The Ink Briefing Friday 2 June
Community news at the heart of Swindon
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Oil be damned! Petrol prices finally don’t cost a small mortgage
Ink editor Jamie Hill waxes lyrical on the rollercoaster ride that has been a visit to the forecourt over the past few years.
By Jamie Hill
Filling up your car shouldn’t be conducive of a heart attack. It should be just one of those things you do. Not something that leads to a cardiac arrest.
But for most people that suffering at the pump had reached nightmare levels in the past few years.
Some of you might remember the heady days when petrol and diesel were about £1 a litre. That was in 2008. And even then we thought that was pretty damn high.
By 2010, that had risen to about £1.20 a litre as we felt the after effects of the financial crash.
And over the next few years we saw it rise and rise again until it settled at around £1.35 per litre.
Then came Brexit. Then came covid. Then came the cost of living crisis. Then came the Ukraine War.
There were points last year where it hovered at £2 a litre especially for diesel.
Imagine that. As a nation we had all been locked up for nigh-on two years and then just as we came out of our hidey-holes and thought let’s get out there, let’s go on a trip, we were once again shackled to the local area, as petrol prices were so damned high you would have had to sell your first born to move more than a centimetre.
For a lot of people, myself included with school runs and work, having to drive places is unavoidable. Not all of us can jump on a bike and not all of us, especially in Swindon, can rely on a well-run public transport service that will get us where we need to be on time.
The car is still king. Even if you have to spend a king’s fortune just to drive one down the road.
But a new report out this week might make a few of you smile.
A new study from Moneyzine reveals that the South West has seen the tenth quickest fuel price recovery in the UK so far this year. With Wiltshire, which includes Swindon, leading the price drops with a decrease of 11.92%.
And it’s noticeable. I managed to fill up my car today in that garage at the bottom of Kingshill and it was £1.44.9 per litre for unleaded, when only a few months back that would have been nearly touching £1.85 a litre.
Diesel’s only about 5p per litre higher than that now as well.
Just to think though, only three years back, we would have all been cursing spending £1.45 at the pump, but now we’re celebrating having seen how bad it could all get.
We’re still not out of the woods yet though. Everything else is still sky-high. It’s still a case of sprinting to stay still for the rest of the economy. But I’ll take the win of something going in the right direction especially when it comes to not emptying the wallet too much. Yay!
Anyway, here’s some tips from some financial expert at the aforementioned Moneyzine that I’m going to pass off as my own…
Fill up in off peak hours
Opting for weekdays or non-peak hours to fill up can often secure more favourable prices.Download fuel comparison apps
Downloading reliable apps and checking websites can provide real-time updates on fuel pricing in your area, allowing you to make informed decisions.Join a loyalty program
Consider joining fuel station loyalty programs, these often provide discounted rates and special promotions for cardholders.Keep an eye on fuel pricing in your area
Local prices are varying a lot at the moment, factors like competition, refinery proximity, and transportation costs can influence fuel prices significantly.
Let’s hope this backward momentum continues so that we can all finally put our foot down and move forward again (trying not to get stung by any speed cameras as we go!)
The Ink News Briefing
Nationwide Building Society is again main Pride sponsor - Swindon & Wiltshire Pride have announced the return of Nationwide Building Society main sponsor for the 2023 event. Read More
A day out for The Ladies at Bath Racecourse - Hats, outfits and bubbly will be the order of the day at Bath Racecourse on Saturday 17 June as the venue holds its annual Ladies Day. Read More
Man who stole electric bike in Swindon town centre jailed - Timothy Charlie Ryan, 24, of Gerard Walk, Grange Park, Swindon was arrested on May 28 after the £500 bike was reported stolen in the Parade on May 26. Read More
Lawn Manor Academy grows new learning opportunities with a school orchard - A Swindon school is planting a special combination of fruit trees to enrich pupils’ lessons and eventually give back to the local community. Read More
The Ink Piece
The Culture Vulture
An arts column by resident connoisseur of all things cultural Jessica Durston
A feast of delights in store at Marlborough LitFest 2023
By Jessica Durston
Stop the presses! The first line-up announcement of authors and sponsors for Marlborough LitFest 2023 has been released to the public!
Marlborough’s literature festival, for many book-lovers, will now be the natural second-best option, as the future of Swindon’s own LitFest is treading into uncertain waters following the recent resignation of organiser Matt Holland (he held this position for an impressive 35 years).
This year’s Marlborough Literature Festival will run from 28 September – 1 October. I know this seems far away on paper, but early excitement for book and literature festivals can never be considered too premature!
