Western Daily Press (Bristol UK) back issues from July 2007:
Dirty practices, not badgers, cause TB
Jul 02, 2007 ... I Refer to the article by Chris Rundle (Western Daily Press, June18) regarding farmers who support the culling of badgers in an effortto control and prevent the spread of TB in cattle. It is my belief that all livestock farmers should, before seekingto place the blame for the ...
It's war on the middle classes
Jul 02, 2007 ... Yet another attack on the middle classes: now it seems we're pettycriminals. Not content with branding us as secret binge-drinkers who aredestroying our livers, we're now told that we're just as bad as thecriminals in the underworld, only our crimes are more white collar:pinching ...
Spoiling for a fight in name of religion
Jul 02, 2007 ... Why are folk with religious convictions so maddening when it comesto symbolic jewellery? First it was the row about an airline worker insisting on wearingher cross with her uniform and now there is a legal row involvingschoolgirl Lydia Playfoot who, as a Christian, has vowed to ...
An age-old problem for our TV favourites
Jul 02, 2007 ... Parky too old? He's the same age as I am, and now he is gettingthe message that the older presenters are not wanted on thetelevision any more. First it was Moira Stuart, then Nick Ross of Crimewatch, both intheir 50s and being edged out. And now Parky says it's time to ...
Racers cut down to size
Jul 02, 2007 ... At last there's a way of expressing scorn to middle-aged men whodrive powerful open sports cars and a go vroom vroom as they drivepast you, to show how virile they are, despite being fat andbalding. I always want to shout: "I bet you've got a big one", but I couldnever be that ...
Hello, hello, hello
Jul 02, 2007 ... If you want to know the time, ask a policeman, I was brought up tobelieve though, disillusioningly, the phrase was a satiricalreference to the fact that in days of yore, policemen were notoriousfor lifting suspects' watches. But I still have a naive faith that if you should see a ...
Smokers are out on a limb
Jul 02, 2007 ... Did you stop smoking yesterday on No Smoking Day - sorry Smoke-Free Day? As an ex-smoker I sympathise with those still hooked on the demonweed. I still remember feeling mad and angry and disembodied as Iwent through the pangs for a month or so. But having done so, I became ...
More services, not more homes
Jul 02, 2007 ... Congratulations to Cllr Edward Keating on becoming elected as anew breed of councillors, representing South Worle on North SomersetDistrict Council. However, although agreeing with him that junction 21 on the M5motorway needs drastic major improvements to alleviate the ...
We need more social housing (june 29)
Jul 02, 2007 ... N This is one issue that Gordon Brown cannot escape blame for. Thefinest Chancellor we've ever had? Are there no politicians out thereintelligent enough to challenge his mathematics? Are they all sofrightened? Taxation and the real cost of borrowing has never beforebeen so high, our ...
Drawing a blank on village name
Jul 02, 2007 ... Your version of how Aston Blank was named differs from theexplanation I had many years ago. The story was that on the dissolution of the monasteries by HenryVIII, scribes were sent to assess the new possessions of the king. Atthat time, the village of Cold Aston belonged to the ...
Small print 'curse' on best mortgage deals
Jul 02, 2007; ... Homeowners preparing for further interest rate rises could bemissing out on the best deals due to confusing small print. Arrangement and booking fees, valuations and extra months added tofixed rate deals can all impact on the true cost of a mortgage. Experts have warned ...
Can I take my cash now?
Jul 02, 2007 ... I have an executive company pension. I am 65 but I do not want toretire. Can I take my tax-free cash and leave the remainder for ayear and then transfer it to a SIPP and go into drawdown? BM, Bath Danny Cox, chartered financial planner with IFA HargreavesLansdown, replies: You can ...
Brazilians lift Airbus with another big order for a350
Jul 02, 2007 ... Aerospace group Airbus has received further backing for its newlong-haul A350 aircraft with Brazilian carrier TAM agreeing to buy22. The agreement, in the form of a memorandum of understanding whichalso includes four A330-200s, brings the tally for the A350 to 254orders and ...
