Archive

The way I feel at the moment, I must be dragging the average down. But most people around here seem fairly content with their lot.

Westbury's Shane Marshall took a dominant pole, win and fastest lap in the Special GT Championship race at Castle Combe on Monday. Marshall's Jade was again phenomenal in qualifying, despite being a little loose on the back end. I need some new tyres

A team from the VWH Hunt Pony Club held off many of the best young riders in the country at the 2008 National Pony Club Championships, which have been the starting point for many of our Olympic riders including Beijing bronze medallists Tina Cook, Mary

Race-goers at Sandown on Saturday could find themselves rubbing shoulders with stars of stage, screen and TV when the course stages it's annual variety club meeting. Channel 4 cameras will be at the venue for the first four races and will no doubt be

Lilian Nalis is ready to make his time at Swindon Town a family affair and is determined to give them a winning team to follow. Son Enzo, ten, and wife Paola are currently back in Corsica where the Nalis family have a home but will move to Swindon at

SHAUN Benison scored a controversial equaliser to deny Corsham Town a priceless victory at Melksham on Monday. Aaron Billet had given Corsham the lead, a lead which they looked like holding before Benison scored at the far post after Melksham had retaken

Bitton 2 Calne Town 1 Robbie Lardner could not hide his disappointment as he free scoring Calne Town side hit the buffers on Monday. Fresh from their 4-1 thrashing of Willand Rovers on Saturday the Lilywhites, who have scored 11 goals in their first

I saw our early season slump in form coming. I know how difficult it is second season around, and we have a lot of lads believing in their own hype at this particular moment in time. A few of the lads are not contributing to the team what they contributed

Devizes Cricket Club held their annual six-a-side fancy dress cricket tournament on Sunday as they beat the weather. The Old Bar Stewards comfortably defeated the Nipuna Tribute CC in the final to wrap up the title after coming through the group stages

Sam Parish believes his Goatacre side can still stay up, despite being entrenched in the relegation zone. They travel to Marshfield on Saturday for their final game of the season desperately needing a massive win and hoping relegation rivals Lydney suffer

Lightning proved it does strike twice for Chippenham after their loss to Swindon for the second time this season -but captain Steve Silk believes the title will still be theirs come Saturday. The league leaders go into their final game of the season

Dan Sloan is set to leave Devizes Town but managers Shaun Moffat and Kevin Whitbread have already moved for a replacement. The striker looks likely to sign for Mel Gingell's Corsham Town as the Southbank boss looks for a replacement for James Lye, who

Tennis starlet Sam Hutt is heading to America after winning two national championships. The 14-year-old from North Wall in Cricklade won the 14 and under boys' singles title as well as the boys doubles title at the British Junior National Tennis Championships

Olympic cycling coach Dan Hunt, who helped his women's team to two gold medals, is putting his feet up after two weeks of glory in Beijing. Hunt, 31, of Curzon Park, Calne, coached cyclists Nicole Cooke, Rebecca Romero, Wendy Houven-aghel and Emma Pooley

On Tuesday September 9, the Circle Restaurant, on the first floor of the Wyvern Theatre, will serve its first meals - a pre-show dinner before the comedy farce Run For Your Wife in the main auditorium. The restaurant is aiming for a modern, sophisticated

There's a treat for music lovers on Saturday September 27 when The Avenas Quartet play at St Peter's Church, Marlborough, for the town's Riverbank project to build an arts centre. The Quartet comprises four women string players who met at The Royal College

As part of the 34th Calne Arts and Music Festival, from October 4 to 12, Calne artists are planning an Open Studios event. Painters, sculptors, ceramicists and woodworkers will open their studios at the weekends for the public to see their work and watch

Storm on the Lawn, the Theatre Royal's annual summer youth project, could not have been more appropriately named this year. Most of the three weeks of rehearsals were in the shelter of a marquee, albeit in the glorious setting of Prior Park College,

Kathleen Corfield, who was a seamstress at Marlborough College for 27 years, has died suddenly at the age of 85. Mrs Corfield, who will be remembered for her unfailing kindness to one and all, was born in Swanage, Dorset, where she used to spend her