Personally, I believe there is nothing more fascinating than hearing more about a book, straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were. You gain a unique perspective that is otherwise unavailable to you at these festivals, as you are let into the minds of the writers hosting their respective events – to understand their inner thoughts and feelings, and inspirations.
I mean who is going to know more about the book and what the author was thinking when they wrote it, than the author themselves – I’m casting a silencing glare over at you, GCSE and A Level English Literature teachers.
Anyway, the team at Marlborough LitFest say they are delighted to announce that authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Charlotte Mendelson, and Mike Brearley will be making an appearance at this year’s event. The trio will be joining the festival’s Golding Speaker, Sebastian Barry.
Aside from being an award-winning author, Frank Cottrell-Boyce is also a screenwriter, and judge for short story competitions at the BBC. He won the CILIP Carnegie Medal for his children’s novel ‘Millions’ – his debut I might add – and his other works have been shortlisted for a host of other prizes.
Do you remember the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics – yeah, well alongside Danny Boyle, Frank devised that! And his recognisable talents do not stop there – he has also written for Dr Who.
Frank will be appearing at Marlborough LitFest on Sunday 1 October at 1pm to discuss his latest children’s book – ‘The Wonder Boys’.
So who’s next? I’ll tell you who – Charlotte Mendelson. This author was longlisted for the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction so you know she’s bound to be top-class.
Her latest novel ‘The Exhibitionist’ will be the focus of discussion when she visits the festival on Saturday 30 September (from 11.30am). The book was described as a ‘a devastating, blackly comic portrait of middle-class dysfunction’ by the Guardian – intriguing eh?!
‘The Exhibitionist’ is said to tackle themes such as adult children, toxic parents, monstrous egos, sexual longing, and heartbreak. If this sounds right up your alley, then I would recommend booking a ticket as soon as they are available in July. If it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea – maybe book a ticket anyway and try something new…you never know, you might learn something.
The final of the three authors announced is cricketer Mike Brearley. He will be promoting and discussing his latest book - ‘Turning Over the Pebbles’ at the festival on Sunday 1 October from 10am, at the Marlborough Town Hall.
Turning Over Pebbles is categorised as part-biography and part-memoir. Non-fiction and cricket lovers alike will be able to listen to the sportsman meditate upon sport, philosophy, literature, religion and more during his slot at the festival.
The full festival programme will be available towards the end of June. Priority booking will open on 3 July, and general ticket sales will open from 13 July.
Additionally, people can sign up to become a Friend of Marlborough LitFest for 2023 for the price of £30. The deadline for sign-ups is 23 June 2023. The benefits of becoming a Friend are priority booking, an invitation to a celebratory festival event and a copy of the festival brochure amongst other things.
The Litfest team have also announced new sponsors for this year’s festival, including AG Builders, Bayntun Flowers, Deacons, McFarlane Property, The Savernake Dental Practice, Savills and Wansbroughs. They join founding sponsor Robert Hiscox and other event sponsors AM, Hamilton Trust, St Francis School, Marlborough College and William Golding Ltd.
More information about the festival can be found at
What’s On – Weekly events roundup: June 5 -11
• Comedy: An Evening with Mark Steel at Wyvern Theatre. Friday 9 June from 8pm. More information here
• The Birmingham Blues Brothers at Level 3. Friday 9 June from 8pm. More information here
• Sounds of the 60s with the Zoots at Swindon Arts Centre. Friday 9 June from 7.30pm. More information here
• King Awesome (Tribute show to 80s Arena Rock) at the Victoria. Saturday 10 June from 8pm. More information here
• Megaslam Wrestling at Meca – 2023 Live Tour. Sunday 11 June from 3pm. More information here
Ink Heritage
Over on The Ink’s sister publication Swindon Link’s website you will find an impressive archive of the past 45 years of Swindon Link magazines, giving you a huge glimpse into the town’s recent past from the beginnings of West Swindon to now. You can find the archive here
A look back at June 1988
The May 1988 edition of Swindon Link featured as its main front page story much-loved poet Pam Ayres popping along to celebrate with pupils the opening of Freshbrook’s Windmill Hill School. She even read a poem out dedicated to the school. The front page also highlighted two returning victorious councillors to Thamesdown Council, Bob Pixton and Ricky Midwinter. Bob Pixton would be a councillor for many years.
Other stories featured in the edition, included the news that Grange Park Primary School would be built, a campaign against development of 88 new houses in Westlea, and a feature about Swindon Croquet Club looking for new members.
Click here to the read the June 1988 edition