WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30

SWINDON’S Tented Market closed its doors after 23 years.

During its relatively short life, the market had been a springboard for many local businesses and added to the diversity of town centre shopping.

Manager Nik Hayward, pictured, called for the council to provide more opportunities for market trading in the town.

The site has been earmarked for a multi-storey apartment and restaurant complex.

TUESDAY, JULY 18

TOP-flight singer Lewis Blissett, pictured here with mum Kelly, became a national sensation in spite of being only 13 years old. His talent was enough to take him to the semi-finals of The Voice Kids. Kelly said

“He went out with a bang and with his head held high. He’s done Swindon proud.”

FRIDAY, JULY 7

THANKS to programmes such as Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom, interest in the battle skills of old had seldom been greater.

This was good news for organisations such as the Sevenhampton-based College of Chivalry, which trains people in the use of weapons such as the broadsword and the longbow, and stages displays and re-enactments for the public. The college’s 2017 appearances included one at the Old Town Festival.

THURSDAY, JULY 13

JULIAN Clary hosted the end-of-year assembly at Meadowpark School in Cricklade after being invited by his sister, Bev Millin, who works there.

He gave out dozens of prizes, including one named in his honour, the Clary Prize for Poetry. He congratulated the children who won and had some advice for the rest.

“If you don’t win an award, don’t worry. I’ve got to the age of 58 without winning anything!”

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

STEF Vincent had a hand in raising the profile of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. In fact, she had three – her own and one she found in a dusty corner of the stores. It was one of the more startling finds made by collections project manager Stef, a qualified archaeologist, in her quest to catalogue the objects gathered over the years.

The hand, whose original owner was an ancient Egyptian, was in a box marked

‘Mummy’s hand with original packing.’

MONDAY, AUGUST 21

OLD Town man Andrew McWhinnie, right, got more than he bargained for when he first tried magnet fishing. Devotees of the hobby use powerful magnets on ropes to trawl the bottoms of rivers, canals and other bodies of water, and often bring fascinating historic objects to the surface.

Andrew did just that – but after he took the rust-encrusted cylinder to show his friend, Nick Bell, left, the two decided it might be an explosive and called 999. The police and bomb disposal experts identified it as a World War Two-vintage armour-piercing shell and took it away, although they said it posed no risk to the public.

Nick said: “We thought about taking it to the TA but you can hardly walk through town with a bomb in your bag.”

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8

PURTON’S Laurence Shahlaei, pictured here towing a vehicle without the aid of another vehicle, added the title of UK Strongest Man to his many European and global accolades.

Laurence, who stands 6ft2ins and weighs 26 stone, triumphed after a raft of gruelling events which included breaking his own world record by carrying a 450lb yoke 20 metres in 12 seconds.

“I was always very competitive,” he said.

“I liked having that sense of personal challenge from a very young age.”

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26

THE death was announced of stalwart community and charity campaigner Harry Bromley. He was 91.

The RAF veteran had lived in Swindon since the 1970s and campaigned on behalf of countless good causes, from children’s charities to preventing national treasures from disappearing into private hands.

He is pictured here while spearheading a campaign to save the last airworthy Vulcan bomber from being scrapped.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

ROYAL Wootton Bassett musician Bradley Cowtan’s second single received more than 180,000 online views and attracted praise from across the world. Bradley, 21, who only began singing and writing songs in September of 2015, said

“I’m sharing really personal feelings through these songs and the fact that people are embracing them and appreciating them is very nice.”