Open Day at Christ Church. Working Lives in Bloom: Flower Festival and Heritage. Saturday 19 September 2026, 1pm–4pm. FREE event.
Christ Church and the Community Centre @ Christ Church, Cricklade Street, OldTown, Swindon, SN1 3HG
Open day at Christ Church
Christ Church in Old Town, Swindon, is inviting the local community to step back in time and discover the stories of the town through flowers at Working Lives in Bloom – A FlowerFestival and Heritage Open Day on Saturday 19 September.
The event will bring together:
local organisations
community groups and …
… flower arrangers to celebrate the everyday working lives and trades that have helped shape the history of the town.
The church and adjacent community centre will undergo a transformation. There’ll be colourful floral displays inspired by the event’s theme. From butchers and bakers to candle makers and other local trades, the displays will explore the occupations and organisations that have played a part in the community’s history.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the Grade II* listed 1851 church and its grounds. Guided tours will include:
the church itself
its remarkable stained glass
the bell tower and the surrounding historic churchyard that contains more than twenty-three war graves.
Refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon, alongside craft stalls featuring local makers.
Flower Arranging Competition
As part of the event, a Flower Arranging Competition is open to everyone, with four classes:
Window Display:Jobs that Shaped Our Town
Pedestal Class:Working Together
Table Exhibit:Market Town Place
Children’s Class:Baker’s Basket
Entry is open to all, and participants can enter by downloading the Flower Festival Entry Form and following the instructions for their chosen class.
For further information and Flower Festival competition entry forms:
A spokesperson for Christ Church said: ‘Working Lives in Bloom is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the history of our local community in a creative and accessible way. Flowers will help us tell the stories of the people, trades and organisations that have shaped Old Town and Swindon, while the Heritage Open Day gives visitors a chance to discover more about our beautiful church and its fascinating history.’
The event is suitable for all ages and offers something for everyone. Whether visitors are have an interest in local history, architecture, flowers, and crafts. Or simply enjoying a relaxed afternoon in the heart of Old Town.
Art Club Celebrates Children’s Artwork. Let’s Create Art Club, Swindon’s largest children’s visual arts organisation, celebrates their summer art competition winners with an exhibition at Richard Jefferies Museum.
Founded by local artist Rachel Bray, Let’s Create Art Club opened their first ‘Swindon Summer Art Competition’ in July.
Theme for a dream
This year’s theme was ‘My Imagination’. The competition encouraged KS1 and KS2 aged children to create art inspired by the people, topics, and things that spark their imagination.
For our first competition, we had over 140 entries from children aged 4 to 11,’ said Rachel. ‘It was much harder to judge than I anticipated. There is such talent in Swindon and there were some stand out pieces unique interpretations and imaginative artworks.’
Children could submit art created from a range of materials.
‘We saw artwork created using everything, from poster paint to collage to driftwood. It was great to see a wide range of mediums used. The entries we received that embraced the theme of ‘My Imagination’ shone out’.
Art Club Celebrates Children’s Artwork – Rachel Bray, founder and CEO Let’s Create Art Club, with the winners of their “Swindon Summer Art Competition”.
The winners
The two winners of the Let’s Create Art Club’s art competition were:
KS1 Winner – Poppy, aged 7. Poppy created a colourful, fantastic flying caped cat, with a watermelon sun using metallic pens.
KS2 Winner – Georgia, aged 8. Georgia created an intricate and well thought out entertainment treehouse that included everything from an art studio to a mermaid lagoon.
‘Our KS1 winner was well deserved. Their bold colours, fun use of characters and interesting ideas throughout their design simply stood out in this category,’ Rachel commented.
‘Our KS2 competition was strong. We chose our winner because she’d packed it with thoughts, ideas, details and interesting ideas throughout. This design stood out in this category’ commented Rachel.
Both of our winners received hampers full of art supplies worth more than £60. Many of our winners received their and certificates in their school assemblies. It was lovely for them to get this recognition in front of their peers.’
Exhibited
All artwork from the competition was exhibited at the Richard Jefferies Museum across three rooms from 22nd to 31st July. Due to the competition’s fantastic response, Rachel has big plans to continue and extend its reach.
I want this to be an annual art competition. We had over £300 worth of prizes given away and I would like to secure sponsors for next year to make the prizes even bigger!’
To Rachel, this is more than a mere competition.
‘It means a lot to me to bring attention to Swindon’s children’s artwork. Daily, I hear the stories that live behind the art and am often wowed with the individual style that can be effortless to kids,’ she said.
