19-04-2025
Wiltshire in pictures: Magical murals, tiny foxes and a donkey
The perfect blue skies may have faded away but everyone seemed to be feeling the joy of spring ahead of the Easter the county bursts into bloom, Swindon is getting in on the action with a brand new mural from graffiti artist HazardOne on the side of the old Debenhams vibrant yellow and orange blooms are part of work to rejuvenate the town Longleat has welcomed three new north African Fennec fox cubs, while staff at the stately home have embarked on an enormous spring clean of the building's 128 rooms.
Palm Sunday: A donkey from the rescue charity Kelly's Donkeys joined the procession from Salisbury Cathedral on 13 Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week in Western Christianity and falls on the Sunday before Easter.
Spring to life: Stonehenge may be ancient but the stones are still a haven of life, with spring flowers blooming at their base.
Bundles of joy: These three Fennec fox kits - the world's smallest fox species - were born at Longleat, and were they only litter of their species born in the UK this are now being hand-reared by keepers because their mother, Zuri, does not produce enough milk to feed all of them.
Elbow grease: Longleat's conservation team are undertaking a thorough deep clean of the stately home's rooms and artefacts - delving into the nooks and crannies that can harbour pests such as clothes, moths and have the task of cleaning more than 300 windows, hundreds of ceramic pieces, glass and silverware, as well as 44,000 books and a 300-year-old chandelier.
Cosmic sparkles: The Northern Lights graced the skies of the West Country once again this week, putting on a spectacular display. This image was captured over homes in Salisbury.
Easter revival: The congregation of All Saints Church in Lydiard Millicent returned to the 11th-century church on Palm Sunday nine months after it closed for renovations including works to its roof, flooring and organ and installation of a new service was led by Rt Revd Neil Warwick, the Bishop of Swindon, and after blessing the church, he gathered the congregation to give thanks for the new church pond.
Throwback snap: While the rest of the county was enjoying the warmer weather, Salisbury Cathedral shared a stunning photograph of the building at sunrise taken on a crisp winter cathedral's famous silhouette is perfectly mirrored in the water at the bottom of the shot.
Swindon Croc returns: A taxidermy gharial, also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, gifted to Swindon Borough Council in the 1930s, is soon to be on display at Museum and Art Swindon after much vital restoration work, alongside information about the threats facing the Marina Strinkovsky said the critically endangered animal had "a special place in the hearts of Swindonians", but added that "also has a complex history, and we want to depict its place in the natural world and the British past".
Farmer fury: Farmers parked their tractors in Salisbury town centre in protest at changes to inheritance tax law around farming by campaign group Farmers to Action, it says the changes will spell the end of many family farms already struggling to survive.
