Stories for 31 December 2007

Angling

Team Bathampton riding high

SENSAS Bathampton Avon Aquatics have enjoyed an outstanding year and have established themselves as one of the top match squads in the South West.  more...

Calne News

Thieves target sheds

DETERMINED thieves struck six sheds across Calne in a spate of Boxing Day burglaries.  more...

Cd Reviews

James Taylor - One Man Band

James Taylor, like Jackson Browne, seems to have survived in a state of permanent youth since his heyday in the higher echelons of the early 70s singer-songwriter movement.  more...

Alvin Lee - Saguitar

Alvin Lee is one of the most famous British blues guitarists, catapulted to prominence when his band Ten Years After was captured on film in the Woodstock documentary.  more...

Jim Muir Slideshow - ...And With The Fading Of The Light

Time spent as a junior doctor (with band mate Paul Galpin) led to Jim Muir writing songs, and this debut album follows 3 EPs which have sold well around Sheffield.  more...

Dean Owens - Whisky Hearts

It is not hard to remember that the roots of country music are in celtic folk when listening to a Scot singing rock like Steve Earle.  more...

Tom Ovans - Party Girl

Party Girl may be the best album Bob Dylan has made in 20 years (think Infidels, rather than Oh Mercy).   more...

Clara Sanabras - Clara and The Real Lowdown

If the female folk that makes its way onto ads like Audi's and Orange's has any appeal, and you're into performance art, then Clara Sanabras has something for your mind.  more...

Chippenham News

Hospital funding boost uncertain

Medical workers have spoken of their disappointment at learning of the delay to a proposed multi-million pound boost for Chippenham hospital.  more...

Woman honoured after stint in Iraq

DEDICATED Patricia Culling has been awarded an MBE for her services to the Ministry of Defence just months after returning home from Iraq.  more...

Man angered by needless violence

THE area manager of a newsagents that was raided on Boxing Day has spoken of his contempt for the man who attacked his female employee.  more...

Need help to quit the habit?

HYPNOTHERAPY classes to help smokers quit in the New Year are set to begin in Chippenham.  more...

Police hail succesful op

A SUCCESSFUL undercover operation by police to catch purse thieves in Chippenham was wrapped up at the end of the year.  more...

Chippenham Sunday League News

Box blow their chance of top spot

PREMIER DIVISION: Box Rovers blew their chance of topping the division at the start of 2008 when they lost 4-0 at home at the hands of Winsley which ended Rovers’ six match unbeaten run.  more...

Leaders’ attitude fails to impress

DIVISION ONE: Leaders The Ship hit four unanswered goals away at Biddestone Arms to maintain their 100 per cent record as they stretched their winning run to 10 matches.   more...

White Hart complete swift winning double

DIVISION TWO: Everything remains the same at the summit as the top three teams sat out this weekend’s round of fixtures.  more...

AFC Melksham are riding their luck

DIVISION THREE: AFC Melksham may be sitting pretty at the top of the table, but they are riding their luck at the moment. Their 2-1 victory over Corsham Park Rangers was the third time in as many games that had luck been against them then the result could have been different.   more...

Somerford happy with a point

DIVISION FOUR: Despite not having a match Steeple Ashton Rangers go into the New Year still top of division four after their closest rivals, Corsham Centre B and Corsham United, both failed to take full advantage of their inactivity.   more...

Chippsun News

Box blow their chance

PREMIER DIVISION: Box Rovers blew their chance of topping the Robson Taylor, Chippenham League Premier division at the start of 2008 following their 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Winsley which ended Rovers six match unbeaten run.  more...

Corsham News

Shillaker to teach English and sports in Kenya

FOOTBALLER Joe Shillaker will be hanging up his boots for two months at the end of January to teach at a school in Kenya.  more...

Gazette Chippenham Town Fc

'Gloucester will be as tough as any game' - Iain Harvey

Every single game in this league is a hard one - there are no walkovers - and the team who will succeed will be the one who digs in.  more...

Gazette Rugby

Chippenham U23 29, Chippenham Over 23 34

Chippenham Rugby Football Club have in recent seasons resurrected the annual Boxing Day match.  more...

