Zoe Picton

My Articles

My published works with Salisbury Journal, The South Wales Argus, Ibex Publishing, and other miscellaneous work

Salisbury Journal •

Salisbury: Bell & Crown to reopen under Taste the World

The Bell & Crown, on Catherine Street, is on track to welcome punters on Wednesday, November 12, nearly a year after it closed.

The Taste the World group, which also runs the Old Mill in Harnham, picked up the keys to the boozer on October 10.

The Catherine Street venue will reopen next month (Image: Newsquest)

Sam Allen and his team are promising a traditional pub feel, a British/Mediterranean fusion menu and Hop Back beers, brewed in Downton.

There will also be a Guinness pint...
Salisbury Journal •

Wiltshire businesswoman scoops national Bridal Specialist of the Year award

Marie Allen, who runs MK Hair & Makeup, scooped the Bridal Specialist of the Year prize at the prestigious The Nation’s Hair & Beauty Awards on September 28.

She received her certificate at The Moor Hall Hotel in Sutton Coldfield.

The national accolade follows two regional category wins at the Prestige Awards and the Southern Enterprise Awards, making it a 2025 hat-trick.


She described winning the award as “deeply personal” having battled personal challenges, including the sudden...
Salisbury Journal •

Salisbury attractions 'bucking the trend'

The cathedral, Stonehenge and the National Trust have all reported positive visitor numbers, boosted by fresh tours and new offerings.

Across the county, tourism figures could see a resurgence with the investment of £50,000 in a new Destination Management Plan (DMP), led by VisitWiltshire.

This proposal comes after a previous Wiltshire Council budget decision ceased funding for the destination management organisation.

In a debate on tourism earlier this month, Wiltshire Council leade...
Salisbury Journal •

St Thomas’s Church to celebrate 21 years of its annual Christmas Tree Festival

This free and festive tradition will run from Tuesday, December 2, to Sunday, December 7 this year. From Tuesday to Saturday, doors open at 10:30am, with last visitors admitted at 5:30pm, while on Sunday the church will open from 12 noon to 5:30pm.

The festival will boast more than 100 decorated trees and nativity scenes — a “true feast for the senses” — provided by individuals, charities, businesses and schools, each telling its own unique Christmas story.

Alongside the creativity of th...
Salisbury Journal •

Meet the young Salisbury-based band 5 Nights at Adyans

Set to perform at Salisbury Art Centre’s Band Night on Saturday, November 1, they are a unique asset to the local music scene.  

Their upcoming gig, Wiltshire Creative’s “Glow with the Flow” event for young musicians at Salisbury Art Centre, is set to be an eclectic mix of 60s, 70s, and 80s rock, alongside their own original music.

Duncan Allen, band manager of 5 Nights at Adyans, said: “It’s a great opportunity for youngsters to perform in a safe environment."

The band is comprised...
Salisbury Journal •

Fireworks displays in and around Salisbury

Where: Salisbury Racecourse

When: Saturday 1st November, 5.30pm – 9pm

Salisbury’s biggest fireworks night will feature live music from tribute act This is Queen, and a kids' Halloween disco from 6-7pm. From 7.30pm you can watch the dazzling 12-minute fireworks display light up the skies. Money from this event will be going towards supporting Salisbury Hospice Charity and their important work – to buy tickets, visit their website.

Where: Ringwood Grand Fireworks

When: Sunday 2nd N...
South Wales Argus •

Monmouthshire: No outright opposition to solar farms

Conservative councillor Fay Bromfield has organised a petition opposing a possible 304-acre solar farm planned for 12 parcels of land around Ponthir and stretching across three local authority boundaries. 

Her “say no to the solar farm” petition has already attracted more than 600 signatures and opposes the development on the grounds of losing agricultural land, impacting rural communities, and inadequate infrastructure, among other concerns.  

At Monmouthshire’s County Council’s May mee...
South Wales Argus •

Claim Ponthir solar farm threatens food production

Plans for placing four metre high solar panels to be mounted on the ground across 123-hectares around Ponthir, and stretching over three local authority boundaries, were unveiled in April. 

Peter Fox, Conservative Member of the Senedd for Monmouth claimed the development could impact food production. He said: “Removing over 300 acres of farmland could affect our ability to produce food, at a time when our food security is paramount”.   

Applicants Bluestone Court Farm Ltd have stated alt...
South Wales Argus •

Elf on a Shelf: Christmas tradition explained and inspiration

It can only mean one thing: Christmas is just around the corner – and festive spirits are high.

Newport has been spectacularly decorated and lit up at the Christmas lights switch-on, and the city centre has reopened its annual Christmas cabins, where you can enjoy a delightful range of food, gifts and activities.

Alongside the traditional Christmas festivities, the mischievous 'elf on the shelf' is back and bigger than ever, creating endless giggles and mayhem for parents and children al...
Green Mobility Magazine by Ibex Publishing - Susta •

F1 Aims to Achieve Fully Sustainable Fuel By 2026

It seems inevitable that the transition from the current E10 fuel to fully sustainable fuel within the next 3 years will be a complicated one as well. To achieve this, F1 teams are aiming to create a drop-in fuel. In essence, this is a synthetic substitute for conventional petroleum-derived hydrocarbons such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has in place quite strict regulations in regard to fuel content. Hence it will also be necessary for F1...
Green Mobility Magazine by Ibex Publishing - Susta •

A Greener Future for Aviation with New SAF Mandates in the UK, US and Elsewhere

SAF Mandates in the US:  The US has also been particularly progressive in pushing for decarbonising aviation, with three key policies introduced to advance SAF. These are the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (CA-LCFS); the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS); and the US Sustainable Skies Act.   CA-LCFS A low-carbon fuel standard, or LCFS, is an emissions trading mechanism designed to reduce the average carbon intensity in transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel. This can typically be do...
Green Mobility Magazine by Ibex Publishing - Susta •

London’s ULEZ Expansion Proving Successful

Perhaps alarmingly, a shocking statistic found in the report is that around 4,000 Londoners  die prematurely each year because of toxic air pollutants. The expansion of the ULEZ scheme has, at a glance, resulted in the following: harmful pollution levels (HPL) have reduced by 26% within the expanded ULEZ area; HPL have reduced by nearly half (46%) in central London compared to what it would have been without the scheme; and dramatically, over 4 million people breathe cleaner air solely due to th...