Bornin July 1922 William York became the youngest of seven children living in a back to back house with their parents Frank and Alice in St Margaret's Hill, Bradford on Avon. With such a large family it fell to Bill's eldest sister, Nelly, then 15, to

Charlton Athletic Football Club has paid tribute to former player, John Buck' Ryan from Preston Lane, Lyneham, who played for the London team in the 1950s. The 77-year-old father-of-six died at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon after a heart attack

A festival celebrating the history of Rodbourne is taking villagers on a walk down memory lane. On Sunday a group of residents have organised a street party and history exhibition to celebrate the past of the small village, which is just off the A429

The finale of Devizes Carnival fortnight is on Saturday afternoon with the procession. Dave Buxton, artistic director of Devizes Carnival, expects an increase of at least 200 people taking part in the procession. Although the number of floats in the

A pub crawl with a difference was enjoyed and endured by those who took part in it on Sunday. The Devizes Carnival Beer Race involved teams of four carrying a beer barrel while visiting eight pubs in the town. At every pub each team member drank half

The madcap Great Cheverell Soapbox Derby lived up its reputation for thrills and spills. Large crowds cheered on the competitors who took to the 1,000 metre course in hand made carts. The race was resurrected three years ago by villagers and this year's

Crimestoppers Family Fun Day, as its name suggests, is all about people of all ages having a great time. The singing stars on the main stage are a huge attraction but there is plenty to see and do in other areas of the grounds as well. Sporting stars

The Crimestoppers Family Fun Day on Sunday, sponsored by the Gazette and Herald, promises to be the best ever with an incredible variety of big name acts and exciting sideshows. Jason Donovan tops the bill at Bowood House and he will be on stage at 5.30pm

Rocker Pete Doherty is on collision course with his landlords if a threat to hold a gig at his Savernake Forest home goes ahead. The Earl of Cardigan, speaking on behalf of the trustees of Savernake Estate, has asked police to thwart any attempt to hold

Pewsey is bracing itself for three weeks of fun and mayhem as the biggest and best carnival in Wiltshire gets under way. All the old favourite events are back, including the Wine Race, the Wheelbeero Race, and, of course, the big procession itself, taking

Sue and Len Goodridge have good reason to be grateful to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance. Mrs Goodridge, 59, was flown by the helicopter to hospital after she collapsed and stopped breathing. After spending ten days in the Royal United Hospital, Bath, Mrs

Event organiser Trevor Knowlden has pledged to repay all his debts from last year's flopped Sutton Benger Extravaganza. Mr Knowlden told the Gazette he had made a personal loss of £25,000 from the show last July, when atrocious weather forced the cancellation

Two people involved in Tuesday's pile-up on the M4 at Chippenham remain in a serious condition in hospital today. Police have revealed the coach driver is in intensive care at Bristol's Frenchay Hospital, being treated for leg injuries. A female

I'm not saying that my husband's a glass-half-empty sort of bloke, but faced with the prospect of two weeks' holiday abroad, he announces that he's been having a good think - always a cue for foreboding and doom - and he's decided we should both take

Readers will be aware of my long-standing concerns that Devizes is a grounding point for the plume from the cement factory at Westbury. In the past I have asked the PCT if it could look into the incidence of cancer in the area, which I believe is unusually

On behalf of Pewsey Music Festival, I would like to thank all those who showed their support on August 16. As this was only our second year, it was great to see music fans who enjoyed 2007 coming back for more, from as far afield as Kent - to see some

In these challenging social times, there is a real need for people to give back to their communities and I wanted to thank your readers for helping us raise over £3,500 together with donations in kind for our shoebox and water aid initiatives for local

I was disappointed in the implication of your article Mayor gives away cash' in the August 21 edition of the Gazette & Herald. You state that: "Last year's town mayor Roy Golding used his £2,348 mayoral allowance to fund a trip to Calne's twin town Eningen

Some time ago, an article on the front page of the Gazette about boy racers causing a nuisance around the streets of Devizes included an astonishing quote from the police, saying "we'll crush their cars". If this extraordinary piece of sabre-rattling

