A variety of events honour the man who made Swindon what it is today, reports STEPHANIE TYE.

AS the crowd of children sang Happy Birthday, the man who brought the railway to Swindon looked on smiling before cutting into his birthday cake.

And everyone agreed it was a birthday party that Isambard Kingdom Brunel would have been proud of.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great engineer, Swindon's Steam Museum threw the birthday bash complete with balloons, party games and a cake in the shape of a stovepipe hat and cigar.

There was even a chance to meet Brunel, who joined in with the fun and told everyone that pass the parcel was his favourite game.

One of the excited partygoers was eight-year-old Katie Simons.

"It's a really good party and the cake looks yummy," she said.

"It's good that they are playing party games too, or it wouldn't be a proper party."

Ian Surtees, events manager at the museum, was getting into the party mood.

"It has gone really well," he said.

"With the impact he had on the town, we thought it would be appropriate to hold a 200th birthday party for Brunel, and everyone seems to be having a really good time."

As well as the birthday party, visitors had the chance to make Brunel Easter bonnets, Brunel faces and take part in an Easter egg hunt around the museum.

And it was not only Swindon that was caught up in the party fever.

In Bristol, thousands attended a special birthday show for Brunel, which also saw the turning on of the new Clifton Suspension Bridge lights.

The crowds were treated to a wide range of entertainment, from theatre and dance to music.

Just before the lights were officially turned on, international jazz musician Andy Sheppard took to the stage with 200 saxophonists to perform a specially commissioned piece.

The night was rounded off with a fireworks display which lit up the skies above the city, delighting the crowds who had gathered to help celebrate the occasion.

In Chippenham, the town honoured the engineer's impact on the town by lighting up the Western Arches of the Chippenham viaduct.

The viaduct was built to carry Brunel's Great Western Railway across the town, and the lighting is part of a series of improvements to the structure.

For more information on all the events that are coming up over the following months log on to www.brunel200.com