Devizes President's Men 17, Devizes Chairman's 14 XI

All the President's men rose to the occasion in overcoming the Chairman's XV for the second year running.  more...

Malmesbury News

Ian Anderson honoured

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson was awarded an MBE for services to music in the New Year's honours.  more...

Couple threatened with jemmy bar and robbed

A TERRIFIED elderly couple were robbed and threatened in their own home by three men brandishing a jemmy bar on Saturday.  more...

Marlborough News

Crooks denied entry

DETERMINED thieves who tried to break into a Marlborough mobile phone shop last night were foiled by its internal security shutters.  more...

Melksham News

Canal volunteers praised

FOR the first time in almost a century a stretch of abandoned canal near Lacock is slowly filling with water thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers.  more...

Congregation hears of life in Iraq

THE vicar of a church in the centre of Baghdad came to Melksham on December 23 to explain to the congregation of St Michael's Church what life is like in the war torn Iraqi capital.  more...

News

Blue Circle miss out on top spot

BLUE Circle's dip in form continued as they missed out on another opportunity to go to the top of the Division One table as they lost 2-1 away to Freshford United.  more...

Readerspics

Snowy Swindon

Dave Savin took this picture of snowy West Swindon  more...

Swindon countryside

Stewart Greenwood took this picture of the beautiful countyside around Swindon  more...

Front Garden at sunset

Peter Smith took this picture on Xmas day evening looking out over the Front Garden from Old Town  more...

Salisbury City Fc News

Games not all ticket

SALISBURY City can now confirm that both of their forthcoming home Blue Square Premier matches against Oxford United (now scheduled for Saturday, January 12) and Torquay United (January 19) will not be all-ticket.  more...

Salisbury News

Protection for the Fairy Shrimp

A SURVEY is taking place on Salisbury Plain training area to help protect the rare fairy shrimp population.  more...

Stfc Match Reports 07/08

Bournemouth 2 - Swindon Town 2

BARRY Corr might not have instantly appreciated his boss's attempt of half-time humour but, after a crucial second period brace, the Town striker was the first to recognise Ady Williams' expert man management.  more...

Stfc News Headlines

Town plotting Cox bid

TOWN have launched an audacious bid to make Simon Cox's stay at the County Ground permanent, while insisting it would be "crazy" to let Peter Brezovan quit Wiltshire any time in the near future.  more...

From the dugout: Ady Williams

A GREAT game for the neutral, a little bit too stretched for our liking but seven points out of nine over the Christmas period, I think we would have taken that at the start.  more...

Barry injured? He's having a laugh!

A FULLY-FIT Barry Corr is a "frightening prospect" but Jamie Vincent reckons that if he carries on in similar scoring vein people around the County Ground might start even doubting his injury complaints.  more...

South coast dogfight gets Corr in the mood for the leaders

TWO-GOAL Barry Corr believes the battling point at Bournemouth is a timely reminder there are no easy games in League One - but admits tomorrow's visit of high flying Swansea will leave no-one needing any extra motivation.  more...

Town v Swansea

THE Swindon Advertiser would like to remind Town fans that tomorrow's League One game against table-toppers Swansea City kicks off at 1pm.  more...

Swindon Business Headlines

Another fall in house prices, say Nationwide

UK house prices fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.5 per cent in December, recording their second consecutive month-on-month fall.  more...

Interest rate drop predicted

UK interest rates may drop by three quarters of a per cent in 2008, according to Brewin Dolphin, the UK's largest independent provider of private client investment management and financial planning services.  more...

Swindon makes the top 20 on home front

House price growth recorded another strong year in 2007, but the national figures disguise movements in different parts of the country.  more...

Business challenged to keep New Year resolutions

Sustainable business expert Envirowise is challenging Wiltshire's businesses to take a two month test to see if they can spot the difference in financial savings from environmental resolutions.  more...

Franchise deals at a record

With 93 per cent of all franchising units making a profit and the industry worth a record £10.8bn (£1.33bn in the South West), the lure of franchising as an attractive business venture has never been greater.  more...

Swindon Football

FOOTBALL: Clevedon take the Michael

MIKE Symons returned to haunt Cirencester Town as they were beaten 2-1 by Clevedon Town at the Corinium Stadium.  more...

