Families looking for free, fun activities this half-term can pop down to a pop-up space for creativity and curiosity at The Brunel Swindon.
Once again, the innovative team behind the Festival of Tomorrow will be staging a week of activities. They’re transforming one of the units at The Brunel Swindon into a centre of imagination.
The ‘Swindon Imaginarium’ will be downstairs, at 13 Plaza next door to High Score Arcades and Blue Banana. It promises fun-filled arts, crafts, activities, experiments and much more. It runs from Monday May 25 to Saturday May 30, between 10am and 4pm, and is completely free.
Free half-term fun – Swindon Imaginarium – October half term 2025
Drop-in sessions
Families can drop in to:
play
make
explore
build
create and discover together, and try something new, in a relaxed, friendly environment.
Louise Halliday, Head of Programming and Outreach for Festival of Tomorrow, said: ‘Swindon Imaginarium will transform a space in The Brunel Swindon. It’ll be one where science and the arts collide. There’ll be free hands-on activities and workshops designed to spark creativity, curiosity and conversation around the ideas and innovations shaping our future.’
Making the project possible is a grant from the Sustainable Futures Programme, funded by the Community Benefit Fund created through the Science Museum Group Wroughton Solar Park. And managed by Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation.
Swindon Imaginarium will build on the previous events run at The Brunel Swindon. They’ve attracted hundreds of families and children from across the town.
From Monday to Friday during half-term week, there’ll also be free facepainting (donations encouraged for charity).
A spokesperson for The Brunel Swindon said: ‘We’re thrilled to once again be hosting the team from Festival of Tomorrow. Their events are a big hit with our shoppers and visitors. We’re excited to see what Swindon Imaginarium will bring.’
Swindon invited to Dream in Public. This month, Swindon’s UK City of Culture team are inviting people across Swindon to dare to dream of possible ambitious futures for the town and the country.
As they collect ideas from communities across the town. Bidding teams have a deadline of 10 August to submit their full applications for the next stage of the UK City of Culture competition. It gives winners a £10m grant for a year of celebration in 2029. The selection panel praised the vision and ideas which secured Swindon’s place on the longlist. And now the bidding team will spend the next month gathering ideas from the people of Swindon to build on that vision.
Swindon invited to Dream in Public
Dr Roderick Hebden, of Swindon Culture Collective, who are leading the bid in partnership with Swindon Borough Council, explained:
As we said in the first stage of our bid, Swindon is the hidden engine of modern British life. It’s where things get made, tested, proven and delivered. Our deeper story is one of constant, people-led reinvention. For two centuries, the people who’ve chosen Swindon have pioneered the systems and ideas that build the nation.
The Great Western Rail workforce built locomotives and created civic institutions ahead of their time. Such as the Health Hydro, a radical blueprint for the NHS; the Mechanics’ Institute, home to the UK’s first lending library. Swindon consistently outperforms major cities in productivity. It does it with innovation and waves of new arrivals creating an open, diverse and culturally active town. Swindon’s UK City of Culture plans will support this reset of ambition. And reclaim our history of imagination, invention and quiet national leadership with a bold vision: A Town That Dreams in Public!’
Talking to Swindonians
Swindon Culture Collective will be reaching out to Swindonians across the whole borough to capture their dreams for the future the town and for the UK.
At events across the town, there’ll be fun and creative opportunities to get involved. Both in the town centre, and in local communities and surrounding villages. There’ll also be simple #WeDreamInPublic ‘postcards’ and boxes in libraries and other public places for people to share their ideas and dreams.
People have already started taking part. Including hundreds of Swindon Town Football club supporters joining in at their final home game and audiences at Swindon’s famous Festival of Literature earlier this month.
Whilst the bidding team are still confirming local groups and participating events, and calling for more organisations and events to join the #WeDreamInPublic efforts, these public events are already confirmed for people to take part.
Camerados Public Living Rooms – as part of A Million Acts of Hope:
Weds 13th May at Manor Road Community Garden: 10.30 – 1.00
Weds 13th May at Walcot Skate Park: 3.30 – 6.00
Saturday 16th May at Queens Park: 11.00 – 1.00
Tuesday 19th May in The Brunel Swindon: 10.00 – 1.00
Swindon Imaginarium, The Brunel Swindon – Weds 27th – Saturday 30th May, 11.00 – 3.00
Pick, Plant and Pizza Community Day, John Moulton Hall, Penhill – Friday 29th May:
Swindon Filipino Association Pinoy Food Festival, – Saturday 30th May 1.00 – 5.00, Ellendune Community Centre, Wroughton
Swindon Wordsmiths, The Well, Abbeymeads, Saturday 30th May
Louise Halliday, Swindon Culture Collective, added:
‘For Swindon’s bid, public dreaming is the idea that people shape the future. #Swindon2029 will be a project to imagine new futures together. It will give us an opportunity to explore ideas, test decisions and strengthen opportunity across every area of the borough.
