Wiltshire | Archive | 2001 | March
Shocked workers at a Corsham polymer company have been told that 70 jobs must go. more...
BLACKSMITH Eddie Payne has spent the winter working at his Littlecote forge to restore a historic pair of gates for a mansion in Berkshire. more...
WILTSHIRE County Council is offering a company car as one of the perks to attract a new member of staff whose job will be to persuade people to use public transport. more...
A CUSTOMER survey carried out by Tesco at its Southampton Road store in Salisbury has revealed that 97 per cent of shoppers are in favour of the store's planned multi-million pound extension. more...
TEENAGER Clare Muspratt has had to walk her paper round this week after a thief made off with her bicycle early on March 6. more...
VILLAGERS campaigning for a speed cut on the A4 near Cherhill will find out in two weeks if they have been successful. more...
YOUTH and community worker Peter Kallmeier said he fears children in Calne as young as seven could be using drugs. more...
A DEEP sense of bitter disappointment swept through Chippenham and Calne as the news broke that the Queen had cancelled her visit to north Wiltshire next week, following confirmed cases of foot and mouth in nearby Bromham. more...
SINGLE mum Denise Baldwin was appalled when she and her five-year-old daughter came across a used syringe in her garden shed. more...
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Ben Sheppard, unable to walk following a tragic car crash last August, could soon have a new computer and camera thanks to the generosity of hundreds of people. more...
DIABETES sufferer Tony Collins is complaining to health chiefs after being left on a trolley in a hospital corridor for three days. more...
DAD Justin Oliver wants to say a big thank you to everyone who supported his car boot sales in The Pippin, Calne, to raise money for the hospital where his daughter Shannon was treated for septicemia. more...
TOWN and district councillor Mercy Baggs said extra money is needed for Calne's new drop-in centre so it can be ready to open by the end of this month. more...
PRACTICE nurse Christine Bridger is taking the high road in June when she climbs the highest peak in Morocco to raise money for the children's cancer charity CLIC. more...
A DEEP sense of bitter disappointment swept through Chippenham and Calne as the news broke that the Queen had cancelled her visit to north Wiltshire next week, following confirmed cases of foot and mouth in nearby Bromham. more...
A ROW has broken out over the safety of Chippenham bus station after councillors decided to delay improvements to check out a new scheme. more...
MUSIC teachers at Sheldon and Hardenhuish Schools in Chippenham, took the opportunity to delve into an Aladdin's cave of scores and musical arrangements valued at more than £2,000. more...
THE ceilings of cells at Chippenham Police Station are to be transformed into a community notice board complete with phone numbers for drugs advisers and counselling services. more...
CHIPPENHAM travel agent Fay Page got the chance to sit in the famous Mastermind black chair and to be quizzed by Magnus Magnusson after reaching the final of a competition organised by the Scandinavian Tourist Board. more...
BARBER Alan Shepherd is running his last marathon in April, and hopes to raise plenty of money for Skills for Living students while he does it. more...
SCHOOLMATES of nine-year-old James Lynch, who died of cancer last November, handed over a cheque for more than £676 to his father on Monday, March 5. more...
NEWS that the Cheltenham Gold Cup three day festival will go ahead on Tuesday March 13has been welcomed by horse trainers in Wiltshire. more...
A MOTHER struggling to raise an autistic child has sent out a plea to swap her home for a larger housing association house. more...
CHESS demon Jack Campaigne, eight, has become one of the county's youngest chess champions after scooping the board at a regional championship. more...
A FARMER'S plan to diversify with a quad bike course, archery and clay pigeon shooting, have been thrown out by North Wiltshire District Council. more...
CYCLISTS from all over the country converged on the Olympiad in Chippenham for the second Computer Village Roller Grand Prix. more...
Chippenham youngsters will have a chance to try out their musical talents at free classes organised by Chippenham Music Ensembles, also known as Chimes. more...
FILM star Nick Moran will be giving tips to young actors from Chippenham after a special performance of Look Back In Anger at the Bristol Old Vic. more...
DAD Mike Inglis wants to thank the person who saved his Corsham home from going up in flames after his teenage daughter left a candle burning. more...