‘They deserve to have an event that celebrates them and that they can feel proud to have entered and, in some cases, even won.’
Let’s Create Art Club is a member of the Institute of Children’s Activity Providers (ICAP). That ensures the club meets high standards for safety, inclusion and engagement. They provide a safe, fun, and pressure-free artistic environments through after-school clubs, weekend workshops and holiday art camps for children aged four to twelve.
Malmesbury is for Art Lovers this coming September.
A trio of events are being planned for art lovers of all ages across Malmesbury next month. For then the town turns into a vibrant canvas. One celebrating local talent, creativity, and community spirit.
The High Street+ Gallery is a popular annual event organised by Malmesbury Town Council. Running from 12 September to 11 October, this month-long initiative will showcase the work of 30 artists. Displayed in the windows of shops and businesses right across Malmesbury they’ll span from the Triangle, past the Market Cross, down to the lower High Street.
The event offers a fantastic opportunity for artists to present and sell their work in the locality. All while encouraging residents and visitors to explore the trail.
Flying monk art trail
Art enthusiasts can also look forward to the annual Flying Monk Art Trail on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September (10am to 4pm). Organised by arts development agency Caerbladon, this year’s trail features around 20 exhibitors. And including 8 brand-new participants.
It’ll take place across artist studios, homes, and pop-up spaces in Malmesbury. And also the surrounding villages. Visitors can:
drop into open studios
meet local makers
and enjoy community stops along the route.
That includes a coffee morning in Little Somerford organised by the Little Somerford Art Group. All in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Malmesbury is for Art Lovers – Anne Heyhoe exhibiting in the 2026 Flying Monk trail
The young people’s exhibition
Also featuring as part of the arts month bonanza, Caerbladon is organising the young people’s exhibition. It’s running from 11 September to 23 September, at the John Bowen Gallery in Malmesbury Town Hall.
Inspiration behind the exhibition – called To Build a Home – comes from recent Malmesbury graduate Mareyam Smith’s university final piece, which was a model house.
Mareyam Smith, whose model house has inspired the young people’s exhibition ‘To Build a Home’ (NB Mareyam’s piece is not included in the exhibition)
Through a series of themed summer workshops delivered by Mareyam, local young people have created their own pieces. Funding to support Mareyam’s role and Caerbladon’s youth outreach has come from:
Swindon and Wiltshire Community Foundation
Malmesbury Town Council
and Malmesbury Carnival.
Malmesbury Deputy Mayor Cllr Karen Drake, who is also co-founder of Caerbladon, said: ‘September is set to be a wonderful celebration of creativity in Malmesbury. It’s fantastic to see our community come together to support local artists, inspire young talent, and fill the town with art.’
Brochures with more information about all the events, including trail maps for the High Street+ Gallery and the Flying Monk Trail, are available from Malmesbury Tourist Information Centre, Caerbladon in the High Street. And other venues across the town.
Longevity at a Local Level as Swindon electricians celebrate business growth.
One of Swindon’s most successful electrical contractors, TECC Ltd, is celebrating a move to their biggest premises to date. All in their 20th year serving the community.
The Electrical Compliance Collective Ltd (TECC) is a UK-based specialist in electrical compliance. They support businesses with safe, regulation-ready installations and ongoing professional development.
Longevity at a Local Level – the TECC Ltd team, who are celebrating a move to bigger premises in Cheney Manor, Swindon.
Began two decades ago
Starting two decades ago as a Swindon PAT Testing LLP, the company has been on a journey of growth and expansion. This summer, the organisation are celebrating their recent expansion. And they’re moving into premises on the Cheney Manor Industrial Estate.
Pete McCallum, a director of TECC Ltd, said: ‘When I first started the business, I couldn’t have imagined where a 20-year journey would take us. Yet today we’re a team of committed professionals and we’ve now moved to our biggest premises to date!’
TECC Ltd began life as Swindon PAT Testing LLP.
‘After a few years, I bought out the business and continued as a sole trader until 2011. Then I incorporated it as South West PAT Test Ltd, ‘said Pete. ‘The business has grown alongside our reputation. And during the pandemic we levelled up to become TECC Ltd – The Electrical Compliance Collective Ltd.’
It’s more than a rebrand
It wasn’t just a rebrand. It was about creating one business with a clear identity and one promise to our customers. That being to provide excellent service from qualified and experienced professionals who are reliable, insured and trained.’
Since 2020, the business has gone from strength to strength. Finally, after months of planning, TECC Ltd recently moved into new premises in one of Swindon’s oldest and largest industrial estates, Cheney Manor.
