Archive
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Swindon Town Football Club added almost £1.7m to debts during year of boardroom battles
SWINDON Town took a near- £1.7m hit in the year battle lines were drawn in the boardroom, according to recently released club accounts. Abbreviated accounts for Swindon Town Football Company Limited (STFCL), which owns the County Ground club, were
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Actress Virginia gives big thumbs-up to Mad Max reboot
FILMGOERS shared one of Swindon’s first glimpses of the new Mad Max movie with the original Warrior Woman herself last night. Actress Virginia Hey got her big break on the big screen in 1981 with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior – and the Swindon-based
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More nurses to be trained as booster for hospitals
GREAT Western Hospital has welcomed Oxford Brookes University’s decision to train more nurses. The hospital is expected to benefit from the decision as the university’s teaching places are to rise to 880. Oxford Brookes University feels the
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New site for Sam’s firm in Swindon
Royal stationers finds home on Swindon business parkSAMANTHA Cameron and the Royal family’s favourite stationery company has moved to a new Swindon location.Luxury stationery and leather goods firm Smythson, whose products are used by the Royal Family
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Football fans to fly from Australia for Town’s Wembley finale against Preston
SWINDON Town at Wembley is bigger than Christmas, at least for one family jetting halfway around the world to see the Robins in action next weekend. Lee Bizley, who emigrated to Australia from Swindon in May 2007, has decided to cancel Christmas
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Smooth sailing in Spain for Howell
DAVID Howell got off to a promising start at the Open de España after carding a one-under-par opening round today. But the 39-year-old Broome Manor pro could have found himself even further up the leaderboard in his 11th European Tour event of
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Neighbours pay tribute to OAP killed in a fire
NEIGHBOURS have paid tribute to an elderly woman who died when her mobile home burst into flames. The fire that caused the death of the woman on Wednesday morning has rocked the close-knit community of Abbeywood Caravan Park in Green Lane, Meadowcroft
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Farmer Helen has Desert Island Discs date
PRIZEWINNING sausages might well be the luxury item of choice on this weekend’s Desert Island Discs when Bishopstone farmer Helen Browning is cast away on the popular Sunday morning show. Her choice of eight pieces music for the show – hosted by
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More foster carers needed urgently to avert crisis
FOSTER carers are urging potential parents to sign up and help a child this week, as the number of children in care continues to rise. The charity Community Foster Care (CFC), which finds foster carers for children in Swindon and Wiltshire, is
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Fun day to build community spirit in Swindon
PLANS are well underway for the second North Swindon Community Fun Day, with hopes high it can be better than last year’s inaugural event. Judged an overwhelming success by the 4,000 who attended last summer, the organisers are hoping they can
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Political stalwart discusses his book
ONE of the country’s most popular politicians took time away from the turmoil in his party to talk at Swindon Festival of Literature yesterday. Labour’s Alan Johnson spoke to a sell-out crowd at the Arts Centre about his second book and the current
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Dementia put in focus
HEALTH groups from across the town are organising a series of events to support Dementia Awareness Week. An estimated 850,000 people in the country are living with dementia with the figure expected to rise to one million by 2025. Dementia Awareness
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Card artists box clever
YOUNGSTERS put their heads together to create unique cardboard sculptures to celebrate local packaging firm GWP’s 25th anniversary. Students from Swindon College put their cardboard creations on display in the Brunel Centre earlier this week.