Shocked workers at a Corsham polymer company have been told that 7o jobs must go. more...
CORSHAM Wind Band celebrated 20 years of musical fun this month. more...
Hobby joggers and first time racers are invited to join the Corsham Rotary Club's running competition on April 8. more...
Business studies students from The Corsham School will be taking on the role of car salesmen for the day when they visit Arriva Ford in Chippenham next week. more...
CONTRAVERSIAL plans to build a pub car park over a garden at the Cross Keys, near Corsham, were thrown out by North Wiltshire District Council. more...
THE proposed Heritage Centre development at Wharfside, Devizes, has been deprived of its most prestigious attraction after the Royal Photographic Society pulled out of the project. more...
PRACTICE nurse Christine Bridger is taking the high road in June when she climbs the highest peak in Morocco to raise money for the children's cancer charity CLIC. more...
A NEW development of affordable homes has opened in the centre of Devizes. more...
RESIDENTS of Downlands Road, Devizes, who fear traffic chaos once work starts on building 64 new homes at the nearby Fruit Farm site, have urged Devizes MP Michael Ancram to take up their concerns. more...
A couple have spoken of the shock and heartbreak at finding their son dead in the living room of their Devizes home on Sunday, March 4. more...
SCHOOLMATES of nine-year-old James Lynch, who died of cancer last November, handed over a cheque for more than £676 to his father on Monday, March 5. more...
A flock of 450 sheep and lambs was slaughtered by Ministry of Agriculture officials even though there was no visible sign that they had the foot and mouth virus. more...
KENNET District Council is locked in a battle with Wiltshire County Council over the £32,000 the county pays towards the upkeep of Devizes Leisure Centre. more...
DEVIZES is bracing itself for a month of traffic chaos as Kennet District Council starts the first phase of improvements to the Market Place. more...
TV chef Sophie Grigson entranced her audience at St John's Parish Room in Devizes when she launched Wiltshire Fairtrade Fortnight with a cookery demonstration using ingredients that benefit farmers in the Third World. more...
THE chairman of Devizes and District Crime Prevention Panel is counting the cost of vandalism at his home in Meadow Drive. more...
POSTMAN Richard Lavens is used to fending off aggressive dogs on his rounds but in his other role as a volunteer firefighter he is becoming accustomed to getting cats out of tight corners. more...
THE findings of a survey which showed more young people regularly drink alcohol, are being borne out in Wiltshire, as JEN BISHOP, NIGEL KERTON and LEWIS COWEN discovered from police, youth workers and parents, more...
Rosie Jones, 16, knows she is flouting the law and has been drinking in Chippenham pubs for more than a year. Although she's aware of the many dangers associated with drinking excess alcohol, the Calne girl, who has also tried cannabis, told JEN BISHOP thinks she is sensible enough to handle her drink. more...
YOUTH workers and parents in Pewsey were horrified a fortnight ago when Sgt Paul Oatway told how he found children as young as ten involved in drinking at a village disco. more...
CABINET Office Minister Ian McCartney has praised the success of the Gazette's Shop A Pusher Campaign after losing his own son to drugs. more...
TOWNS and villages across Wiltshire are joining in to organise events for Comic Relief. more...
WILTSHIRE Police have launched a campaign to recruit 101 Special Constables by the end of the year. more...
WILTSHIRE County Council is offering a company car as one of the perks to attract a new member of staff whose job will be to persuade people to use public transport. more...
CHILDREN'S education in Wiltshire will suffer from April because there is not enough money for schools, the county's headteachers have warned. more...
THE £4 million plan to secure the future of Savernake Hospital, Marlborough, has passed its first hurdle. more...
CHILDREN'S education in Wiltshire will suffer from April because there is not enough money for schools, the county's headteachers have warned. more...
LIVESTOCK markets in Chippenham will be closed again this week as the foot and mouth crisis continues, but animals have been slaughtered at Tockenham as the ban on movement is relaxed. more...
THE organisers of the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race are crossing their fingers that restrictions connected with the Foot and Mouth outbreak will be lifted by the time the race is due to set off on Good Friday, April 13. more...
