THE Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire has hit back at claims his office spent £10,000 on flipflops for drunken revellers in Salisbury city centre. PCC Angus Macpherson was accused in the Daily Express of giving the money to Salisbury
PLANS to develop Salisbury’s historic airfield were branded “immoral” at a public design meeting on Tuesday. People turned out in force to hear sustainable development company ZeroC’s plans to develop three areas at Old Sarum Airfield and voice
WILTSHIRE Council says it has listened to people’s complaints about signage in Salisbury and taken action to address their concerns. People in the city had raised the issue of missing street signs and also voiced concerns about old-fashioned signs
PARKING regulations in St Thomas’s Square can now be enforced after Wiltshire Council finally put up the right signs. Residents and shopkeepers in the square said the picturesque area had become a free car park with parking wardens powerless to
A NEW challenge launching on Salisbury Plain is promising to be even more challenging than the notoriously hard endurance race Tough Mudder. Judgement Day will take place next April 26 and 27, offering obstacle course enthusiasts the chance to
THE tax payers have been ripped off again. Whoever it was at the Highways Agency who signed off the “improvements” to the Countess roundabout in 2010 should be dismissed – the only benefits were to Balfour Beatty, the outsourcing contractor that
THE problem of overgrown trees in Durrington (Journal, August 29) is widespread. I live in Avondown Road, where in 1989, sycamore trees (the weed of the tree world) were planted on a green alongside my house. Firstly, they were planted too
JUST wanted to say a belated BIG thank you to all the people who came, all the stallholders and car booters and our fabulous Sunday Funday Team for another fab afternoon in Durrington on Sunday, August 25 at this year’s Sunday Funday. We have now
I HAVE to completely disagree with the letter in the Journal (Postbag, August 29) talking about the ‘downward slide’ of our city. Salisbury has one of the lowest unemployment levels in the country and lowest crime levels in the country. It
LEWES, a town of similar size to Salisbury, has successfully averted its bus station being sold off for redevelopment by strong political leadership – with the planning authority placing conditions on the redevelopment of the bus station site whereby
I CANNOT agree with Craig Ford (Postbag, September 19) that there is lots of room for a permanent arrangement for an “alternative bus station” using the Millstream Coach Park off of Castle Street. On most weekdays from 11am to 5pm there are usually
NO sooner has work started on new laybys to accommodate buses in Amesbury post bus station closure then a planning application is submitted for change of use of said bus station. And what do they want the land for? Believe it or not, a car
WHEN my wife and I moved to Salisbury about four years ago, we took great pleasure in watching the many swans and ducks in the River Avon on our walks down to the centre of the city. There were always 20 or more swans, mostly in the Maltings area
IF I remember correctly the turnout for the election of police commissioner was very small. I was one of those who didn’t vote, mainly because I did not believe in the commissioners system and because I could not see how anyone outside the force
IT seems to me political parties have lost contact with reality. For example, there are 920,000 empty homes in the UK (according to Shelter) and yet they are obsessed with building new ones. They ought to say any empty property should be double
I FEEL for any employee whose job is under threat when they have young families to care for. Wiltshire Council cut 250 jobs in one week, then the following week it is announced that 18 executive officers are to get a pay increase of up to 16 per
AS an elected member of Wiltshire Council, I feel that I must reply to the comments made in the press by Councillor Jane Scott, leader of Wiltshire Council, as she again tries to defend the pay rises for some senior managers at Wiltshire Council.
WE were so spoilt with the hot summer. I don’t want it to end. My house was finally warm and I even opened the windows. I live in the coldest house in the world. It’s more often warmer outside than it is inside, which has been a real treat during
SMART business owners give stuff away for free. No matter whom your business targets, giving something away for nothing could be the smartest move you choose to make today. How many times have you received a gift for free from a business?