FOOTBALL: Fairford feel force of Phil

A HEADED brace from striker Phil Corcoran helped Highworth to a convincing 3-0 derby win over rivals Fairford Town in a match tormented by high winds.  more...

FOOTBALL: Horwat satisfied despite stalemate

DESPITE wanting all three points, Shrivenham manager Pete Horwat admitted he was happy to settle for a share of the spoils away at Hook Norton in the Hellenic League Premier Division.  more...

FOOTBALL: Bassett's boss Burke threatens to resign after loss

PAUL Burke may be ready to call time on his spell as manager of Wootton Bassett Town, and could also wield the axe on one of his star players, writes ANTHONY MARSHALL.  more...

Swindon Ice Hockey

ICE HOCKEY: Cats' cup of cheer after shootout loss

THE Swindon Wildcats managed to grind out a 2-1 Knockout Cup victory at Wightlink last night, with Tomas Janek netting the winner in the final period after Matty Davies' opener.  more...

Swindon News

Police crackdown tonight

PLAIN-CLOTHES police officers will be keeping a watchful eye on revellers in a bid to stamp out drink-fuelled anti-social behaviour tonight.  more...

Youngsters give up treats for a year

WHEN siblings Danny and Bethany Laken were challenged by their dad to give up chocolate and crisps for a whole year, nobody thought they would ever manage it.  more...

Friends mourn slain teen

FIVE friends, who were inseparable from teenager Chris Garrod, have shown they will never forget him.  more...

Rubbish piling up

MOUNTAINS of black bags are forming in County Road, as residents fail to squeeze all their rubbish into wheelie bins.  more...

Get her to the church on time

BUDGET bride Samantha Brassington stunned weekend shoppers by hopping on the bus to get to her wedding on time.  more...

Man de-arrested after blast at Stamford Close

A man arrested in relation to an explosion that blew the roof off a Swindon building has been de-arrested.  more...

Authors search for haunted houses

Swindon-based educational charity Paranormal Site Investigators are looking for current active hauntings and ghost stories for their new book, Haunted Swindon.  more...

Con man targets elderly couple

SWINDON police are seeking a man who scammed an elderly couple out of 40 pounds over Christmas.  more...

Chemists open over New Year

THESE are the opening hours for chemists over New Year.  more...

Help us solve the tunnels mystery

A NETWORK of tunnels under Old Town could mean many homes are sitting on passageways full of history.  more...

Manor hosts celebrity wedding

ENGLAND cricket players were among a host of celebrities at a Wiltshire country manor for the wedding of star batsman Kevin Pietersen and his pop singer bride.  more...

Gal will always be close to our hearts

FIVE friends, who were inseparable from teenager Chris Garrod, have shown they will never forget him.  more...

Police boost patrols for New Year's Eve

PLAIN-CLOTHED police officers will be keeping a watchful eye on revellers in a bid to stamp out drink-fuelled anti-social behaviour tonight.  more...

Bus gets bride to her wedding on time

BUDGET bride Samantha Brassington stunned weekend shoppers by hopping on the bus to get to her wedding on time.  more...

A&E warning for New Year

PEOPLE are being urged to seek the right treatment for their needs during the New Year period to avoid unnecessary admissions in the Great Western Hospital's A&E department.  more...

Siblings give up treats for a whole year

WHEN siblings Danny and Bethany Laken were challenged by their dad to give up chocolate and crisps for a whole year, nobody thought they would ever manage it.  more...

Residents swamped by piles of rubbish

MOUNTAINS of black bags are forming in County Road, as residents fail to squeeze all their rubbish into wheelie bins.  more...

Billie set to marry

BILLIE Piper is reportedly set to marry her fiance, Laurence Fox, in a New Year's Eve ceremony.  more...

Road closed while bridge demolished

A FOOTBRIDGE used by pupils to get to school will be demolished later this week.  more...

Council to look at tented market plan

PLANS to demolish the tented market and replace it with five new cafés will go before council planners next week.  more...

Explosion: man de-arrested

THE MAN arrested in connection with the explosion that forced four families out of their homes for Christmas has been de-arrested.  more...

The stars turn out for Billie's wedding

SWINDON starlet Billie Piper tied the knot for the second time yesterday.  more...

