Wiltshire | Archive | 2001 | February
NEWLY merged solicitors Thring Townsend have been appointed legal advisers to Wiltshire College, the largest single provider of post-16 education and training in Wiltshire and the area generally with some 30,000 students. more...
Sandwich chain Pret A Manger is to sell a minority interest in itself to US fast food giant McDonald's Corporation. more...
Persimmon say it has the go-ahead from the board of takeover target Beazer to create the UK's largest housebuilder. more...
House prices across the country continued to rise in January, according to the latest Nationwide housing survey released this morning. more...
COMPANY Dairy Crest is to develop a super dairy which will create more than 320 new jobs, but cost almost twice as many. more...
A new website aims to make the buying and selling of properties simpler and cheaper. more...
GAZETTE readers are being asked to come up with a name for Calne's new drop in centre, which will be opening its doors soon. more...
A TRAINING course on drug and alcohol misuse has been organised by church leaders in the face of a growing problem in north Wiltshire. more...
HEATH care campaigners in Calne are hoping to win the support of MP Michael Ancram in their battle to secure better facilities. more...
A PRE-SCHOOL in Derry Hill is looking for staff to help care for youngsters at the Lansdowne Hall. more...
THE family of crash victim Adam Lumley are putting their grief on one side to help raise money for six-year-old Ben Sheppard, who was paralysed from the chest down in the same road accident. more...
COMMUTERS' campaigner David Da Costa took his battle over rail services to the House of Commons on Monday January 29, for a meeting with Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. more...
CIVIL servant Ronald Smith hanged himself from the rafters of his garage roof because he could not live with the prospect of separating from his wife, an inquest has been told. more...
RESIDENTS are calling for road safety measures at a Chippenham accident blackspot after a pensioner was killed while walking her dog. more...
POLICE are celebrating the success of one of the biggest drugs raids in north Wiltshire. more...
JUBILANT campaigners are celebrating victory in their long fight to have Corsham station reopened. more...
TWO Sheldon School students have come up with a bright, modern image to promote a town charity. more...
VANDALS have targeted a Chippenham church for the second time in recent weeks, throwing bricks through windows. more...
REVOLUTION, the Chippenham restaurant, will welcome famous footballer Bill Foulkes for an evening of fine food and footballing yarns to raise funds for the Western Football League Convention Fund. more...
A HEART-WARMING welcome will await shoppers in Chippenham High Street on Valentine's Day, as shops adorn their windows with the trappings of romance. more...
OFFICERS from the RSPCA are appealing for information after a pet owner dumped a puppy in a garden behind a dustbin on Friday January 26. more...
North Wiltshire taxi drivers will have to carry assistance dogs for the disabled, in line with a new Disability Discrimination Act. more...
AN exhibition of ceramics and prints has opened at Chippenham's Beatentrack Cafe. more...
HEARTLESS conmen cashing in on hard-up parents and pensioners could soon be stopped in their tracks because of pressure from the Citizens' Advice Bureau. more...
MORE than a quarter of households in Britain cannot afford to heat their homes adequately, according to local authority figures which have recently been published. more...
MAGISTRATES described Anthony Reed as a risk to the public after he butted a man who accidentally walked into him in the street. more...
FARMER Nancy Bryant has appealed to the public to be on the look-out for fly-tippers who thoughtlessly dump old rubbish in the countryside. more...
THE former Goldiggers night club building which is already falling apart from neglect and decay, is in such a serious state that visiting councillors claim they were appalled. more...
THERE was a particularly warm and cosy atmosphere at Upper Seagry's popular New Inn last week when publicans Mike and Rosey Stone were awarded the Wiltshire 2000 Real Fire Pub of the Year Award. more...
JUBILANT campaigners are celebrating victory in their long fight to have Corsham station reopened. more...
TRAFFIC police are hoping to reduce response times to road accidents in Malmesbury when they move to their new offices in Corsham next month. more...