Travel firm to book its first profits
Jul 02, 2007 ... The acquisition of Canadian online travel agency Itravel2000 lastOctober will have boosted the performance of West specialist holidayfirm Travelzest, which posts interim results today. The move should also help smooth the balance of profitabilitybetween the summer and winter ...
Debenhams shopping for European merger partner
Jul 02, 2007 ... Department store chain Debenhams is understood to have approachedcontinental retailers to discuss a possible merger. KarstadtQuelle of Germany, one of Europe's leading mail order anddepartment store businesses, was last night linked to a tie-up withDebenhams. French group ...
Plea from business to peg rates as inflation eases
Jul 02, 2007 ... Business leaders are urging the Bank of England not to raiseinterest rates this week, arguing that inflation is now easing. The Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) said recent hikes arebeginning to take effect and lifting them again would hit industryhard. But British ...
Retailer Peacocks struts its stuff ahead of pounds800m sale
Jul 02, 2007 ... The owners of fashion retailer Peacocks are heading for a majorpayday with plans for a pounds800 million sale or refinancing. The speculation comes just 18 months after a US consortium fundeda pounds404m management buy-out and de-listing. Chief executive Richard Kirk and former ...
Us groups eye Virgin media
Jul 02, 2007; ... Virgin Media faces a 8 billion (pounds4bn) takeover approach fromUS private equity firm Carlyle - a move which could trigger a bidbattle for the troubled cable group. Goldman Sachs, a long-term advisor to Virgin Media, whose largestshareholder is Richard Branson, is understood to ...
Chickenfeed?
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Chicken farmer has been fined almost pounds3,500 for keepingcaravans on his land without permission. Richard Maltby, of Hockworthy, ...
Callie on the scent as memorial to crash man
Jul 02, 2007 ... Friends and family of a young man killed in a car accident haveunveiled a special memorial to him. Nathan Wright, of Portishead, near Bristol, was 22 when he died inAugust 2005 after a car being driven by a friend crashed into a wallon the B3124 road at Weston- ...
Historic flight
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Full-size replica of the Gloster Whittle, the first aeroplanewith a jet engine, is on display at the Folk Museum in Gloucesteruntil the end of ...
Arts group thank mel
Jul 02, 2007 ... She maybe in the limelight again with the re-launch of the SpiceGirls, but Melanie C has still found time to help a West communityarts group. Mel - aka Sporty Spice - is a long-time patron of Kandu Arts forSustainable Development, based in the Wiltshire town of ...
Hopes dashed for village shop return
Jul 02, 2007; ... Rural campaigners have lost their battle to reopen their villageshop and post office after permission was given for it to be turnedinto a wine emporium. The store, at Semley, near Shaftesbury Dorset, closed nearly fiveyears ago, but villagers have been working to relaunch it with ...
Teacher is guilty over sex offence
Jul 02, 2007 ... A PRIMARY school teacher has pleaded guilty to inciting sexualactivity with a schoolgirl. Lynda Forster, of Yatton, committed the offences against thechild, who was aged 13 to 15 and was not a pupil at her school. Forster was working at Sandford Primary School in North ...
Jobs at risk over airfield showdown
Jul 02, 2007 ... Kemble airfield chief Ronan Harvey said the decision by CotswoldDistrict Council to end general flying from the former RAF based wasill-considered and warned jobs at the airfield site were at risk. The matter is to be decided by a planning inspector after a publicinquiry as the ...
Artist damien chips in pounds10,000 for village hall
Jul 02, 2007; ... The bad boy of British art, Damien Hirst, is proving an unlikelyknight in shining armour for a small village. Millionaire Hirst, famous for his formaldehyde sharks and diamondskull, is donating pounds10,000 towards a project to rebuild thevillage hall in Toddington, where he is ...
