1 Dance Mix 2018 takes place tonight, when the whole family are welcome to watch a vibrant array of dance performed by adults from the Community Dance Class Programme of Swindon Dance. There will be performances of tap, ballet, contemporary and jazz. There will be special guest performances from The Dance for Parkinsons Group, Ovation, Swing Out Swindon and One Last Time. Tickets are £8 - £10 on 01793 601700 or visit https://www.swindondance.org.uk/events/

2 Former Swindon singer/songwriter, Gaz Brookfield, is appearing at Once Upon A Time In The West Festival 2018. Tonight from 6pm, at West Ashton, Bratton Road, Trowbridge, the family-friendly festival gets underway. Once Upon A Time In The West is in it’s fifth year and was nominated for Best Small Festival and Grass Roots Award at the UK Festival Awards. There is plenty of children’s entertainment, much of which is free of charge, encouraging them to become creative, to exercise and maybe learn a new skill. There’s a climbing wall, cardboard creations to showcase their artistic side and a chance to learn how to fly on a trapeze. Joining Gaz in the line-up will be Smerin’s Anti-Social Club, Ferocious Dog, Los Albertos, Showhawk Duo and Subgiant. Tickets are £85 from www.outwestfestival.co.uk

3 The GWR Publicity Machine Special Exhibition is a must for railway enthusiasts of all ages. Beginning at 10am today in Steam, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon, the display gives a unique glimpse into the great GWR Publicity Machine. There is a chance to discover many GWR merchandise items from the Steam Archive, newly on display. Explore how the forward thinking GWR Publicity Department helped the company become part of everyday lives as it produced a great range of branded merchandise, such as jigsaws, games and crockery. Entry is free with admission and the exhibition is on all week. For more details call 01793 466637.

4 Classic car fans young and old will enjoy a rally of pre-war Riley cars from 11am, tomorrow at Bowood House & Gardens, Derry Hill, near Calne. The collection open day has been organised by the Wiltshire Area of the Riley Register. The Riley car was made in Coventry with its heyday being the period from 1927 to 1939. They made more than 40 different model/engine combinations of cars ranging from saloons and open tourers to sporting cars. To see the cars, normal house and garden admission applies so take a look at stately Bowood set in the Capability Brown designed gardens. Discover the rich and fascinating history of Bowood House and the Lansdowne family. The house is still the home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne. Younger children will be entertained for hours, with the adrenaline-fuelled Adventure Playground, featuring a life size pirate ship to a soft play area, equipped with a ball pool, rope bridges, infinity lights and a whole new theme for 2018. Children of all ages can enjoy a range of activities from walking along the treetops on a series of aerial walkways to pushing themselves to new heights and taking the plunge down the famous 19ft vertical drop Space Dive. The playground is also equipped with balance beams, boat swings, trampolines and climbing frames. For more details call 01249 812102 or visit https://www.bowood.org/bowood-house-gardens/

5 Steven Hill Fun Fairs are hosting a Family Fun Day from 11am, tomorrow, at Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon. Fun rides and character attractions are the stock in trade of Steven Hill, who as part of the family that helped found The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain back in 1889, boasts seven generations of expertise. A former chairman of the Western Section of the Guild, Steven Hill has represented the industry at the highest level. The fun fair varies with different events but it can include rides such as the Miami Trip, Waltzer, Dodgem Cars, Twister, Carousel, Star Flyer, Booster, Rotor, Go Gator, Fun House and Jumping Jack with traditional fun fair kiosk selling candy floss. For more details call 01793 770401.

6 Village Fun Day begins at 2.30pm, tomorrow, in the grounds of Bishops Cannings Primary School, The Street, Bishops Cannings, near Devizes. A fun, family event includes traditional stalls, vintage vehicles, refreshments with BBQ and licensed bar, pony rides, bouncy castle, pets corner, displays of country dancing, fencing and singing plus at 3.30pm the 5,000 Metre Dash, which is now in its 36th year! The dash has been held as part of the church fete for the past 35 years and in the past has attracted well known athletes including skeleton bob Olympic medallist Shelley Rudman. Entry to the Fun Day is adults £1, children free. All proceeds to St Mary’s Church. For more details call 01380 501578.

7 Lea and Garsdon Pig Chase and Summer Fair gets in the swing tomorrow, from 11.30am, at Lea and Garsdon Primary School, The Street, Lea. This is the second year of the fun pig chase through the village of Lea, near Malmesbury. The scarecrows dressed as pigs are all designed by local groups and the theme this year is Around The World. If you can guess the countries, you may be in for a prize. The trail goes from the playing fields at the top of the village down through the village to the school. Along the way there are lots of lovely treats - cakes, snacks, strawberries and cream, and at the school there is a BBQ, Pimms and cream teas. There will also be bouncy castles, slides, penalty shoot-outs, face painting and lots more. It is

8 For the young bird watcher, Coate Water is the perfect habitat, a country park situated 5 km to the southeast of central Swindon, near junction 15 of the M4. To get a better view of the resident and migrant birds at Coate Water enthusiasts can use one of the hides on Sunday. There are two hides within the Country Park, both of which are situated in the area that has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve. A large heronry can be viewed from the bird hides. For a small fee you can enjoy the hide for a day. You will need a £5 deposit for the key which can be collected from the Pitch and Putt Hut at Coate Water. This is refunded once the key has been handed back in. At Coate there is also a Splash Park, Play area along with the Nature reserve, a quiet haven for wildlife. Deer and foxes can regularly be seen in the wildflower meadows. For budding golfers The Pitch and Putt hut is open from 10am every day of the week. For the more serious golfer of any age there is an 18 hole mini golf or 9 hole putting green.The Coate Water Ranger Centre and Information Point is situated in the car park. For more details visit https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20077/parks_and_open_spaces/487/coate_water_park/1

9 Faringdon Folly Open Day takes place on Sunday from 11am, at Faringdon Folly Tower and Woodland, Stanford Road, Faringdon. This unusual 100ft tower is Faringdon’s icon and the last major folly to be built in England. It sits on Folly Hill, within a circular four acre woodland of Scots Pine, some are more than 200-years-old. There are views over five counties and a chance to find out about the history of Folly Hill, Henry James Pye (of Sing a Song of Sixpence fame), Oliver Cromwell and the eccentric Lord Berners (the creator of the tower). Youngsters can seek out the 24 black birds and giant willow pie, Cromwell’s cannon, the fairly useless bridge, Lord Berners - in a tree! And there is a variety of birds and animal sculptures lurking among the trees. You might even see a troll. Find the full list in Things to do on the Folly website.Tickets are adults £3, 11-16 years £1, under 11s free.01367 241142. For more details visit www.faringdonfolly.org.uk

10 Butterfly World and Farm Park, Studley Grange, M4 at Junction 16, near Swindon gives the whole family the chance to walk among some beautiful butterflies flying freely against a backdrop of tropical plants and skimming over fish filled ponds. On Sunday there is a chance to hunt the caterpillars and watch the butterflies hatch from the pupa - and if you’re lucky one will land on you! It’s then on to the zoo area where you’ll find the indoor reptile house full of creepy crawlies, a resident giant tortoise, meerkats, otters and Rigby the Racoon. The farm park has geese, goats, chickens, pheasants, pigs, sheep and lambs (in season) for young ones to meet and greet. There are also three alpacas to say hello to! Trailer rides you can jump onboard for a fun ride seeing our animals out in the fields, with commentary from one of the keepers. Season tickets: Adult £48; Child £35; Student £40; Senior (60+) £40, Family (2 x adults & 2 x children) £130