Serious crash closes A419

THE A419 has been closed at the Turnpike roundabout due to a serious accident.  more...

UPDATE: Man dies in horror A419 smash

A MAN died after his car crashed on the northbound carriageway of the A419.  more...

Swindon Speedway

SPEEDWAY: McGowan misses out on Aussie title win

SWINDON'S new signings had mixed fortunes at the opening round of the Australian Speedway Championships in Mildura on Saturday.  more...

Times Football

Gingell hits out at 22 match ban

CORSHAM Town manager Mel Gingell is furious after being handed a 22-game ban by the Wiltshire FA for a string of offences.  more...

Gingell banned for 22 matches

CORSHAM Town manager Mel Gingell has been banned from the touchline for 22 games and fined £150 by the Wiltshire FA for a series of disciplinary offences.  more...

Frome find their form in second half

Odd Down 0, Frome Town 4. ONE of the oldest cliches in football is to say that a match was ‘a game of two halves,’ but in this Toolstation League Premier Division contest it was completely true, as a sterile, goalless first half was followed by an impressive flowing, attacking Frome performance in the second half that saw them score four goals, concede none and generally overwhelm a plucky Odd Down side.  more...

Times Wiltshire News

Village manor hosts celebrity wedding

ENGLAND cricket players were among a host of celebrities gathered at a country manor in north Wiltshire for the wedding of star batsman Kevin Pietersen and his pop singer bride.  more...

Trowbridge News

Council to act over St Stephen's site

WEST Wiltshire District Council is considering issuing a compulsory purchase order for the St Stephen's Place and Castle Place development site.  more...

Wiltshire News

Pietersen weds at Castle Combe

England cricket star Kevin Pietersen married pop singer Jessica Taylor in a private ceremony at St Andrew's Church, in Castle Combe on Saturday.  more...

Researchers help stroke victims walk more easily

Researchers in Salisbury have helped develop a device that could help stroke patients walk more easily.  more...

Billie ties the knot

Stars of the big and small screen have turned out for the wedding of Wiltshire actress Billie Piper to fellow actor Laurence Fox.  more...

Salisbury Journal News

Protection for the Fairy Shrimp

A SURVEY is taking place on Salisbury Plain training area to help protect the rare fairy shrimp population.   more...

Salisbury Journal Sport

Games not all ticket

SALISBURY City can now confirm that both of their forthcoming home Blue Square Premier matches against Oxford United (now scheduled for Saturday, January 12) and Torquay United (January 19) will not be all-ticket.   more...

Swindon Advertiser Business

2008 will be difficult, say CBI

2008 will be a difficult year for the British economy, but it is important not to exaggerate the risks and talk ourselves into a more serious downturn, the CBI's Director-General said today in a New Year message on the CBI website.   more...

Another fall in house prices, say Nationwide

UK house prices fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.5 per cent in December, recording their second consecutive month-on-month fall.   more...

Interest rate drop predicted

UK interest rates may drop by three quarters of a per cent in 2008, according to Brewin Dolphin, the UK's largest independent provider of private client investment management and financial planning services.   more...

Swindon makes the top 20 on home front

House price growth recorded another strong year in 2007, but the national figures disguise movements in different parts of the country.   more...

Christ picture up for auction

SOMEWHAT fittingly for the Christmas period, images of Christ feature large at the first general sale of the new year at Moore Allen & Innocent's Cirencester auction rooms on Friday, January 4.   more...

Franchise deals at a record

With 93 per cent of all franchising units making a profit and the industry worth a record £10.8bn (£1.33bn in the South West), the lure of franchising as an attractive business venture has never been greater.   more...

Business challenged to keep New Year resolutions

Sustainable business expert Envirowise is challenging Wiltshire's businesses to take a two month test to see if they can spot the difference in financial savings from environmental resolutions.   more...

Swindon Advertiser News

Road closed while bridge demolished

A FOOTBRIDGE used by pupils to get to school will be demolished later this week.   more...

Passengers rail against fare rise

A PASSENGER watchdog has branded an increase in rail ticket prices unfair and unjustified.   more...

Serious crash closes A419

THE A419 has been closed at the Turnpike roundabout due to a serious accident.   more...

Showcase for canal plans

A CHARITY supporting a canal for Swindon has opened premises to tell people more about the idea.   more...