Five challenges will guide our year. All linked to Swindon’s innovative can-do spirit:
democratic futures
young people leading change
humans and technology
climate imagination and collective storytelling and identity.
We’ll create big ‘engine’ moments to showcase Swindon in a bold way. All alongside hyperlocal activity that meets residents where they are, strengthening the bonds between neighbourhoods and the town centre.’
A UK connector
Swindon’s UK City of Culture bid describes the town as a UK connector, pointing out that it stands out in the country as home to national institutions such as:
National Trust
Science Museum Group
Historic England’s Archive
UK Research and Innovation that have national and global reach.
Just as Swindon has long tested the country’s future – from rail to Mondex, chip and PIN and 5G – it’s microcosm of the challenges and opportunities facing UK towns. So Swindon’s UK City of Culture plans can become a national exchange of ideas and collaboration.
Culture makes the ordinary extraordinary
Kate Wyatt, Head of Culture at Swindon Borough Council, said: ‘We know that culture has the power to make familiar places feel extraordinary.
Festivals that transform parks and streets
performances that illuminate industrial heritage
creative trails along green/blue corridors, and community-led events that bring neighbourhoods together.
These moments allow residents to see their town, and their place within it, differently. That shift in imagination is the foundation for long term change. City of Culture 2029 can supercharge what’s already happening in Swindon – using culture to drive economic growth, regeneration, investment, skills and employment. To re-energise our town and ensure every ward of our borough is part of shaping Swindon’s next chapter. Other places have shown that gaining City of Culture status can be transformational. We invite people in every ward of our borough to take part across May to shape ideas for Swindon’s next chapter.’
For those who can’t make it to a public event, Swindonians can get involved on a dedicated UK City of Culture page on the Swindon Culture Collective website:
Businesswise Open Networking Evening with AUTHORÂ & THRILL SEEKERÂ JAMES GWINNETT.
Business professionals from across Swindon are invited to:
Connect
 Collaborate and …
… gain inspiration at the 2026 BusinessWise open networking event. It’s taking place on Thursday 11th June in the town.Â
Keynote speaker
The Keynote speaker for the evening will be entrepreneur and former Who Dare’s Wins recruit, James Gwinnett, who authored personal development book ‘Ready, Set, Life’. In his book James explores what success looks like and how to unlock infinite potential.
Businesswise Open Networking Evening – James Gwinett
The networking evening will bring together:
Entrepreneurs
Business owners and …
… professionals from a wide range of sectors.
All offering an opportunity to build meaningful connections in a relaxed and supportive environment.
Open to both regular members and newcomers, the event aims to foster collaboration and encourage knowledge sharing among the local business community.
Louise Muir-Sage who chairs the BusinessWise community, said:Â
We try to hold an open networking event every year to welcome anyone as we’re a single seat group and we’re often at capacity when it comes to membership. Yet we want to give back to the community of Swindon which supports us all. We’re thrilled to welcome James to share his story and offer inspiration.Â
‘We’ll also be holding a charity raffle on the night to raise funds for our charitable member Dawn Prosser. Dawn represents both Swindon Night Shelter and RENEW – both support vulnerable and lonely people in Swindon.’
James’ book
James’ self-help book explores the mindset and practical strategies needed to create meaningful progress in life and business. Drawing on his own experiences as an entrepreneur and coach, the book encourages readers to
Reflect on their goals
Overcome self-imposed limitations and take deliberate action towards a more fulfilling future.
‘I’m so looking forward to joining the BusinessWise networking evening and meeting people from across the local business community,’ said James. ‘My work focuses on helping people step back, gain clarity and take purposeful action. It’s my hope to share ideas that encourage people to think about what they want from both their work and their lives.’
The aim of the BusinessWise open networking evening is to be welcoming and accessible for those who may be new to networking as well as experienced professionals. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet other business leaders, exchange ideas and hear practical insights from the guest speaker.
Radnor Street Old Town: 1877. In the main, I’ve included Radnor Street within these Swindon in 25 Streets pages because of the presence upon it, of the iconic Radnor Street cemetery. It being a special and much-loved Swindon site. But more on that later.