“IT won’t be the same.” Jilly looked morose. “It’ll all be different. I don’t want to go.” It was all change at the Cathedral – we were moving. Not the Cathedral, that hasn’t moved for 750 years. But some of our staff were relocating from one
YET again on a planning issue, we have to ask despairingly: “Why do we bother to care?” Old Sarum Airfield, beset by would-be developers, was once memorably described by Winterslow councillor Chris Devine as “like a wagon train being encircled
JAMES Hayward is the first team captain of South Wilts Cricket Club and also plays hockey for Salisbury firsts. He works at TK Hockey (UK) Ltd and enjoys playing golf, relaxing with friends and watching sport. Who was your childhood hero and
THE South, formed from the ashes of hit pop band The Beautiful South, are performing in Salisbury next week, and the Journal has two pairs of tickets to give away. Former members of The Beautiful South Dave Hemingway and Alison Wheeler will be
ALTHOUGH it ultimately lacks the courage of its twisted convictions, Prisoners is a provocative thriller about a father who takes justice into his own hands when his little girl is abducted at Thanksgiving. The subsequent quest for answers and
ENTERTAINMENT has changed dramatically over the years. It’s always a fast-moving sector, as fashions and technologies are reinvented and revamped in the blink of the eye. It really wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things that a television
HELLO everyone and welcome to the Journal Gang page. We start this week by saying a great Gang “well done” to Amy Nash, who won this great Moshi Monsters house in a recent competition. Amy’s mum says that she loves playing with her new toy
LATE September means party conference season where MPs visit seaside towns, or in my case Manchester, to meet with party members. The party conference has changed considerably over recent years; fifteen years ago it meant an opportunity for party
CALLS to a farming charity’s helpline have more than doubled because of financial problems forcing farmers to ask for help. The Farming Community Network (FCN) reports that calls to its helpline more than doubled over the first six months of this
MINISTER for State at the Home Office, Mark Harper, has confirmed that the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) will not be extended beyond its current end date of December 31, 2013. Many in the horticultural, fruit and vegetable sectors
THIS year’s harvest has turned out to be better than expected, thanks to the dry weather in August and early September. In fact, it has been suggested that this could lead to this autumn’s oil seed rape drilling area close to that of last season
THE issue of banning the niqab (the full face covering worn by some Muslim women) exploded into my emails last week. I am always taken aback at the passions aroused on this question in the market towns of the New Forest, where I am quite sure one has
RINGWOOD is not the first place one would associate with hedonism, but every year its country folk give it their best shot as they celebrate the end of harvest. Yes, it was the carnival on Saturday, Ringwood’s answer to Rio, minus the exotic.
THE officers’ table at the September meeting of the Guild had a very different look, with both the chairman and secretary being unavailable. Nevertheless the meeting was very ably conducted by Gwen Brocksom in the chair, and Clare Kirkup in the
THE Friends of Harnham Slope are holding a bluebell planting session on October 5. The session follows on from the efforts of volunteers who helped to plant wood anemones, primroses and wild garlic last year and bluebells the year before. The
THE September meeting of Bourne Valley WI took place on a lovely sunny afternoon, unlike the August garden party which was rather cool. President Jill Bushnell welcomed members and two visitors. Notices about the autumn council meeting at the City
THE Harnham Garden Society will welcome Andy McIndoe, from Hillier’s in Romsey as guest speaker to talk on Beautiful Bulbs on Friday. The meeting will be held at the memorial hall in Harnham at 7.30pm. Entry is £2 for visitors. Mr McIndoe is
THERE were bargains galore at last month’s Salisbury Bonsai Society’s auction. Trees and pots were examined and, after some friendly banter, bought. It was a very enjoyable evening with members going away happily clutching their new purchases.
IN September Redlynch and District WI celebrated its 97th birthday. We were pleased to welcome guests from Downton Evening, Godshill and Odstock, Nunton and Bodenham WIs as well as several potential new members. David Andrews entertained us
THE St Francis community was pleased to welcome a record number of entrants and entries to the 65th annual flower and produce show. The church building provided a spacious and light venue where a wide range of exhibits were displayed. The judges
ELIZABETH Cutter, president, opened the meeting by welcoming more than 40 members and a guest to the Radnor Hall. Pam Trubshawe provided a beautiful floral arrangement for the president’s table. Reports on the interest groups – theatre, skittles
AUSTRALIA’S Impressionists were the subject of a fascinating talk to Sarum DFAS (a member of NADFAS) on Tuesday, September 10. The artists who formed the movement were not widely known to the audience, but Caroline Holmes spoke enthusiastically
MORRIS Dancers are heading to Wylye Village Hall for a taster evening on Wednesday, October 2. White Horse Morris will be starting the evening’s entertainment at 7.30pm. Visit whitehorsemorris.org.uk for more information.
