Local News from South Wiltshire & North Dorset – Submit News
Persimmon injects £24,000 into regional good causes
A leading regional housebuilder has today announced the launch of a £24,000 community fund to support local groups and charities. Malmesbury-based Persimmon Homes Wessex, which has developments across Salisbury, Swindon, Trowbridge and Didcot, is launching Persimmon... read more
Tackling the tax problem
View from the constituency By John Glen MP for Salisbury Tax avoidance has been top of the agenda over the past month – both in the House of Commons and in my postbag. I share the view of the vast majority of my constituents that tax avoidance is morally... read more
Community group supports curriculum
In Salisbury last year there were no deaths as a result of drugs such as cocaine, herroine, and crack, however alcohol related deaths numbered 768. This is according to Sara from Alcoholics Anonymous who recently came to speak to pupils in Year 10 at Sarum Academy. As... read more
Rare Eric Hebborn oil in sale
Webbs of Wilton, Fine Art Auctioneers, hold their next auction on Wednesday, March 4, at 10am. The Auction House is in North Street, Wilton. Viewing is on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday between 10am and 4pm, and before the auction. Webbs of Wilton was set up by Justin... read more
North Dorset Parliamentary hopefuls line up
Five major parties are contesting the North Dorset constituency for the seat vacated by long-serving Conservative MP Robert Walter, retiring after four terms, since first elected in 1997. The line up is: Richard Barrington, Green, Kim Fendley, Labour, Simon Hoare,... read more
Hollow promises
By Fanny Charles Dorset County Council has withdrawn its two applications to North Dorset District Council to fell trees along Dinah’s Hollow, on the C13 Shaftesbury to Blandford road, currently closed north of Melbury Abbas, because of fears of a landslip. The effect... read more
Dogs days here
Wiltshire-based Animal Friends Insurance has given £5,000 to the Dogs Trust and joined TV personality Eamonn Holmes to support the Love Rehoming campaign. Founder and Managing Director of Animal Friends Insurance, Elaine Fairfax presented the cheque to the Dogs Trust... read more
Town hall: good news
Warminster residents are preparing for the final stage of returning the Old Warminster Town Hall to its former glory. The Warminster Preservation Trust is working with the owner, Devo Developments, and a local builder to restore the building and bring it back into... read more
Investment planned to put Playhouse on 21st Century stage
Salisbury Playhouse is celebrating its 40th anniversary and has made a commitment and campaign to see the theatre thrive. Executive Director of Salisbury Playhouse, Sebastian Warrack, believes a total upgrade is needed to bring the popular theatre into the 21st... read more
Pub re-opens to restore former good reputation
The Ship Inn, Burcombe, will reopen on March 6, at 7pm to welcome visitors back to the picturesque pub, and see what changes new owners Scott and Iveta have made. The pub, which has been closed for six months, offers home-made traditional food in comfortable... read more
Tory candidate was not ‘parachuted in’
Simon Hoare, Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for North Dorset, has responded to accusations from LibDem and UKIP opponents that he is a “Cameron crony parachuted in” from West Oxfordshire and that local Tories were in disarray because of a delay in... read more
Comment from the Editor: Party politics is just public posturing
By David Parker We can be forgiven if we are confused about the state of the nation. In the United States, democracy and freedom go hand-in-hand. The two party system seems to be surviving even if the Senate and the House of Representatives don’t match... read more
Valley Features
Everything from Business to Sport and Food & Drink to Health & Beauty
Rare Eric Hebborn oil in sale
Webbs of Wilton, Fine Art Auctioneers, hold their next auction on Wednesday, March 4, at 10am. The Auction House is in North Street, Wilton. Viewing is on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday between 10am and 4pm, and before the auction. Webbs of Wilton was set up by Justin... read more
Hollow promises
By Fanny Charles Dorset County Council has withdrawn its two applications to North Dorset District Council to fell trees along Dinah’s Hollow, on the C13 Shaftesbury to Blandford road, currently closed north of Melbury Abbas, because of fears of a landslip. The effect... read more
Market towns set out their stalls