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Newest mayor is ex-RAF man
FORMER RAF-man Ian Ferries has been adorned with Royal Wootton Bassett’s prized regalia following a Mayor Making Ceremony. In a special service held at St Bartholomew and All Saints Church on Wednesday evening, the town councillor was sworn in
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Stabbing probe detectives up against clock
DETECTIVES investigating the suspected murder of grandmother Alison Connolly continue to race against the detention clock as three women remain in custody in connection with the death. The 49-year-old mother of eight, of Penhill Drive, was found
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Postage cheat is told to repay £38k
A MAN who cheated the Royal Mail out of tens of thousands of pounds has been ordered to hand back what he took. Delowar Hussain, who was spared jail for his packaging scam, has also been landed with a bill for more than £8,000 in costs. The
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Town centre traders in petition to keep PCSO
TOWN centre businesses have launched a petition calling to keep their local PCSO who has tackled gangs and shoplifters over the past seven years. A fortnight ago, stores in the town were told PCSO Charlie Milne would be moved from the town centre
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Snap! New College students in photographic show
A GROUP of Swindon students studying photography have a special exhibition of their work on show this week. A Few Frames is showcasing work from a BTech Level 3 extended diploma in photography course at New College. The exhibition is at the
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Carnival’s all set to attract the crowds
WAVES of colour and sound will flood through Royal Wootton Bassett tomorrow as the annual carnival returns to the high street. The fun will start at 10am with a packed schedule of events and exhibits, including a vintage classic car display around
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Boy hit by car at Haydon Wick Primary School
AN eight-year-old boy was struck by a car outside his primary school in North Swindon this morning. Wiltshire Police swiftly responded to the road traffic collision outside Haydon Wick Primary School and closed The Brow as a result. The boy
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Mosey on down to new country and western club in Swindon
Husband and wife Western fans take the reins and breathe new life into club LONGING for the days when fearless cowboys ruled over the Wild West? With period dances held in an authentic desert saloon setting, West Point Country Music Club is
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Let Kentwood Choir entertain you in Swindon
AFTER more than 50 years in show business, the Kentwood Show Choir is set to return to the Wyvern Theatre with a new musical extravaganza on Saturday. From humble beginnings in 1964, Kentwood has gone on to become one of the country’s leading show
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X-Factor star leads a musical of Biblical proportions
PREPARE for thrills, a drop of madness and classic sing-along gems in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Wyvern Theatre next week.Celebrating 35 years since its first tour, Bill Kenwright’s production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
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There’s no in between for Lizzie
THE Inbetweeners’ Lizzie Stables will bring her new play Unearthed to the Swindon Arts Centre next week.Best known as the young woman who stamped on Jay’s heart in the award-winning channel 4 series, the Wiltshire-born actress is back to her theatre roots
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Heaven in a beach hut
STEPHEN WEBB embraces beach chic on a romantic getaway at a secluded cove in beautiful DevonWE'VE just stayed in a beach hut.This was no ordinary beach hut though. This beach hut had a sofa, two tellies, a DVD player, and iPod docking station, a comfy
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Man of Kicks back on stage
REGINALD D Hunter is no more, say hello to the Man of Kicks. Since receiving the moniker from blues legend Dr John, he has seen the light. It is on an epic road trip from North Carolina to New Orleans documenting the 150-year history of American popular
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Sharing a little bit of herself with the audience
WHEN it comes to preparing for her first full touring show, Susan Calman is positively scout-like. “I’ll have my laptop and my box sets. Whenever I travel I take two things with me: one is a very expensive shower gel so that when I’m staying in rubbish
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All about... Moonfest
WORTHY causes and great music go hand in hand on May 16 in the shape of Moonfest, an evening of music being held at The Moonrakers in Cricklade Road.About 260,000 people in the UK suffer from Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease, half of which are diagnosed
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Women arrested after Park South stabbing to remain in custody
DETECTIVES investigating the suspected murder of grandmother Alison Connolly continue to race against the detention clock as three women remain in custody in connection with the death. The 49-year-old mother of eight, of Penhill Drive, was found
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Fake money warning to Swindon businesses
Wiltshire Police is appealing for information after a handful of reported incidents of fake notes being used in the county. Seven offences have been committed across Wiltshire involving fake £50 notes and fake Scottish £20 notes being used over
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Ed Sheeran and Hugh Jackman support Jamie Oliver for Food Revolution Day
A long list of celebrities including the likes of Ed Sheeran and Hugh Jackman have joined Jamie Oliver to celebrate Food Revolution Day in a musical fashion.
