A celebration of a nature writer and of a lifelong naturalist will take place in October.

Richard Jefferies and Vernon St. John will be celebrated at Lydiard Park on October 16.

The event, titled 'Countrymen', will explore the shared links between these two Wiltshire natives.

Mr Jefferies was noted for his depiction of English rural life and his childhood home at Coate Water near Swindon provided the background to all his major works of fiction.

He was a farmer’s son who rose to fame while Vernon St. John was a reclusive aristocrat who found solace and amusement in the countryside and collecting butterflies.

Mike Pringle, director of the Richard Jefferies Museum in Swindon, will lead the event alongside Friends of Lydiard Park chair, Sarah Finch-Crisp.

They will be joined by David Phillips and Diana Bickley of Swindon Opera Collective who will be performing a selection of songs inspired by nature.

Guest readers will bring the two men's words to life, both of whom were passionate about wildlife and witnesses to a changing world, conscious of nature’s abundance and its fragility.

The event will begin at 7pm, with doors opening at 6.30pm, and tickets will cost £20.