‘This expansion is game changing for us. Our new site gives the business space to continue to grow. And to improve experience for any customers who come to visit us and provides better facilities for our growing team.’
Today, the team provide a complete range of electrical testing, inspection and installation services across domestic, commercial and industrial sectors. For businesses, they operate their ‘four pillars’ system. That covers the key areas of: electrical inspections; PAT Testing; fire alarm maintenance and emergency lighting.
‘None of this growth would’ve been possible without our people,’ Pete reflected. ‘Today, we employ 26 full-time members of staff alongside our T Level students gaining valuable workplace experience. Although we’ve grown, our ambitions remain rooted in the local area. Our vision is simple: to become the electrical services company of choice for customers across Swindon and within an hour’s drive of the town.’
With the County Ground to our right we’re now turning left onto Broad Street and then to Manchester Road. See the circled area on the map below.
Map showing the Broad Street/St Luke’s areaView down Broad Street looking towards the town centre and Newbridge Square
Sheldon and Tompkins date Broad Street as 1901. And suggest it’s so-called because it comprises the main street of the late Victorian development between County Road and Corporation Street. For Manchester Road they proffer 1897. And go on to tell us how the first houses were built here during the 1870s. At that time the street went under the name of Mill Street – most likely because a nearby mill connected it to Eastcott farm. In the first instance, a dead-end street west of Corporation Street, it got its new name when it linked up with Milford Street. The demolishment of part of the terrace to the east side of Wellington Street facilitated that. It appears that, the engineers responsible for this work, Maxwell and Tuke, had offices in Manchester. Join the dots.
Visiting Broad Street gives me an excuse to mention St Luke’s church. This place of worship is one of the four so-called railway churches built to meet the spiritual needs of the burgeoning population of New Swindon. The other three, in no particular order, are: St Mark’s (by the railway village), St Augustine’s in Rodbourne and St Barnabas’ in Gorse Hill. Though we can also count St Saviours on Ashford Road as a railway church, built as it was by the men themselves.
St Luke’s church
Visiting Broad Street gives me an excuse to mention St Luke’s church. This place of worship is one of the four so-called railway churches. These churches were built to meet the spiritual needs of the burgeoning population of New Swindon. The other three, in no particular order, are:
Though we can also count St Saviour’s on Ashford Road as a railway church, built, as it was, by the men themselves. That aside, the story of St Luke’s is the story of both the street on which it stands and the immediate vicinity.
If you’ve followed Swindon history you’ll be conversant with that fact that the GWR created the New Swindon community. The railway village and the aforementioned St Mark’s came first. Cutting short a long story, the turn of the 20th century saw almost all the green fields of St Mark’s parish colonised by rows of GWR workers’ houses.
The continued demand for housing proved an impetus to the Rolleston estate to make available for development some fifty-four acres. This land had a rough boundary formed by the GWR mainline to the north, the Wilts and Berks canal to the south and Drove Road to the east. At length this all became the main part of the St Luke’s district. Come 1911, the area was marked out in a grid-iron pattern based around two main streets: Broad Street and Manchester Road. The latter was by now already a narrow lane leading from New Swindon to Stratton St Margaret.
St Luke’s church on Broad Street, SwindonView down Broad Street towards County Roaddoorway of St Luke’s church, broad street, SwindonSt Luke’s and the church hall
Social life in the St Luke’s area
The booklet by Fredrick Fuller, on the topic of St Luke’s, tells us that, at weekends, you’d find crowds tramping along Broad Street. They’d be en route for football or cricket fixtures at the County Ground. No doubt excited at the prospect of seeing such players as Harold Fleming. That’s he who gave his name to Fleming Way.
Frederick further points out that the St Luke’s area attracted people from around the country. Thus each street had tradesmen, clerks, engine-drivers, coach drivers etc. Manchester Road became the shopping centre for the area. These days it still is a pretty vibrant shopping area – albeit one of the multi-cultural variety. In a town with over 120 first languages this is not surprising. So, should you want quality spices and garlic bulbs the size of your fist and other culinary delights not offered by your nearest Tesco Express then Manchester Road is the place to head for. That said, Commercial Road is now giving it a run for its money in that respect.
As for St Luke’s, today the congregation reflects some of the area’s diversity. In recent years, the church began holding regular Mass, partly in Konkani, the official language of Goas for the benefit of the Goan community who live in the area.
Now, having explored the ecclesiastical and the epicurean offerings of the area, let’s give our regards to Broad Street and turn our feet to Fleet Street.
