Stanka Adamcova is aiming a red arrow at the heartlands of Swindon’s Conservatives.

The 34-year-old is standing as Labour’s candidate in Haydon Wick. The ward, which has returned Conservative councillors at every election for two decades until last year when Labour won a surprise victory, is also the home of Conservative leader of the council for 10 years, David Renard.

But based on an hour’s canvassing with her, Ms Adamcova is in with a chance of what would be an impressive victory.

Standing in the ward for a second time, the project manager at UKRI stood against Coun Renard in 2019 and did respectably enough but was well beaten in second place.

And now, on a rainy afternoon just days before the election, she says she hopes months of hard work will be paying off.

With senior local party members and councillors assisting, she’s knocking on doors in the streets around Avonmead.

She said: “I’ve been a community activist for a long time, - I’ve been knocking on a lot of doors and speaking to a lot of people doing that, finding out what’s important to them.

“When I spoke to people on Thames Avenue the big issue was speeding and road safety, and I organised a petition on getting a crossing, but unfortunately the council didn’t take that up.

“I’ve been out knocking on doors for the campaign, and either I or someone in the Labour team has knocked on nearly every door in the ward.”

It’s a small sample, but the only posters I saw in windows in the hour I spend following Ms Adamcova around the streets are five or six Labour ones.

And the people who answer the door to speak to her are receptive to her message. One man said he was a lifelong Labour voter anyway, but another two women answer their doors who have previously been Conservative voters.

And the things they say are very similar: they feel the administration has had plenty of time, they think a new approach is needed and they are willing to consider voting for another candidate.

Ms Adamcova said: “I’m not taking anything for granted.

“People are normally pretty polite. If they don’t want to talk to me they tend to just say they don’t have time. I’ve never really had anyone be rude or confrontational.

“I’ll be out canvassing and speaking to people all the way up to the election.”