Town fan Lee flies flag Down Under

LEE BIZLEY spent his first Christmas in Oz making sure everyone on the beach knew exactly where his loyalties lie.   more...

UPDATE: Man dies in horror A419 smash

A MAN died after his car crashed on the northbound carriageway of the A419.   more...

Dylan inspires young poet

BOB Dylan lyrics inspired a schoolgirl to win a national poetry competition.   more...

Bassett Lions forced to close

WOOTTON Bassett & District Lions' Club will fold today because of a decline in members.   more...

Best Christmas present ever for Dani

THREE-year-old Danielle Langston got the best Christmas present she could have wished for when doctors told the terminally ill youngster she may live to start school.   more...

Don't make yourself a target for the killers

HEART disease is the single biggest killer of people living in Swindon, second only to cancer.   more...

Organiser bids farewell to Air Tattoo

THE man who helped put the Royal' into the Royal International Air Tattoo is preparing to take off after 11 years with the airshow.   more...

Gran's dismay over crash site barriers

TRAGIC teenager Chris Garrod's family cannot believe ugly yellow barriers are blocking his friends from visiting the place where he died.   more...

Council to look at tented market plan

PLANS to demolish the tented market and replace it with five new cafés will go before council planners next week.   more...

Explosion: man de-arrested

THE MAN arrested in connection with the explosion that forced four families out of their homes for Christmas has been de-arrested.   more...

COUNTY NEWS: Hiroshima road sign found at valuation day

THE twisted and melted remains of a road sign from the Japanese city of Hiroshima, picked up by a sailor in the aftermath of the dropping of the atom bomb, has been uncovered at an auctioneers' day.   more...

Billie set to marry

BILLIE Piper is reportedly set to marry her fiance, Laurence Fox, in a New Year's Eve ceremony.   more...

The stars turn out for Billie's wedding

SWINDON starlet Billie Piper tied the knot for the second time yesterday.   more...

Swindon Advertiser Sport

FOOTBALL: Resolution, not revolution – Marine boss wants his team to keep up the good work in 2008

AS THE chimes ring in 2008, Mark Collier has resolved to ensure that Supermarine become an established Southern League Premier Division club.   more...

FOOTBALL: Top spot the target for Adie's Bluebirds

CHIPPENHAM Town are eyeing the perfect start to the new year - top spot in the BGB Premier Division.   more...

ICE HOCKEY: Jet's propelled! Victory at free-scoring Slough can be the perfect new year springboard

WAYNE Fiddes is tipping his Wildcats teammates to put an unsettled year firmly behind them and get 2008 off to a winning start, beginning tonight at Slough Jets.   more...

The Wiltshire Gazette And Herald News

Friends mourn slain teen

FIVE friends, who were inseparable from teenager Chris Garrod, have shown they will never forget him.   more...

Man de-arrested after blast at Stamford Close

A man arrested in relation to an explosion that blew the roof off a Swindon building has been de-arrested.   more...

Billie ties the knot

Stars of the big and small screen have turned out for the wedding of Wiltshire actress Billie Piper to fellow actor Laurence Fox.   more...

Volunteers need help in the New Year

DEDICATED volunteers at Wilts and Berks Canal Trust have had their most productive year yet but are urging people to join up in the New Year.   more...

Crooks denied entry

DETERMINED thieves who tried to break into a Marlborough mobile phone shop last night were foiled by its internal security shutters.   more...

Rubbish piling up

MOUNTAINS of black bags are forming in County Road, as residents fail to squeeze all their rubbish into wheelie bins.   more...

Campaign offers quitters best chance of success

136,000 smokers in the South West could try to quit smoking this New Year according to a new study .   more...

Get her to the church on time

BUDGET bride Samantha Brassington stunned weekend shoppers by hopping on the bus to get to her wedding on time.   more...

Hospital funding boost uncertain

Medical workers have spoken of their disappointment at learning of the delay to a proposed multi-million pound boost for Chippenham hospital.   more...

Authors search for haunted houses

Swindon-based educational charity Paranormal Site Investigators are looking for current active hauntings and ghost stories for their new book, Haunted Swindon.   more...