Representatives from Wiltshire towns were among 63 people at the Michael Herbert Hall, Wilton, on January 29, attending the Wiltshire Market Towns Network. The conference united representatives from neighbouring towns, and guest speakers shared ideas and advice on... read more
Salisbury FC board calls on fans to help club return to the Mac
Salisbury Football Club’s board needs the help of fans to secure a return to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium as soon as possible. It is ‘crucial that Salisbury FC plays football next season’, and the Ray Mac stadium had become its rightful home, according to... read more
Love is in the air at Howard’s House
Seeking an intimate, quintessentially English venue for Valentine’s celebrations? Look no further than Howard’s House, recently handpicked by Delicious magazine as Britain’s top ‘romantic’ getaway. Howard’s House also holds the Good Hotel Guide’s César Award for... read more
New-look Solstice Bar & Grill at the Holiday Inn
The Solstice Bar & Grill at the Holiday Inn, Solstice Park, near Amesbury re-opens its doors after a total refurbishment this month. The award-winning restaurant and bar just off the A303 near Stonehenge and Countess Roundabout has been expanded to a 118-seat... read more
‘Eat out, Eat well’ award to Toran
Toran Indian Cuisine of Codford, Warminster, received the ‘Eat out, Eat well’ Gold award from Wiltshire Council for on December 2. In 2009, Toran started a new era in Indian cuisine by serving healthy foods, freshly prepared with no artificial colouring,... read more
Cycling to bus stops in south Wiltshire now made easier
Bus services in the south of the county are more accessible with people now able to park their bikes at a number of stops. Five bus stops in the south Wiltshire area have had cycle parking hoops installed by Wiltshire Council with funding from the government’s Better... read more
A hollow threat?
The landslip at the Beaminster tunnel, in which two people died when their car was engulfed in mud and rocks was a shocking tragedy. It was inevitable – and responsible – that the result would be risk assessments of similar tunnels or steep-sided narrow lanes where... read more
Local MP donates blood stem cells in lifesaving match
After signing up with Love Hope Strength Foundation / Delete Blood Cancer UK as a willing blood stem cell donor, John Glen MP has recently been matched with someone in need of a lifesaving donation. There are just under a million people registered as potential donors... read more
Udderly fantastic!
A North Dorset farm shop, begun as a diversification project for farmer’s wife Jane Down, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2015. Udder Farm Shop, on the A30 west of Shaftesbury near the East Stour cross-roads, is one of the success stories of the area. It has won... read more
New plan for ancient sites
Local residents can comment on the new Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Management Plan as part of the wider public consultation process which runs to March 1, 2015. Comments on the Plan and any relevant changes must be made before the final version is... read more
Traders say town is now looking up
Wilton traders are looking forward to 2015 after flooding and road works combined to cause four months of business disruption in the historic town in 2014. “Last year was unfortunate with the flooding and the road works, effectively closing Wilton, at different times.... read more
Tunnel plan hit by new stone age discoveries
The ground-breaking discovery of a late Mesolithic encampment in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site has raised concerns over plans to build a road tunnel under the stones. The only known Mesolithic Homebase in the World Heritage Site could be obliterated if plans for... read more
Food waste to be tackled
View from the constituency By John Glen MP for Salisbury This month, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger and Food Poverty launched its landmark strategy for a ‘zero hunger Britain’ by 2020. We took evidence from more than 150 people at regional evidence... read moreAdvertising in Valley News works. – Join the success story.
The advert has worked wonders, and lots of people have actually mentioned seeing it in the Valley News.
Rita MapleValley News is the best read and most popular magazine we have here, people seem to read it from cover to cover.
Thank you for your excellent article about us. It brought in a lot of new customers – and some who had not been here for years!
Amy LanchesterKingsway housing estate advert, we have sold the majority of our flats through your magazine. Thanks!
Nicola Gearey