URCHFONT Pre-school has become the latest nursery in the Devizes area to enjoy a glowing report from Ofsted school inspectors. more...
A POLICE officer from Devizes was assaulted after he approached two men who had been throwing mud at his police car. more...
Police are investigating a fire that gutted a flat in Eastleigh Road on the afternoon Thursday January 25. more...
MARKET Lavington is in mourning this week after the death of popular builder Johnathan Gye at the age of 54 from asbestosis. more...
THE mother of a Devizes man whose body was found in his burnt-out car collapsed at the end of an emotional funeral service at West Wiltshire Crematorium in Semington on Saturday January 27. more...
SANDWICH makers Toft Foods has been bought out in a move likely to create jobs. more...
FIRE Brigade control room staff have accused their management of not taking seriously their misgivings over the proposed joint emergency services control room. more...
CHILDREN at St Joseph's Pre-school in Devizes had a close encounter with dragons, snakes and chopsticks when they celebrated Chinese New Year last week. more...
SINGLE parents in Devizes will be able to rediscover a social life if deputy mayor Ray Parsons has his way. more...
THE Rev Gillie Baker has announced she is to stand down as chaplain at Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes, after six- and-a-half years. more...
A MOTHER assaulted the headteacher at her daughter's school following an ongoing row about bullying at the school. more...
THE daughter of a elderly Alzheimer's sufferer who is being treated by Dr Manchip, has spoken of the dramatic change which the memory restoring drug Aricept has had on her mother over the past two years. more...
WILTSHIRE Health Authority has done a U-turn on its policy to make drugs available according to its ability to pay for them, rather than clinical need. more...
THE National Union of Farmers has become embroiled in a feud between self-confessed crop circle maker Matthew Williams and local researchers of the phenomena. more...
THE Labour Party will be fielding a renegade Tory in the Devizes constituency at the next general election. more...
VILLAGERS living near Salisbury Plain have been warned there could be more firing of large guns in the future but the bangs will be quieter. more...
Fisherman's Friend, A Life of Stephen Reynolds, by Christopher Scoble. more...
A PARADE of 500 air cadets will take place in Trowbridge this weekend to celebrate 60 years of the Air Training Corps. more...
AN organisation which has helped thousands of young musicians in the area celebrates its 21st birthday this year. more...
YOUNG entrepreneurs from all over Wiltshire had the chance to market the products they have been working on as part of the Young Enterprise Company programme on Saturday February 3. more...
ERLESTOKE Prison is training prisoners to think their way out of drug use. more...
CARE home owners fear reductions in Wiltshire County Council's Social Services budget could force the closure of many homes. more...
DRUGS which can extend the quality of life of Alzheimer's disease patients and which the Government's National Institute of Clinical Excellence has told all health authorities to make available, have been pioneered in Savernake Hospital for the past three years with remarkable effects. more...
COUNCIL tax payers in Kennet will be asked if they want a Ken Livingston-style mayor as the figurehead of their district council. more...
DRUG addict Richard Pearce went on a shoplifting spree in Devizes to raise money for drugs, a court heard. more...
DONNA Draper continued to claim for Social Security benefits while she was working to pay off debts, a court heard. more...
As schools sink into deep financial crisis, a Government bonus for new improvements is having to be used to stave off redundancies. Jill Crooks reports. more...
FOR years schools throughout Wiltshire have had to rely on friends associations to raise cash for essentials rather than just extras. more...
PEOPLE living in villages close to Salisbury Plain are used to noisy nights and low-flying aircraft. more...
I AM writing in support of the views expressed by Martin Watson in last week's Letters to the Editor - he is right. more...
WE would like to ask for a debate about the future of the disposal of municipal and commercial waste within Wiltshire. more...
I REFER to the Gazette's editorial last week headed "Democracy at risk." more...
As the chairman of Ramsbury Parish Council I wish to correct points made in an article in last week's Gazette under the heading "Bowlers fear club doomed." more...