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Police extend custody time for women arrested after Parks stabbing
WILTSHIRE Police can confirm that a 36-hour extension of custody for the three women arrested in connection with the death of a Swindon woman has been granted. The three women, aged 19, 19 and 23, and all from Swindon, were arrested on Tuesday
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Swindon Town's play-off at Wembley is dubbed The Replacement Bus Final
SWINDON Town's Wembley play-off with Preston North End is being dubbed The Replacement Bus Final after it emerged that Virgin trains will also be unable to ferry fans from the north. Swindon supporters have alreay learnt that bank holiday engineering
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Care provider to address minimum wage concerns
The BBC has learnt that Mitie's chief executive will meet government officials to respond to claims that it has not been paying the minimum wage.The company owns one of the largest care providers in the UK.In March, the BBC and Corporate Watch revealed
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Co-op chief admits the group’s failure
Chief exec lays the blame on previous bad managementThe chief executive of the Co-operative Group has blamed past mismanagement of the organisation for the problems it has faced.Richard Pennycook told BBC Radio 5 live that the group had been "let
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David Renard says Swindon's voice will continue to be heard
I WOULD like to pay tribute to the council staff and all those who worked to make last week’s elections free, fair, and efficient. Could any of us have imagined that Swindon would have been the second town to declare a result in the whole country
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Mum of eight stabbed to death
Trio arrested over death of Alison Connolly PARAMEDICS’ best efforts were not enough to save 49-year-old grandmother Alison Connolly after she was found fatally stabbed at the bottom of a stairwell in Park South on Wednesday night. Mum-of-eight
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Shocked family members gather at vigil for Swindon grandmother
MEMBERS of Alison Connolly’s large family gathered at St John’s Church, in Park South, at noon yesterday to support each other at a candlelight vigil for the murdered grandmother. Alison leaves behind eight children and a number of grandchildren
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Being seriously funny
MARION SAUVEBOIS hears how a family tragedy inspired one actor to set up his own theatre companyHIS father’s untimely death to Huntington’s disease and the discovery he too had inherited the degenerative condition forced Charles Shetcliffe to contemplate
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MARTIN JONES: The word is not on the street
IN THE days before the internet and on the morning after a famous Town victory, I would invariably find myself in the newsagent’s trying to sneak a look at the back pages of the national press - this paper was the Evening Advertiser in those days and
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Review: Jersey Boys at the New Theatre, Oxford
Jersey Boys New Theatre Oxford, until May 23 YOU know you are part of a more, shall we say genteel, audience when you go into the bar at half-time and there are only four pre-ordered drinks waiting to be sloshed back. Well, that and the
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Mud, glorious mud
Park Life with Swindon Ranger David Bosse As I looked up across the pond to see a group of incredibly happy children, some caked in mud, some with wet feet, but all of them completely engrossed in their search for bugs and beetles and tadpoles, it made
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Sounds Around Town with Dave Franklin
This week’s contentious offering goes like this. Has music lost its voice? Performing music and releasing records is a wonderful platform, which has been used since time immemorial to communicate information. From Dark Age Sagas and Medieval troubadours
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Album of the week: Mumford and Sons - Wilder Mind
MUMFORD AND SONS - WILDER MINDWilder Mind, the third album from Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane, represents a significant departure from the well-established and sometimes polarising Mumford And Sons sound as production work
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Eastern Village developments
THE Eastern Villages developments have come a major step closer, thanks to a brace of planning applications for sites totalling almost 2,600 homes. Commendably, the plans appear to take into account the data from a public consultation and to place
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Thanks for kindness
I FELL and badly grazed my knee last Thursday near the entrance to Stratton Community Centre. I had my knee cleaned and bandaged by the centre’s very kind duty manager, Dan Martin. Also a lovely young lady, Laura, stayed with me and even escorted
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It's not rocket science
