondary schools performed worse than the country in general and other similar towns, but the report says the worst-performing
Jaine Blackman samples some good home cooking at the Jolly Tar, which serves wild boar and bison to ring the changes. THERE may not be any jovial sailors at The Jolly Tar but there are some very amiable hosts. There's a warm welcome in store at
A MISSING dog has been safely reunited with her owners. Three-year-old Bailey went missing at 8am on January 15 after being hit by a car on the dual carriageway leading up to the Commonhead roundabout. Bailey's owners, Sharon Selmes and her children
A BUSINESSMAN is battling to save trains running from Swindon to other Wiltshire towns. Graham Ellis says the route from Swindon to Melksham has lost 60 per cent of services thanks to cost-saving cuts. Mr Ellis, who runs a computer training company
SWINDON College overcame some yellow card peril to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier drop with a 24-12 against Abingdon. Two tries from Greig Evenett and another from full-back Darren Johnston were enough
WOOTTON Bassett skipper Dave Floyd refused to concede the Southern Counties South title despite seeing leaders Walcot Old Boys snatch a 15-10 win at Stoneover Lane to move six points clear. Floyd was left to rue the missed tackles that allowed the
WILDCATS failed in their bid to collect a maximum four points as they were beaten at home 4-1 last night by Sheffield Scimitars, writes DAVE EATON. Twenty-four hours earlier Cats came from behind to rattle in nine goals in a 9-6 win over Chelmsford
THE suspension of manager Darren Perrin had the desired effect as Chippenham collected their first points of 2007. A 3-0 home win over Hitchin ended a four-match losing streak in the Southern Premier - a sequence that prompted the Hardenhuish Park
SHRIVENHAM'S surge up the Hellenic Premier Division continued but they had to show character to grind out a 2-1 win at Bicester. The Shrivvy management voiced concerns about rustiness after three weeks without a game, and that was evident early on
DAVE Pratt cemented his position at the top of the Supermarine goalscoring charts on Saturday but then admitted his place is under constant threat. The former New College youngster fired in his 10th of the season to open the scoring against Abingdon
One of the longest serving managers in the Wiltshire League has decided to call it a day at the end of the season. Westside boss Joe O'Rourke said he has taken the club as far as he can and has enjoyed every minute of his 20 years as a player and manager
The Wiltshire League was again disrupted by the weather with just five of the scheduled fixtures getting the go ahead, writes RAY BURROUGHS. At South Marston the pitch looked in good nick for the game between New College and Malmesbury Vics, the home
MICHAEL Timlin is clearly skilled in the silky aspects of the beautiful game' but he is also learning that ugly' is just as crucial if you are going to become a top performer. The Fulham man was handed an instant recall to the starting line-up at Boston
PHIL Smith celebrated his extended stay at the County Ground with another three points although it was a slightly more painful afternoon for his skipper. The Town keeper was powerless to prevent Brad Thomas poking the Pilgrims level but he later made
MICHAEL Pook banished his Boston blues with a thumping strike and a man-of-the-match performance as Town triumphed 3-1 at York Street. This was the venue for the youngster's senior debut back in October 2003 but it wasn't a ground that rated highly
BOSTON United boss Steve Evans believes Swindon Town will be promoted after his side's 3-1 home defeat but felt the referee had got a crucial decision wrong. The scores were level at 1-1 when Jerel Ifil was penalised for bringing down Dave Farrell
This is a difficult place to come. They're a very strong side. Boston get the ball in the box and try and cause you all sorts of concerns. A lot of teams have tried to do that to us away from home. I'm just pleased my players have responded properly
THE Michael Pook Appreciation Society deserves an increase in membership in Paul Sturrock's view after the youngster helped bring League Two leaders Walsall firmly into view. The 21-year-old netted Town's second goal in Saturday's 3-1 victory at Boston
TV PRESENTER Tony Robinson will be the special guest at a conference to discuss caring for vulnerable adults in Swindon. The host of Time Team, took part in a documentary last year about his mum Phyllis who suffered from dementia as part of Channel
SWINDON youngsters are helping decide what facilities will benefit teenagers in the town for years to come. Labour MP for North Swindon Michael Wills met young people on Saturday to discuss what they would like to see included in the proposals for
MOTORISTS seem to be agreeing with the Henry Ford "choice" of colour for a car by opting for black, it has been revealed. Vehicle pioneer Ford once famously said customers could have any colour "as long as it's black". Today, a survey by yesinsurance.co.uk
Some cars have seatbelt buckles which can be accidentally released by flailing arms, according to new findings from Which? Cars made by Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Volvo all had models affected by this type of buckle design, the consumer
SWINDON youngsters are helping decide what facilities will benefit teenagers in the town for years to come. Labour MP for North Swindon Michael Wills met young people on Saturday to discuss what they would like to see included in the proposals for
Kia Cee'd WHAT IS IT? The new C-segment hatchback from Kia, and the main weapon in the firm's sales assault on Europe. WHY SHOULD I BUY ONE? Because it comes within a whisker of the best European offerings, undercuts them on price and has a 100,000
VW Touran 1.9 TDi WHAT IS IT? Volkswagen's compact MPV has been given a facelift, and features new engines and groundbreaking technology called ParkAssist. WHY SHOULD I BUY ONE? Because you need a flexible, seven-seater MPV, and you don't need
NAME: Jaguar C-XF DEBUT: January 2007 APPEARANCE: Potentially controversial. Jaguar is still in trouble and the For Sale' sign has only recently been removed, possibly because of the negative price tag. Slow sales of the X-Type, S-Type and XJ are