May I thank the people of Devizes and the surrounding villages for their generosity in the 2007/2008 Poppy Appeal campaign. As I have explained before, our appeal runs from June 1 to May 31, so we do not get the final figures from HQ until well into the

I was amazed to read of the criticisms of local GPs made by the Witshire Primary Care Trust in last week's paper, over their exessive referrals to Bath, Swindon and Salisbury hospitals. The trust does not appear to understand why doctors refer patients

I have often encountered criticism regarding the influx of foreign workers to this country. May I present the other side of the coin. I recently travelled on an early morning bus to Swindon, which I believe started its journey at Pewsey. As we passed

I have been encouraged by the positive remarks made following your article on the proposal to reopen Marlborough railway. Most people agree that restoring the rail link to Savernake and London is essential. Network Rail is being encouraged by the Government

A huge crane being used by Devizes builders Gaigers Brothers to build new offices and flats in Devizes Market Place provided a perfect training opportunity for Wiltshire firefighters last night. A crew from Devizes used their training drill to practice

A new medical unit that will aim to save the lives of young people with eating disorders is due to open next week at Savernake Hospital. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, which covers eastern Wiltshire as well, expects

Boy racers who constantly cause problems in Chippenham town centre will be targeted more robustly by police. Officers have said they are dealing with reports of teenagers driving recklessly on an almost daily basis. The top trouble spot is the Bath

A mother whose car was involved in the M4 crash on Tuesday which closed the road for nearly 12 hours has spoken of her family's ordeal. Mum-of-two Marian Hargreaves, 35, of London Road, Chippenham, was involved in a second crash as another ten cars collided

It might have got off to a cool start but youngsters have flooded Highworth Recreation Centre's newly opened swimming pool since it opened at the weekend. The £1.4m pool - replacing the open air one - was completed last month. But the grand opening

After years of wrangling and several consultations the long-awaited one-way system in Wilcot Road in Pewsey is taking shape. But the new one-way system is creating problems with parking. The parish council has battled for decades to get Wiltshire

If bringing up triplets were not enough exercise, Emma Gagen is now training to run a half marathon. Mrs Gagen, 33, from Mildenhall, will join a team from the NFU on the start line of the Royal Parks half marathon on October 12, just seven months after

The new health centre in Malmesbury is facing criticism on two fronts, just months after opening. Pensioners say they have been left stranded because the bus service is infrequent while businesses have reported a drop in trade since the surgery moved

Plans to alter one of Chippenham's most controversial housing developments will be discussed next week. The proposal to make amendments to the development on Rowden Lane is expected to receive massive opposition from local people who have slammed the

A teenager who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl in a village graveyard has been told he will not have to register as a sex offender. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was alleged to have raped the youngster as they played outside

The town council is to approach supermarkets about moving into Marlborough after fears were expressed that less well off people are having to go elsewhere to shop. Since Marks & Spencer took over the former Somerfield store in the High Street, many people

The horrific accident on the M4 near Chippenham on Tuesday caused the worst traffic jams the town has seen for decades. The accident, which involved three lorries, an empty coach and four cars, has been hailed as a miracle by emergency workers as no-one

A fight which started in the new Wetherspoon pub in Devizes and involved nearly 20 people at its height, ended in a suspected revenge hammer attack on a man in Market Lavington. Police said the fight began in The Silk Mercer in St John's Street at 11.45pm

A teenager has been found guilty of a vicious bottle attack that left a young man half blinded. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was yesterday convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent, after severing Daniel O'Sullivan's

A judge has allowed a goalkeeper to stay out late on a curfew so he can train with the rest of his team. Tom Berryman, who plays for Wiltshire League side Bromham, appeared at Swindon Crown Court yesterday after failing on the supervision element of

Individual mistakes need to be wiped out by Chippenham Town ahead of Saturday's trip to Rugby, according to Ross Adams. The defender was downcast after the Bluebirds' 3-2 home reverse to Bashley on Bank Holiday Monday and realises the outing to Butlin

Kevin Halliday has blasted Chippenham Town's performance against Bashley but says they are not far off a good start to the campaign. Despite the Bluebirds winning just four points from a possible 12 Halliday feels they are only one or two good results