Love rift MP must pay back expenses
Jul 02, 2007; ... Awatchdog has told MP James Gray to pay back some of his expenses but the Tory yesterday dismissed it as a payroll technicality. An investigation was launched into the Wiltshire North MP'sfinances after he was accused of using taxpayers' money to supporthis estranged wife and ...
Never mind the weather... Just keep on trucking
Jul 02, 2007; ... Screaming fans greeted TV stars at the weekend's popularTruckfest Southwest. The chance to meet well-loved personalities wasa big hit with the 70,000 people who turned out for the entertainment. Actor Will Mellor may struggle to make an impression on the womanof his dreams in ...
Just digging for victory and justice Allotment holders all over Britain have become alarmed that they are now being urged to each take out up to pounds500 insurance simply so they can keep tilling their plots. Here, Mark Formosa takes up their cause
Jul 02, 2007 ... Allotment holders all over Britain have become alarmed that theyare now being urged to each take out up to pounds500 insurance simplyso they can keep tilling their plots. Here, Mark Formosa takes uptheir cause In the sleepy hollows of the rural West Country there lurks adangerous ...
Not all milk and honey
Jul 02, 2007 ... No. 46,456 IT has long been known that living in the countryside is notnecessarily the perfect idyll most people assume it to be. The West has its fair share of picture postcard villages completewith thatched roofs, welcoming pubs and winding lanes. And there areplenty of ...
Every one counts...
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Campaign launched by Oxfam during the recent GlastonburyFestival to help stop climate chaos has been hailed a success. Festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis were the first to signup to the I Count campaign and the pair were soon joined by 70,000others at ...
Looking back to the golden age of steam
Jul 02, 2007; ... It is exactly 40 years since steam engines pulled trains along theSalisbury to Exeter line. But now the atmosphere of those days has been brought back to life thanks to former railway fireman DerekPhillips. His new lavishly-illustrated commemorative book Salisbury toExeter ...
Trust earns new status
Jul 02, 2007 ... Gloucestershire Partnership Trust became an NHS Foundation Trust yesterday. The trust provides specialist mental health, substance misuse andlearning disability services for people of all ages. Becoming a foundation trust will mean ...
Beefybacks 999 appeal
Jul 02, 2007 ... Sir Ian Botham is backing an appeal to raise pounds50,000 for a hi-tech map system for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The former England cricket captain, who grew up in Yeovil, saysseeing an air ambulance aid the victim of a horrific road crash ...
State benefits are for the less able - not lord of the manor
Jul 02, 2007 ... Edward Simpson of Burton Court Manor, Herefordshire, bewails hisplight and brazenly receives pounds40 state benefits, which he shouldbe thoroughly ashamed to admit. For a cosseted and, presumably, educated young man who finds hislifestyle compromised, my remedy for his plight would ...
Be clear on Parkinson's
Jul 02, 2007 ... In the Western Daily Press of June 11, the article headlined "Thedementia time-bomb", by Aleisha Scott, contained an interview witha Mrs Joan Broomfield. The article was indeed well written and much appreciated by theAlzheimer's Society in Bristol and South ...
Teach males about stds
Jul 02, 2007 ... Regarding the decision to vaccinate very young girls againstcervical cancer, the link with STD was suspected many years ago whenan American doctor, responsible over many years for the health of alarge number of Catholic nuns, discovered on checking his recordsthat there were no cases of ...
Wessex at risk from London
Jul 02, 2007 ... Whether Scotland subsidises England, as Alex Salmond claims, orEngland subsidises Scotland, as Robert Readman and his ilk claim,(Your Say, June 25) is a matter of debate. What is clear is that if Scotland split from England it would makeno difference to spending on education and ...
Antiques expert with a heart of gold dies
Jul 02, 2007 ... Antiques dealer Joyce Parkins, described by her family as a ladywith a "heart of gold", has died at the age of 75. Mrs Parkins, who was born on October 10, 1931, grew up in Hotwellsand went to the National School there. She started work at 14 at acosmetics factory, and it was at ...
