CREATIVITY is starting to bloom in Swindon this week with a series of spring events dedicated to blossom. 

It follows the installation of a blossom circle in GWR Park and is being staged by South Swindon Parish Council, the National Trust, Historic England, the Town Gardens Cafe and the borough council.

On Wednesday between 1 and 5pm, Artsite, Prime Theatre and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust will be hosting creative workshops for young people throughout the day, and Playsteps Nursery will be performing in the blossom circle at 4pm. 

There'll be yoga on April 28 from 6pm, a concert featuring Swindon young musicians on April 29 at 8.30am and 3.30pm, as well as free nature-based workshops hosted by Artsite and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and free heritage tours of the park on the same day. 

There was a Blossom Festival last year by the Café in Swindon’s Town Gardens which is recognised as a significant area for mature cherry trees.

The café will again be hosting workshops and activities to celebrate the blossom in the Old Town Park.

Pottery Painting with Charlotte Manser Ceramics will take place on April 29 at 10am and a walk and talk to learn about the flora and fauna of Town Gardens with Kathryn Hay starts at 3pm. 

Swindon Advertiser: Blossom Festival taking place throughout April in SwindonBlossom Festival taking place throughout April in Swindon (Image: South Swindon Parish Council)

There will be a flower crown workshop on April 30 at 11am and 2pm, as well as a blossom barbecue between 6-8pm. 

Shaftesbury Lake will also be involved with another Wildlife Discovery Day on April 15 between 10am and 3pm where people can learn about the nature and wildlife that is native to the lake and the South Swindon area.

Coun Matty Courtliff, borough council cabinet member for culture, said: “The spring season is one of the prettiest times of the year and the Swindon Blossom Festival will only highlight that further."

The festival this year also follows a series of recent heritage improvements made to GWR Park. The Church Place entrance to the park is now lined with six cherry trees which lead up to the new circle and formal gardens. 

The total investment into GWR Park from Historic England, the National Trust and South Swindon Parish Council is more than £125,000.