CHARLTON All Saints Church is holding a Harvest Supper on Saturday, September 28 at 6pm. Anyone wishing to attend the free event can contact Barbara Box on 01725 510758 or Caroline Winternitz on 01725 510983.
PLANS are progressing for a reunion being held at Amesbury Primary School on Saturday, October 12. The school, which opened in 1892, is inviting past pupils, staff and governors to attend the event. This will be an opportunity to see how the
ENTRIES for a photography competition in Chitterne are now being taken. People who take part in theOur Village in All Seasons-themed competition could win a copy of the Chitterne 2014 calendar or ten greetings cards, both to include pictures of
DAVID Dawson from Devizes Museum presented the work of the museum and the collections formed over the last 160 years, including its library, artefacts, archives, drawings and other collections pertaining to Wiltshire. The Devizes Museum will have
LADY Archers WI is a recently started group, and we are looking for new members. We meet on the third Thursday of the month, and the the next meeting is on Thursday, September 19, when there will be a talk on Bustards on Salisbury Plain On October
BULFORD Village WI meeting is held on the first Thursday afternoon of the month. Twenty members attended September’s meeting, opened by the vice president at 2.30pm. We had a very interesting and informative talk and slide show presented by
OUR September meeting was opened by president Marion Wardell, who welcomed everyone back after the summer break and extended a warm welcome to our visitor Fiona Ricketts. This meeting also incorporated our annual craft show where all the exhibits
PITTON Carnival raised £2,777 ,which has been donated to village hall funds. The village hall committee is planning to have the inside of the hall redecorated, probably during half term week in the autumn. Members also hope to improve the rear
THIS year’s Farley Fete raised £1,290 to be spent on resources for next year’s village events. There will be a meeting on September 25 at 9pm at the Hook and Glove to discuss Farley Fete 2014.
PEOPLE organising community projects in the Mere, Tisbury and Wilton areas can apply for funding from the South West Wiltshire Area Board. The community area grants scheme provides up to £5,000 to help fund facilities, equipment and other projects
WINTERSLOW Reading Group has started up again and meetings this year are on September 27, October 11 and 25, November 8 and 22, and December 6. For more information, contact Sue Corner on 01980 862120 or Jean Radnage on 01980 862833.
THERE was a taste of ancient times for pupils from Leehurst Swan school on a recent school trip. Youngsters in Year 4 visited Butser Ancient Farm, and experimental archaeological site in the South Downs National Park. The children explored
THERE was an accident involving a car and a Wilts & Dorset bus on the A345 at High Post this morning. Emergency services are at the scene. No further details are available at present and it is not known if anyone was injured.
Skrill Premier Salisbury City 2 Hyde 0 SALISBURY City moved into fourth in Skrill Premier and extended their unbeaten run to eight games as two goals in the last ten minutes was enough to shrug off rock-bottom Hyde on Tuesday. After
A WOMAN has died after being hit by a car as she walked along the A36 at Plaitford last night. The woman, thought to be in her 20s, was hit by a silver Volkswagen Golf at about 11.15pm. Police are still trying to contact her next of kin.
WILTSHIRE Council has received more than £1.6m in repayments over recent weeks following the recovery of money lost during the Icelandic Bank collapse five years ago. A sum of £1.51m from Heritable bank, followed by £156,000 from Landsbanki means
WAR veteran George Wells has been awarded with an Arctic Star medal for his bravery and contribution during the Second World War. Mr Wells, from Stoford, was presented with the medal by the Mayor of Wilton Phil Matthews on Sunday, September 15.
ACTIVE citizenship is increasingly vital in keeping communities safe in a time of austerity, according to Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson. Mr Macpherson told an audience in Trowbridge on Tuesday that he
JK Rowling was in the news last week because she wrote an article for Gingerbread about being a single parent, and saying she's more proud of her time as a single parent than anything else in her life. For those that don't know, I am one of those
SOME GPs in Wiltshire say they would be willing to accept a target of 20 minutes for ambulances to get to patients rather than the national target of eight minutes. The comments were made as South Western Ambulance Service commissions out an independent