I WAS saddened to read the biased reporting on hunting with dogs in what I consider to be a fine newspaper. more...
TO all the people who think that foxhunting is not cruel, and should not be banned, I wonder how they would like it if they were being chased across a field by a pack of dogs such as German shepherds, rotweillers etc? more...
THE large number of people writing to the Gazette on January 25 to try and justify foxhunting as a means of ridding the countryside of a pest are either misled or they are lying. more...
HOW sad that the impression assumed by some is that hunting is solely for the idle rich. more...
THE abolition of hunting will be of no benefit to wildlife while being an extraordinary attack on our liberties. more...
I WATCHED in horror when I saw on TV that the Government wanted to ban hunting. I love it and so does my pony. more...
ON the Gazette's letters' page last week Mrs Johnson spoke of "blood-thirsty bullies" "arrogant barbarians" and "idle rich" all by the way of promoting a ban on hunting. more...
THE Gazette's un-named correspondent makes a valid point that children kicking a ball around in Devizes' Downlands Road in the dark are a danger to themselves and to motorists. more...
CONCERNING the article in last week's Gazette and Herald entitled "Council finds cold comfort upstairs." more...
I'M writing regarding the article in the Gazette on January 18 headlined help us take on the drug dealers. more...
The British Horse Society has learnt another horse has died of ragwort poisoning. Scirocco, a 16.1hh dark bay gelding belonging to Wendy Harrow of Llanelli, died this month. more...
I AM searching for descendants of my great grandfather John May's family who were all born in the Kington Langley area of Wiltshire. more...
A SHOP mannequin is making dummies of speeding motorists in Corston. more...
POLICE are celebrating the success of one of the biggest drugs raids carried out in north Wiltshire. more...
POLICE have warned against leaving valuables in motor vehicles after thieves broke into 28 cars in Chippenham and Wootton Bassett in one night. more...
LUCENT Technology workers are bracing themselves for job cuts after the company said it was axing 10,000 staff. more...
TRAFFIC police are hoping to reduce response times to road accidents in Malmesbury when they move to their new offices in Corsham next month. more...
THERE was a warm and cosy atmosphere at Upper Seagry's popular New Inn last week when owners Mike and Rosey Stone were awarded the Wiltshire 2000 Real Fire Pub of the Year Award. more...
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has received a £5,000 donation towards merging two Minety nature reserves. more...
MINETY residents are scenting victory in their fight to stop a developer from building 90 houses and shops on 20 acres of greenfield land in the middle of the village. more...
MALMESBURY Chamber of Commerce is delighted at the response to its business survey. more...
AFTER a lifetime of publishing books, David Roberts has written a novel of his own in a gamekeeper-turned-poacher move. more...
FORMER mayor of Marlborough Joan Evans has criticised Kennet councillors for leaving an important decision over CCTV to non-elected members of a safety group to make. more...
FORMER magician's assistant Rosie Palmer has died suddenly at her home in Forest Hill, Marlborough. more...
RETIRED chemical engineer Dr David Watson, who has been selected as the next Mayor of Marlborough, says the 16 years he has lived in the town is the longest he has lived anywhere in his life. more...
VILLAGERS in Upavon will have to get used to their post office being on the other side of the High Street from Monday January 29. more...
PARKING problems in Marlborough will increase in a fortnight's time with the loss of 20 unofficial town centre parking spaces as the redevelopment of the old tannery site in Angel Place progresses. more...
VILLAGERS in Aldbourne, who are fed up of sewers overflowing into the street, are preparing for a showdown with representatives from Thames Water and the Environment Agency. more...
PARISH councillors at Pewsey are backing plans to relocate a company which makes lightweight aluminium buildings from Woodborough to farm buildings in the hamlet of Sharcott. more...
THE first countryside show to be held at Earl's Court, London, opens tomorrow and aims to take a taste of rural life to the city. more...