EYE care services in the county are to be given a boost with the appointment of a specialist optometric adviser who will work with Wiltshire Health Authority and its primary care groups and trusts. more...
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Ben Sheppard, unable to walk following a tragic car crash last August, could soon have a new computer and camera thanks to the generosity of hundreds of people. more...
EAGER readers at schools all over Wiltshire cast aside school uniform and dressed up as their favourite fictional characters for World Book Day. more...
WILTSHIRE Health Authority consultant Bharat Phankania has flown out to India to help traumatised victims of the Gujurat earthquake. more...
THE first batch of probationary police constables taken on under Wiltshire Constabulary's Make a Difference recruitment campaign took to the streets of the county. more...
MUM Lorraine Best launched a new service to protect children from paedophiles who try to befriend them over the Internet. more...
SOCIAL services chiefs in Wiltshire are calling for closer working ties with the private sector. more...
A PLANNING application to turn the former Baptist Church in Great Cheverell into a house has been submitted to Kennet District Council. more...
A CAR driver had a lucky escape after his car smashed through a bridge's parapet and plunged into the River Avon. more...
RESIDENTS in Little Bedwyn fear their community will be split unless strengthening work is carried out to the road bridge over the canal and railway line which the village straddles. more...
BLACKSMITH Eddie Payne has spent the winter working at his Littlecote forge to restore a historic pair of gates for a mansion in Berkshire. more...
ACTOR George Baker has spoken out at a public inquiry in West Lavington against plans to build a 7,850 free range egg production unit near his home. more...
AN application to build a bungalow in the tiny hamlet of Stert has been refused by Kennet District Council. more...
KENNET District Council has called on members of the public to blow the whistle on irresponsible dog owners who refuse to clear up after their animals. more...
ANTIQUES dealer Janet Ingram has found herself in hot water with Kennet planners over her space saving idea of putting the central heating boiler for her Marlborough cottage on an outside wall. more...
THE Gazette is delighted that Cabinet Office minister Ian McCartney has praised and supported our anti-drugs campaign. more...
I READ Coun Pat Rugg's letter in the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald regarding the Fruit Farm development. more...
HAVING read our County Councillor Mrs Pat Rugg's reply to my letter, it would seem that the planning inspector, on whose report everything seems to hinge, must have made his visit at a quiet time of day, and certainly did not consult any of the residents regarding the present volume of traffic. more...
I WOULD wish to refer to the Opinion column, Gazette and Herald March 1. more...
MOST weeks of late we have read in the Gazette and Herald where one of our local councillors had campaigned, on our behalf, for the installation of Closed Circuit Television cameras in Devizes. more...
I FEEL I must write to correct some errors which appeared in your article Young Drinkers at Disco, Gazette February 22 2001. more...
IN February 1999 I went, with some other Marlborough Guides to meet the Girl Scouts, who came over from Marlborough, Massachusetts. more...
IN your news item on February 22 about the new Hercules aircraft at Lyneham you report "RAF fighters are providing policing of the no-fly zones in Iraq for the United Nations.'' more...
THE farmers' market in Marlborough has been cancelled this Saturday, March 10, because of the foot and mouth outbreak. more...
THE beautiful village of Great Bedwyn is once again under threat from unscrupulous developers without a thought for the people who toil over their vegetables off Back Lane and Tyle Field where they would like to build a housing estate. more...
I AM writing to invite any interested reader to join me and my friends in a small, informal letter writing group. more...
I REFER to the front page story regarding the district council's supposed delay in revealing the findings of an independent report on the late delivery of Calne Town Centre's rebuild (Gazette, February 22) more...
YOUNG musicians from Highworth's Warneford School will be taking part in the National Festival of Music for Youth. more...
THE restricted access to footpaths as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak could exacerbate Malmesbury's dog mess problem, councillors fear. more...
A DEEP sense of bitter disappointment swept through Malmesbury as the news broke that the Queen's visit to north Wiltshire has been postponed because of the foot and mouth outbreak. more...
CHILDREN and their teddy bears got ready for bed early in Malmesbury on March 2 and braved the cold to attend an evening of bedtime stories. more...