But of course, there’s more to say about this street than that – not least of which is that it didn’t always go under its current name. Frances Bevan, writing for the much-missed Swindon Heritage magazine asks what became of Redcross Street – the original name. She describes how, at an 1881 meeting of the New Swindon local board, a proposal was put forward to change Redcross Street to Radnor Street. Though no record exists of the reason for the change.
Radnor Street Old Town Swindon
What’s in a name?
Radnor Street then takes its name from William-Pleydell Bouverie (1841-1900), 5th Earl of Radnor and one-time MP for south Wiltshire. Nowadays it extends from Cambria Bridge Road to Stanmore Street. And, as Frances states, a complex of nineteen flats and houses named Redcross Place is the only reminder of this street’s original name.
The gospel according to Mark Child states that, by 1885, the street featured a terrace of thirty-three properties on its north side. And a run of twenty on the south side, plus a lodge at the Radnor Street entrance to the cemetery – laid out 1880-1881. Now a youth hostel, it first served as a home for the cemetery caretaker.
Swindon Radnor Street cemetery lodge
Describing the street, Frances explains that the houses on the northern side are often larger than they appear. Thanks to the steep hill down to William Street several of them are two-storeyed at the front but three-storeyed at the back. And often with sizable cellars too.
At length, Radnor Street extended towards the south-west with Clifton Street being inserted between Radnor Street and William Street. Come 1900, Radnor Street boasted fifty-five properties.
Commercial and social activity on Radnor Street
Radnor Street’s rich history has included a number of businesses. Of most note, it’s arguable, was the Kingshill Co-operative Bakery and stables at 54 Radnor Street. There was too, amongst other things, a corner shop, the Radnor Stores, at the junction with Cambria Bridge Road – long since a private house. And also the Clifton Model Dairy.
Circa 1885 and to provide a social outlet for Radnor Street residents, there came a CIU affiliated working men’s club. The West Swindon Club – one of the oldest in the town. Sadly, this building met a fiery end on 4thOctober 1923. Bad news for its 700 members. As for it being named the West Swindon club –it was so-called because, at its founding, Radnor Street was classed as being West Swindon at this time. . Nothing west of Westcott had yet been built. That’s the theory anyway
The Radnor Street club- via the Swindon Society
The street’s population
When digging around I came across this Heritage Calling blog.It asserts that, in 1981, most of Radnor Street’s residents weren’t Swindon born. Rather they were a diverse bunch hailing from many areas of the country including as far away as Scotland.
Radnor Street cemetery
Measuring 11.5 acres, this cemetery cum designated local nature reserve holds 33,000 graves. Although closed to new internments back in the 1970s, there are still burials in existing family plots. It’s also a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery with graves of 104 casualties across both world wars. Among the Swindon notables buried there we have Levi Lapper Morse (2nd mayor of the borough), Raggy Powell.
Grave of Levi Lapper Morse in Radnor Street cemetery Swindon
And someone with whom I share a birthday,Harold Morley Starr. His fate it was to be machine-gunned by WWII enemy aircraft as he baled out over Hammill brickworks in Eastry, Kent.
The Starr brother’s grave in Radnor Street cemetery SwindonGates to Radnor Street cemetery Swindon
In recent years, with much thanks to the efforts of the late historian Mark Sutton, the chapel has become a sort of treasure trove of artefacts. It’s now home to memorials and plaques that no longer have a home elsewhere. Prime examples being the RAFA propeller and the war memorial from Sanford Street School.
SSPC Join Festival Fringe. With great delight, South Swindon Parish Council announces a programme of events in the iconic Town Gardens that will join the exciting fringe line-up at this year’s Old Town Festival.Â
Cllr John Firmin said: ‘South Swindon Parish are delighted to be part of the Old Town Festival once again. The comedy night at the Bowl is becoming an annual favourite. And we have music events for children and Mumford & Sons fans. Our popular heritage tour of Town Gardens is running as well. So there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
‘The four events offered by South Swindon Parish Council celebrate comedy, live music and local heritage.
Comedy club
Old Town Comedy Club’s Comedy at the Bowl on 31 May returns to Town Gardens Bowl with an evening of popular stand-up headlined by comedy superstar, Sara Pascoe.
SSPC Join Festival Fringe – comedy at the bowl
On 5 June, The Mumford and Sons Story recreates the epic rise of the folk-rock giants with a fantastic celebration of the band’s unmistakable sound.
Families can enjoy Music for Miniatures on 7 June. That’s a relaxed and engaging music event created especially for young children.
Also on 7 June, the Town Gardens heritage tour offers visitors an opportunity to explore the history and stories of this much‑loved green space.
Full details and booking information for all events are available via South Swindon Parish Council’s website: www.towngardens-swindon.co.uk