RACEHORSE trainer Fanny Kirk, who is following in the footsteps of her famous father, the Everleigh-based trainer Richard Hannon, has failed in a High Court action to get £500,000 damages following an accident. more...
TISBURY policeman Jerry Wilkins spoke this week of his miraculous escape after being struck by lightning while on patrol. more...
A PROPERTY company is threatening court action over a council decision to designate Old Sarum airfield as a conservation area. more...
SHOPPERS and passers-by stood and watched as a procession of dignitaries and sympathisers from all walks of life took part in Salisbury's National Holocaust Memorial Day ceremonies on Saturday morning (January 27). more...
A BRONZE Age gold ingot dating back 3,000 years is at the heart of a mystery - no-one is sure exactly where and how it was discovered. more...
THE future of Salisbury City Football Club was thrown into doubt this week as a call went out to their board of directors to quit. more...
A WORN carpet with chunks missing after dining chairs had scraped across it for 150 years has been sold for a staggering £25,000 by Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury. more...
TWO conmen who ripped off vulnerable pensioners in south Wiltshire and surrounding counties, netting more than £500,000, have been sent to jail. more...
A BOOK commemorating the five-year restoration of Salisbury Cathedral's West Front has had its official launch - in the shadow of the medieval faade which inspired it. more...
A DESIGN competition may be held to help fashion a proposed multi-million pound new look for Salisbury's Maltings shopping and parking complex. more...
TWO conmen who ripped off vulnerable pensioners in south Wiltshire and surrounding counties, netting more than £500,000, have been sent to jail. more...
THE future of Salisbury City Football Club was thrown into doubt this week as a call went out to their board of directors to quit. more...
YOUTH coach Viv Busby will have a major part to play at Town when he returns from a six month battle with leukaemia. more...
Football has been Viv Busby's life ever since he turned professional in 1969, and the days of inactivity pass very slowly for him. more...
Andy King has known Viv Busby since their days at Luton Town in 1969, when Busby was the first-team striker and King was an apprentice. more...
Busby's problems began in late August, when he felt unwell during training and his teeth began to bleed. more...
ANDY King is demanding a public apology from Lawrie Sanchez after the Wycombe boss labelled Gary Alexander as "a Third Division forward". more...
TOWN chief executive has dismissed a new survey which brands the County Ground as the most expensive place to watch football in Division Two. more...
Swindon Town Supporters' Club spokesman Nigel Bennett is taking the results of the survey with a pinch of salt. more...
Fulham Reserves 6, Swindon Reserves 0: Fulham's reserve team trounced Swindon Town after putting in a fine all round performance at Motspur Park. more...
MAY I be the first to nomi-nate Johnny Ball as the FA's first celebrity fourth official. more...
THERE is literally no telling where Town's LDV Trophy run could take them. Just ask Andy King and myself. more...
SO we have yet another survey comparing one football club with another. more...
THE Town rumourmongers have been hard at work again. more...
I read with interest the article in Saturday's Evening Advertiser (January 27) Finest Food for Feathery Friends. more...
I AM much amused by today's (January 26) front page story about a proposed lap dancing club and the letter from Larry Wright castigating Christians (Church has a lot to answer for in the past). more...
I AM looking for my family and would be most grateful if any one could help. more...
Everyone is blaming Stagecoach for its inept service, but Thamesdown Transport is just as bad. more...
THE most common misconception about the Life Education Centre in Swindon is that it introduces children to drugs. more...
IT looks more like a car scrapyard. But this is an official transit site set up by the borough council for travellers. more...
NICHOLAS Wright used other people's credit card numbers to order goods from a TV shopping channel, a court heard. more...
ROYAL memorabilia collectors and dealers flocked to Swindon to bid for everything from royal letters to Christmas cards. more...
A NETWORK of support groups is being set up to help smokers kick the habit as part of a new initiative by Wiltshire Health Authority. more...