ONLY a fraction of the expected number of visitors attended last weekend's charity opening of the Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury, following the outbreak of foot and mouth across the country. more...
MALMESBURY'S skateboarders are being called upon to help themselves by demonstrating how responsible they can be. more...
A MALMESBURY shopkeeper has praised the town's firefighters for their quick response to an incident on the High Street. more...
A HERD of 100 beef cattle was being slaughtered on a farm in the Marlborough area after a case of foot and mouth was confirmed. more...
FORMER police officer Stephen Moran, who runs a catering business in London Road, Marlborough, is calling for a halt to development in the town until the parking crisis is solved. more...
THE £4 million plan to secure the future of Savernake Hospital, Marlborough, has passed its first hurdle. more...
SHEEP farmer Derick Joint told this week of the growing sense of desperation felt across the region's farming community. more...
FARMER Robert Shepherd told this week of his agonising wait for the results of tests for foot-and-mouth disease. more...
THE devastating financial impact of foot-and-mouth has left a chain of local businesses fearing for their livelihoods. more...
GEOFF Butler has been sensationally axed as team boss and commercial manager of Salisbury City Football Club. more...
PARK and ride has received a vote of approval in its first week of operation in Salisbury. more...
FURIOUS passengers lambasted Wilts & Dorset after they were left stranded at bus stops on Thursday. more...
RAILTRACK is being urged to erect heavy-duty safety barriers on a south Wiltshire railway bridge to prevent a repeat of the Selby tragedy. more...
A WOMAN who robbed her local shop terrifying a young shop assistant with a meat cleaver was jailed for four-and-a-half years by a judge at Salisbury. more...
AN aerial photograph of Salisbury and Wilton, commissioned by the city's library to mark the start of the new millennium, is to be officially unveiled this month. more...
A CHAMPION motorcycle racer from Larkhill died when his machine crashed off the track at 140mph and disintegrated, an inquest heard. more...
GEOFF Butler has been sensationally axed as team boss and commercial manager of Salisbury City Football Club. more...
An enforced close season has brought fishing to a premature halt for many anglers in the region with tougher restrictions designed to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, writes Roland Batten. more...
Neville Ansell (Dinton Sat/Sun), Spitting at Opponent, 49 days, £20; more...
TOWN boss Andy KIng hopes his team of `kids' can come of age and keep the club in Division Two. more...
THE importance of Town's win over Oldham Athletic this week was put clearly into focus by dramatic developments at the bottom of Division Two last night (Wednesday). more...
MAN of the moment Paul McAreavey admits his sudden elevation to super-sub hero status has come as a bit of a shock. more...
SIR Alex Ferguson offered to lend Town more than Manchester United's training facilities in the build-up to Saturday's game at Wigan. more...
ANDY GRAY'S on, off move to the County Ground looks to have fallen on stony ground after the Town board decided not to back their manager's wishes. more...
A huge turnout of 150 children enjoyed the three-day football course run by the Swindon Town Community Office over half-term. more...
CAN we please get on with this new stadium? more...
THEY do say that fools rush in where angels fear to tread and they may be right. more...
WE have reached the stage of the campaign where calculators come out and supporters start trying to work out how many points will ensure survival. more...
Date, Match and prediction in Points more...
PEOPLE are being given the opportunity to treat themselves and help a good cause at the same time. more...
Chancellor Gordon Brown has put Labour on a General Election footing with a £4 billion family-friendly giveaway Budget. more...
MORE than 200 Swindon women have signed up for a moonwalk but they're keeping their feet firmly at earth level. more...
FUNDING from a Swindon research council is helping scientists decipher 2,000-year-old Roman shopping lists and letters. more...
TWO environmentally friendly clowns called Bozo and Zizi are touring 10 primary schools in Swindon to teach children about reducing waste. more...
A CONTROVERSIAL youth drop-in centre has won National Lottery funding worth more than £200,000 to provide a cafe- style information service for young people. more...
THE National Lottery Charities Board has also pledged £49,700 to a Swindon organisation which provides assistants or carers to disabled people. more...