FOLLOWING the much talked-about Astra VXR performance hatch, Vauxhall has revealed its baby brother, the Corsa VXR. Due to appear at the Geneva Motor Show in March before going on sale the same month, the three-door Corsa VXR offers stand-out features
THE internet has been blamed for many things, but used car experts believe its existence is helping to firm up the values of modern classics such as BMW's original M3 and Ford's iconic Escort Cosworth, pictured. According to the trade, performance
VOLKSWAGEN has released prices and details for its forthcoming upgraded Touareg. Available to order now ahead of its arrival in showrooms in March, the company's SUV boasts refreshed styling and equipment levels. Touareg prices will start from £29,465
FIRST details have been announced of the new five seat C4 Picasso, which will be launched internationally in the first quarter of 2007, making Citroen the only manufacturer to offer a choice of three compact MPVs. With its distinctively different styling
WHEN I was younger my bedroom walls were plastered with posters of smiling boyband members. Walls, ceiling, side of the wardrobe, back of the door you name it, if there was space then it would soon be occupied by a posing group of blokes all in their
Derrick Bye makes a mistake when he refers to Lord Archer and Lord Mark Thatcher as being two Tories who retained their seats in the House of Lords despite being convicted of serious offences. He is correct in all points with regard to his reference
IN view of the recent debacle concerning escaped prisoners not having their photos released to the public because it would breach their human rights, is it perhaps not time that we subjected chief constables like councillors to local elections? After
THE recent events at The Ridgeway School must not be seen as merely a local problem requiring local solutions. They are symptomatic of a much wider and more fundamental malaise existing in Britain today which has implications for all our schools.
WHILE agreeing that the hammer attack on a pupil at The Ridgeway School is horrific and unacceptable I feel the need to point out that having followed all the newspaper articles, television reports and attended the school meeting as a parent of a pupil
FULL marks to G Scott for his zeal and enthusiasm, but his UKIP fusillades - echoing as they are around the neighbourhood like an irate chicken-farmer's scattergun - need to be more discerning target-wise if he wishes to commend his political affiliations
I WISH to respond to the letter from G Scott (Jan 12) concerning the possible virtues of the United Kingdom Independence Party. G Scott regularly condemns the three main parties in British politics, and calls upon readers to support his party, saying
I was horrified to find out the other day that our unscrupulous Government, which has constantly hit us with new and higher taxes, now wants to force all of us who need to drive to purchase tracking devices at about £200, which would track every movement
BOOKWORMS at Swindon's new library could be ordering a shot of Shakespeare or a pint of Potter. Young people will be able to gossip about their favourite authors while relaxing with a cappuccino at the library's new Book Bar-all. The Lottery's Young
Two men have appeared in court charged with a committing a serious assault in October last year. Edward O'Donnell, 40, and Nicholas O'Donnell, 20, are charged with grievous bodily harm with intent on Sunday, October 22. The two men, of the same
POLICE have arrested a woman suspected of dealing drugs in Swindon. The woman was found to be carrying a substantial amount of cash and what is believed to be heroin. The 25-year-old was arrested in North Street, Old Town, after police received
A DATE has been set for an inquest into the death of a man whose body was found at Coate Water. Twenty-five-year-old Alexander Adair died on June 9 last year. He had been missing for nine days before his body was found in woodland by a dog walker
GHOST hunters are trying to unravel the secrets of haunted Swindon. Dave Wood and his team of paranormal investigators visited the Jolly Tar pub in Hannington on Sunday to try and find an explanation behind some mysterious sightings. Dave said:
Thieves broke into two houses in the same street while the unsuspecting families slept in their beds. The crooks even crept into mum-of-two Mandy Beardsmore's bedroom and stole her handbag from her bedside table. Now she says she wants to move house
WILTSHIRE farms could be the target of surprise visits by Health and Safety Executive inspectors this week. Inspectors will be throughout the south west focusing on the dangers of falls and transport on farms. Principal inspector Nigel Long said
A MAN was arrested after he barricaded himself in his house and started a number of fires. The 42-year-old man from Faringdon was arrested on suspicion of threats to endanger life following the incident on Friday night. Police were called to the
THE British National Party says it is considering setting up patrols in Wroughton and manning the school gates in the wake of the attack on Henry Webster. But Det Sgt Mark Wilkinson, of Swindon CID, has called on all sections of the community to work
AFTER visiting delis in New York, Yummys owner Paul Edwards knew his future was in catering. The 31-year-old originally trained in art and design but after working in a bistro in London preparing food he decided to branch out and open his own sandwich
TWO schoolboys have appeared in court charged with taking part in the hammer attack on a Ridgeway pupil. The pair, who are aged 14 and 15, are alleged to have pointed out the victim Henry Webster to members of a hammer-wielding gang before the attack
POLICE have arrested a gang who burst into a house and attacked a man. Det Sgt Pete Ritson said the victim had been treated in hospital and his injuries are not believed to be life threatening. The attack happened near the junction of Wolsely Avenue
SWINDON star Billie Piper has made it back into the charts without singing a note. The pop sensation turned actress made a return to yesterday's top 40 thanks to a change in the way the charts are counted to include downloads. While the 24-year-old