Arkell's Brewery from Swindon was yesterday taking part in a celebration of West Country beers at the European Parliament in Brussels. more...
THAMES Water has been praised by judges for a scheme that linked 12,000 people with clean water supplies in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. more...
OFSTED, the Government's Office for Standards in Education, has sent a warning to councils across the country to improve their performance, just five months ahead of an inspection of Swindon's Local Education Authority. more...
COMMONWEAL pupils and parents will be asked what they want to do with a £400 plus donation from Woolworths. more...
BARN dances for disabled people have been secured for the next few months, thanks to the Evening Advertiser. more...
ASSISTANT manageress Dyan O'Sullivan has been ordered to complete 120 hours community service after being found guilty of stealing from a Swindon pub and fiddling its books. more...
A SWINDON mental health group enjoyed a theatre trip thanks to cash from the Co-operative Society. more...
TEN New College students have been made offers to study at Oxbridge universities. more...
A CHARITY called Getaway got away with a donation of £1,500 from the Ridgeway Theatre Company. more...
FOUR permanent road signs have been erected to give directions to the proposed park and ride site near junction 16 of the M4 even though the results of the public inquiry into the development are not yet known. more...
THE plans for a new football club stadium on the proposed Front Garden development cannot be treated as a special case. more...
A COURSE aimed at tackling drug abuse which struggled to get off the ground in Swindon is now proving so successful that it is expanding into North Wiltshire. more...
SPEEDWAY memories from more than half a century ago brought together a group of former enthusiasts in Highworth. more...
TRAVELLERS have turned an official site into a giant scrapyard and taxpayers will be forced to foot the £20,000 bill to clear it up. more...
FIRE service call-handlers have threatened to walk out over plans to move to Britain's first combined emergency services control centre. more...
FIRST Great Western says it will begin operating a near-normal service again next week. more...
A PARENT decided children needed a safe and healthy way to get to school so he set up a cycle train. more...
A SWINDON school is returning to a normal working week. more...
AN ELDERLY woman who was the victim of a distraction burglary has had the money repaid by generous Penhill residents. more...
PREGNANT Karen Russell was kicked in the stomach when a gang of men attempted a revenge attack on her fiance, it was claimed in court. more...
WILTSHIRE Police is set to be the first force in the country to use civilians to interview suspects. more...
LIKE the character in her favourite book little Isabelle Walker had to grab 40 winks after a party to celebrate Purton Library's 30th anniversary. more...
YOU would be forgiven for thinking `good riddance to bad rubbish' when casting your eyes over the travellers' wasteland that is the Chiseldon Firs transit site. more...
THERE are few crimes as despicable as those in which elderly people are conned out of their savings by so-called distraction burglars. more...
FIRE service call-handlers have threatened to walk out over plans to move to Britain's first combined emergency services control centre. more...
YOUTH coach Viv Busby will have a major part to play at Town when he returns from a six month battle with leukaemia. more...
PUPILS at Broad Town School scooped an award for paper recycling at a special ceremony last week, organised by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Hills Waste. more...
PIONEERING headteacher Tom Axon is to leave Wroughton's Ridgeway School after 22 years service. more...
THE RIDGEWAY Theatre Company has presented a support group for young carers with £1,500 . more...
A STUDY investigating the feasibility of linking the Thames and Severn rivers is causing waves with a Cricklade-based environmental group. more...
JULIA Cunningham, the teenager who initiated the campaign for a Wootton Bassett War Memorial and subsequently was selected as Lord Lieutentant's Cadet, has been elected as a Member of the inaugural UK Youth Parliament. more...
POLICE have warned against leaving valuables in motor vehicles after thieves broke into 28 cars in Chippenham and Wootton Bassett in one night. more...
WOOTTON Bassett will get a new hotel and leisure complex after the sale of the Wiltshire Golf and Country Club. more...
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