HERCULES from RAF Lyneham have flown half-way round the world to support British industry at major aviation events in India and Australia. more...
WILTSHIRE Fairtrade Fortnight has been backed by a major retailer. more...
THE national Scrabble competition held in Swindon raised £1,000 for Macmillan Nurses. more...
A SWINDON Town fan who was involved in a fight with Rotherham fans last December has escaped a three-year-ban from the ground. more...
TWO loyal Swindon Town football supporters have hit their goal by reaching their Golden Wedding anniversary together. more...
The rivalry between the old time steam railway workers was legendary. more...
Sainsbury's stores across Swindon have pledged their support to the British Heart Foundation with a range of fundraising activities throughout the year. more...
A HAULAGE company and a specialist pig breeder involved in transporting pigs from Swindon have been fined for falsifying Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) documents and breaking animal transport regulations. more...
THE Prospect Hospice has received a £600 donation from a Swindon day nursery. more...
MAYOR of Swindon Arthur Archer was unveiling a special tribute today to honour his prestigious predecessors. more...
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help at a project for disadvantaged teenagers. more...
ORGANISERS of Swindon Festival of Literature have promised the best event yet. more...
THE son of Swindon Town Football Club stadium manager Ron Topp has been found dead at the family home. more...
A ROAD was closed for six hours to allow an articulated lorry which had crashed to be removed from the roadside using a crane. more...
DEVELOPERS have joined the legal fight to save Swindon's Front Garden. more...
A TEENAGER was today fighting for his life after he was knocked over on a Swindon street. more...
POLICE CARRIED out stop and searches on vehicles last night in their hunt for clues surrounding the abduction and rape of a teenager. more...
A MAN accused of an attack which left his partner with a ruptured spleen has been found not guilty of causing her grievous bodily harm with intent. more...
A THIRD outbreak of the foot and mouth disease has been confirmed in Wiltshire and irresponsible ramblers have been blamed for causing it. more...
A RARE James Bond book fetched a massive £11,400 at a Swindon auction more than double the highest estimate of £5,000. more...
PARENTS are calling for road safety improvements after a boy dodged death by inches while attempting to cross the road outside his school. more...
FIVE pallets of hair care products were stolen from the back of an articulated lorry while the driver slept in the cab. more...
TWO council workers were taken to hospital after a drum of acid was dumped at a public tip. more...
IT'S down to good luck and the fact that a driver was travelling relatively slowly that young Richard Cook wasn't seriously hurt on his way to Westlea Primary School. more...
NEWS that Blore Homes are to help in the fight against the council's plan to develop the Front Garden has doubtless given the campaigners new hope of success. more...
TOWN boss Andy King hopes his team of `kids' can come of age and keep the club in Division Two. more...
Wootton Bassett School's new head teacher says his predecessor Hylton Thomas will be a hard act to follow. more...
POSTWOMAN Jennie Jackson, who proposed to her partner during a round the world yacht race, has spoken about about her incredible journey. more...
Catherine Burden wore her great grandmother's dress for a Victorian Day in which pupils at Wootton Bassett's Noremarsh School sampled the school life of a bygone era. more...
Britain's biggest women-only fundraising event is set to take place at Lydiard Country Park, near Wootton Bassett on June 10. more...
HIGHWORTH Army officer, Lieutenant James Murrell, has been awarded his wings after 17 months of training. more...
BUS company Stagecoach has been fined £17,000 and banned from providing any new services until the end of April. more...
NEW plans to improve the A419 route between the M4 motorway and Cirencester have gone on show. more...
MOTORIST Kevin Maddison, of Purton, cracked under the stress of mounting debts and reversed his van into a parked police car causing £1,500 worth of damage, a court heard. more...
Clothing, equipment and toys for children of all ages will be on offer at a nearly new sale at the Methodist Church on High Street Hill from 11am to 1pm on Saturday, March 10. more...
Wildlife photographer Paul Morrison, a producer of documentaries for the BBC, will be giving an illustrated talk, `The natural history of the Thames Valley', at St Ivel Social Club, Station road, Wootton Bassett next Tuesday. more...
© Newsquest Media Group 2008