So proud of baby eddison
Jul 02, 2007 ... Proud parents Tara and Gary Griffiths are overjoyed with their newaddition to the family. Eddison Blu was born at Bath Hospital weighing 8lb 2oz. Parents Tara, a beautician, and Gary, a printer, say their littlegirl Olivia Angel, who is two-and-a-half, is delighted to have ...
Concert for Diana brings togetherness
Jul 02, 2007; ... Stories of a royal reunion appeared to be well-founded last nightas Kate Middleton joined Prince William at a concert celebrating thelife of Princess Diana. Meanwhile Prine Harry got up close and personal with hisgirlfriend Chelsey Davy. The couple enjoyed a very public kiss ...
Clarke may run in ECB chairman election
Jul 02, 2007; ... Somerset chairman Giles Clarke is emerging as an early frontrunnerfor the top job in English cricket. With England & Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan becomingpresident of the International Cricket Council there will be avacancy, possibly as soon as September. Clarke ...
West indians' hopes hit by another washout
Jul 02, 2007; ... No game survived as the rain on Saturday created a completewashout in the West of England Premier Divisions. Bridgwater made 67-3 off 20 overs before their Premier One clashagainst Cheltenham was abandoned. Andrew Hallaran scored 22 and Robert Wodman was unbeaten on 21 ...
Federer boost as Haas is out
Jul 02, 2007; ... Defending champion Roger Federer was handed a bye to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon when fourth- round opponent Tommy Haas was forcedto pull out through injury. Haas, the injury-plagued 13th seed, suffered a torn abdominalmuscle in his four-set victory over Russian Dmitry ...
Hargreaves so glad lengthy wait is over
Jul 02, 2007; ... Owen Hargreaves finally completed the formalities of his move toManchester United and admitted: "It's been a long time coming." The 26-year-old England midfielder has signed a four-year contractwith the Barclays Premier League champions, completing a move fromBayern Munich which ...
Caborn: Don't stop foreign investment
Jul 02, 2007 ... Former Sports Minister Richard Caborn believes the PremierLeague's fit and proper persons test for major investors is well upto date. The landscape of England's top flight has changed dramatically inrecent years through money from rich foreign businessmen. It has led to ...
Drogba rules out Gunners' title chances
Jul 02, 2007 ... Thierry Henry's Arsenal exit will ensure a two-horse race for theBarclays Premier League title between Manchester United and Chelsea,according to Blues striker Didier Drogba. Henry, the Gunners' main source of goals in recent years, hasjoined Barcelona in a pounds16 million ...
Marsh: States will be hell for Beckham
Jul 02, 2007 ... Life in the United States will be "hell" for David Beckham,according to Rodney Marsh. Beckham is set to embark on a five-year contract with LosAngeles Galaxy. Marsh moved to the States in the 1970s to play for the Tampa BayRowdies and believes the travelling involved in ...
Hinton fitness boost for Rovers
Jul 02, 2007 ... Bristol Rovers have been boosted by the news that Craig Hintonshould be fit to start pre-season training a week today. The Pirates defender missed the end of the season with a tornadductor muscle. But Hinton has just completed a week's rehabilitation at theNational Sports ...
Fathers are about much more than just finance
Jul 02, 2007; ... A13-year-old boy yesterday spearheaded an emotional protestoutside Bristol prison over the jailing of his father. Almost 80 campaigners marched into the reception of Horfieldprison armed with airhorns demanding the release of Michael Cox. The 43-year-old barrister was last week ...
Poll evidence in airport row
Jul 02, 2007 ... Campaigners opposed to planned expansion at Bristol InternationalAirport have urged local authorities to take note of the results ofa recent national poll. Stop Bristol Airport ...
Body found in brook named
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Woman whose body was found in a stream has been formallyidentified as missing 49-year-old Jayne Grant. Ms Grant went missing last Monday, after going to walk her dog,which ...