Woman honoured after stint in Iraq

DEDICATED Patricia Culling has been awarded an MBE for her services to the Ministry of Defence just months after returning home from Iraq.   more...

Researchers help stroke victims walk more easily

Researchers in Salisbury have helped develop a device that could help stroke patients walk more easily.   more...

Shillaker to teach English and sports in Kenya

FOOTBALLER Joe Shillaker will be hanging up his boots for two months at the end of January to teach at a school in Kenya.   more...

Thieves target sheds

DETERMINED thieves struck six sheds across Calne in a spate of Boxing Day burglaries.   more...

Eco group disposing of trees

A TREE shredding service is being offered to residents in Colerne by their local eco group.   more...

Couple threatened with jemmy bar and robbed

A TERRIFIED elderly couple were robbed and threatened in their own home by three men brandishing a jemmy bar on Saturday.   more...

Man angered by needless violence

THE area manager of a newsagents that was raided on Boxing Day has spoken of his contempt for the man who attacked his female employee.   more...

Con man targets elderly couple

SWINDON police are seeking a man who scammed an elderly couple out of 40 pounds over Christmas.   more...

Choir looking for new recruits

ST John's Church in Devizes is able to hold choir auditions for the first time since repairs were completed following a fire in September 2006.   more...

Controversial planning decision to be taken

A DECISION on a controversial planning application for four houses in the centre of Purton is due to be taken next Jan 9.   more...

Ian Anderson honoured

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson was awarded an MBE for services to music in the New Year's honours.   more...

Pietersen weds at Castle Combe

England cricket star Kevin Pietersen married pop singer Jessica Taylor in a private ceremony at St Andrew's Church, in Castle Combe on Saturday.   more...

Police crackdown tonight

PLAIN-CLOTHES police officers will be keeping a watchful eye on revellers in a bid to stamp out drink-fuelled anti-social behaviour tonight.   more...

Youngsters give up treats for a year

WHEN siblings Danny and Bethany Laken were challenged by their dad to give up chocolate and crisps for a whole year, nobody thought they would ever manage it.   more...

The Wiltshire Gazette And Herald Sport

Chippenham U23 29, Chippenham Over 23 34

Chippenham Rugby Football Club have in recent seasons resurrected the annual Boxing Day match.   more...

Devizes President's Men 17, Devizes Chairman's 14 XI

All the President's men rose to the occasion in overcoming the Chairman's XV for the second year running.   more...

Wiltshire Times News

Village manor hosts celebrity wedding

ENGLAND cricket players were among a host of celebrities gathered at a country manor in north Wiltshire for the wedding of star batsman Kevin Pietersen and his pop singer bride.   more...

Repairs due for fire-damaged home

REPAIRS to the three-story listed home of Warminster School's headmaster, which was badly damaged by fire in the summer, could soon be underway.   more...

Man hurt in stabbing

A WARMINSTER man was stabbed with a knife following an argument on Sunday.   more...

Canal volunteers praised

FOR the first time in almost a century a stretch of abandoned canal near Lacock is slowly filling with water thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers.   more...

Council to act over St Stephen's site

WEST Wiltshire District Council is considering issuing a compulsory purchase order for the St Stephen's Place and Castle Place development site.   more...

Blind House sees the light

THE old public toilets are gone and the newly illuminated blind house takes centre stage in a once-run-down area of Trowbridge.   more...

Police hail succesful op

A SUCCESSFUL undercover operation by police to catch purse thieves in Chippenham was wrapped up at the end of the year.   more...

Congregation hears of life in Iraq

THE vicar of a church in the centre of Baghdad came to Melksham on December 23 to explain to the congregation of St Michael's Church what life is like in the war torn Iraqi capital.   more...

Kids' donation to African orphan

CHILDREN from Crockerton School, near Warminster, gave presents to Santa this year and asked him to deliver them to Africa.   more...

Wiltshire Times Sport

Gingell hits out at 22 match ban

CORSHAM Town manager Mel Gingell is furious after being handed a 22-game ban   more...

Frome find their form in second half

Odd Down 0, Frome Town 4   more...

Hallett seals derby triumph

  more...

Gingell banned for 22 matches

CORSHAM Town manager Mel Gingell has been banned from the touchline for 22   more...

  
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