RE "Avoid blocked drains" of May 8 from Steve Halden. His advice, aimed at the lowest common denominator, reminds me of nanny state instructions I once had upon purchasing a toaster. It read: “The bread carriage handle won’t lock down unless
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Clarity over the claret
RE MY letter regarding food and wine of May 9, this should have read that the lady discussing a dinner party stated the “friend served red wine with the fish and was not decanted and white wine with venison.” I hope this clears up any misunderstanding
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Please turn sirens off
I WONDER if anyone can explain why on bank holiday Monday at 6.30am, with hardly any vehicles on the road, an emergency vehicle travelled up through Gorse Hill with its sirens blaring? It managed to wake me from my slumber – well done. I thought
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Breathtaking show
I WOULD like to say what a wonderful night I have just encountered at the Simple Minds show at the Oasis – a truly breathtaking conglomerate of musical panache and a feast from albums past and present. Their talents show no sign of wavering in
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Treat the chapel fairly
THE members of the Rehoboth Strict Baptist Chapel, and those in houses affected by the ISG development in Swindon, have my sympathy. Your readers might be interested in the following facts taken from ISG’s last annual report. Point nine of
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It's just another baby
I SEE the royal gravy train has pulled into the London station again. My national paper was again full of pictures of a capitalist birth. Why oh why, if this rich, privileged family must be plastered all over the media, can they not be put
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Why no VE day respect?
I WOULD like to express my heartfelt thanks to Royal Wootton Bassett for honouring VE Day on Friday 8 May at their cenotaph, with love, respect and deep gratitude to all who sacrificed their lives in protection of our beloved country from the invasion
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PLAY-OFFS 2015: Wembley may be just out of reach for Louis
LOUIS Thompson’s dream of a final Swindon Town appearance at Wembley appears to be receding, with the midfielder seemingly unlikely to be fit to return for the League One play-off final next weekend. The midfielder - loaned back to Town this season
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Rory makes big impression at Swindon Festival of Literature
Satirist makes the most of fallout from election THE week after a general election is one of the busiest times for a satirist, and as the country’s leading satirist it is no different for Rory Bremner. The famed comedian and impressionist was
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Wildcats snap up Liddiard
SWINDON Wildcats have announced that British D-man Neil Liddiard is returning to the club where he began his career for the new season. The 37-year-old, who has spent the last 12 seasons with the Guildford Flames, began his career with the Cats
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Could Howell reign in Spain on his Tour return?
WHEN David Howell takes to the golf course in Barcelona this afternoon there will be a familiar face alongside him in former caddie Jason Hempleman. Howell will be hoping to pick up where he left off in China when he tees off at the Open de España
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PLAY-OFFS 2015: Don't rule out the skipper
NATHAN Thompson’s hopes of leading his side out at Wembley have not been completely dashed, even though a scan has revealed a grade two hamstring tear. Thompson limped off from Monday’s madcap play-off semi-final second leg victory over Sheffield
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THE WASHBLOG: There can be no analysis of mad Monday
The best bit is often the pint afterwards, or the discussion of ‘what if’ on the journey home. These are the moments when football is at its best – when it has stopped. Then the dissection of the 90 minutes can begin and it doesn’t matter if that
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IN DEPTH WITH...Duncan Shearer
IN FOOTBALL folklore, the surname Shearer is synonymous with the rippling of the back of the net. But not every Shearer is down your road lurking in a darkened saloon, accompanied by ghostly apparitions of figures from his youth as he waits to
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Katie makes the grade in nationals
ESPRIT club’s Katie Francis tasted success at the National Grades team finals at Stoke-on-Trent. Following the recent success of gymnasts from the Stratton-based club at the regional grades competition, the 11-year old made the trip to her first-ever
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Tough cookie is made of Wright stuff
CHARLES Wright was chuffed after quickly shaking off the effects of a spectacular tumble to keep his flourishing debut Elite League season on the straight and narrow. The Swindon Robins reserve racked up a respectable seven points during his team