Old pool protest - it's a real picnic
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Picnic protest at Weston- super-Mare's derelict Tropicanayesterday brought a touch of the classic English seaside holiday to acampaign to save the building. The once-futuristic swimming pool celebrated its 70th birthdayyesterday, as developers and council chiefs work on the final ...
Brewery puts smoke on tap
Jul 02, 2007 ... One West brewery has found an ingenious way of keeping the smokeand ale combination alive. The Bristol Brewing Factory has created Old Smokey, a beer with atang from smoking malt over local oak. The ...
Go softly, softly on smoking martyrs
Jul 02, 2007 ... Councils were urged last night to adopt a softly-softly approachby only fining smoking martyrs in the early days of the ban in pubsand restaurants. Caroline Flint, who was Public Health Minister until Friday, saidlocal authorities should show commonsense by simply having a ...
I will go
Jul 02, 2007; ... Abreath of fresh air blew through the West yesterday as thesmoking ban came into effect - though not everyone was happy. Almostall public buildings are now smoke-free, including offices,factories, pubs, cafes, railway stations, working vehicles andleisure centres. But defiant ...
Pub to hand out smoking jackets
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Pub on a busy commuter road in Bristol is equipping drinkerswith fluorescent jackets so they can smoke in safety. Landlord Gerry McLoughlin, 41, has bought a dozen brightly-coloured coats to lend to locals visiting the Miners Arms. It is hoped the jackets will make smokers, ...
No more walkies for my snakes
Jul 02, 2007 ... Snake lover Tim Fry has lost his appeal to take his pets for awalk in the local park. The 22-year-old from Ledbury, Herefordshire, says he is sodevasted he hopes to move to a more snake friendly area. Mr Fry had been "walking" 5ft rat snake Buddy and 3ft corn snakeRosie in ...
He's so lucky to be alive
Jul 02, 2007 ... A Land Rover driver had a miracle escape when his vehicle smashedinto the side of a house in an early-morning crash. A holidaying police officer and his wife, travelling in a FordGalaxy towing a caravan, also had a lucky escape, as did thehouseholders, whose home in Lydford, near ...
Now put it back together again
Jul 02, 2007; ... Afarmer faces the prospect of having to fork out pounds250,000to rebuild his ruined 17th-century thatched barn. Richard Bruce-White, 55, was last year fined pounds12,000 for thewilful destruction of part of the Grade II listed structure hoursbefore the council moved in to ...
M5 horses cause chaos
Jul 02, 2007 ... Horses ran across the M4 in Wiltshire on Saturday, causing havocfor thousands of motorists. There were major tailbacks throughout the afternoon in bothdirections after a ...
Glastonbury camper fire
Jul 02, 2007 ... Firefighters were called to the Glastonbury Festival site at justafter midnight yesterday after reports that a camper van was ablaze. Fire crews from Shepton Mallet Fire Station and ...
Paris tale sparks an on-air protest
Jul 02, 2007 ... An American newsreader took drastic steps when she was told herlead item would focus on Paris Hilton. Mika Brzezinsk attempted to burn her script live on television inprotest at being made to lead her bulletin on the recently releasedhotel heiress. The co-presenter refused to ...
Marshall stars on his return for Gladiators
Jul 02, 2007; ... Announcing his return from injury in blistering style, HamishMarshall registered his first Twenty20 Cup hundred as GloucestershireGladiators trounced Worcestershire Royals at Kidderminster. Fully recovered from a badly bruised knee, the New Zealanderplundered 100 from 54 balls to ...
Wet, wet, wet . . . Summer swamped by record rainfall
Jul 02, 2007; ... Forecasters say there is no sign of summer returning to the Westany time soon after the wettest June on record. Met Office forecaster Steve Randall said double the average amountof rain fell during the month, making it the wettest June sincerecords began in 1914. For those ...