DONATIONS to the Radiotherapy Appeal come from many weird and wonderful places, none more so than this.

One morning, about a fortnight ago, James Hussey woke to find a crop circle had mysteriously appeared on his land overnight.

And in memory of his wife Gill, who lost her battle with cancer in 2014, James’ first thought was to use it to raise money for Brighter Futures.

James, who owns Weir Farm in Broad Hinton, said: “I have been involved with the charity since I lost my wife to breast cancer 18 months ago. We had to take the trips to Oxford and I know just how hard it is for people.

“Radiotherapy is so important because it gives people more opportunities to live life and we need to do all we can to make it easier for them by having a unit in Swindon. It’s something that must happen and needs to happen soon.”

So far, James has managed to raise more than £2,000 by charging £3 each for people to view the crop circle.

James said: “It’s a win-win situation because people are really happy going in it and walking around it and all the money is going to a good cause.

“It’s a very interesting formation. Over the years, we have had quite a number of amazing formations that have been incredibly complex.”

There is one thing, however, that remains puzzling – no one knows who is responsible for them.

“It’s difficult to know what’s what with crop circles,” said James.

“The common view is that they are all man-made but I don’t know who, why or how. The formations are really strange and complex and it’s very difficult to know what’s going on.”

The circle lies just below Hackpen Hill, off the Ridgeway, around 400 yards from the famous White Horse.

Paul Jacobs, founder of the Core Group Initiative, a team that works closely with farmers and has extensive experience of examining crop circles, said: “Crop circles have been visiting Wiltshire since 1978 and returning faithfully every year – you could say it’s the crop circle capital of the world.

“They are often very intricate and amazingly complicated. They started as a single circle and what we’re seeing now is something far more advanced, which uses geometry and complex mathematics.

“They pose serious problems from a practical point of view. I can tell you very confidently that the majority of crop circle formations are impossible for humans to do. As for who actually does it, it’s a complete mystery.

“There are a few done, here and there, by pranksters, but they really are in a minority.”

Weir Farm, which is situated at the Yew Tree Lane and A4361 crossroads, has been a proud supporter of the Brighter Futures appeal in the past, organising the Hackpen Hill 10km Trail Run in 2015, which brought the whole Broad Hinton community out in memory of Gill.

So far £790,000 has been raised for Brighter Futures, which means we’re still some way off the target. To donate log on to www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk.