Young writers and performers are celebrating the history and culture of Swindon in a new play called This Is Our Town.

Members of Prime Youth Theatre were inspired by Thornton Wilder's classic play Our Town, and wrote their own version set in Swindon during the years 1901, 1903, 1913 and 2018. The talented youngsters travel through time to tell the story of our community based on true accounts of Swindonians. It concerns the lives of ordinary people and makes connections across the years.

The show features William Morris, editor of the town’s newspaper, then called the Swindon Advertiser and Wiltshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire Chronicle. Other glimpses of history include suffragette Edith New, James 'Raggy' Powell the Swindon councillor and philanthropist and events such as the tram crash of 1906.

This is Our Town will also launch a six-month Young Roots creative research project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund in collaboration with Prime Theatre, Steam Museum, Create Digital Studios, Swindon Local Studies, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, and Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

Daryll Moody from Swindon Local Studies said: “We are proud to be involved in this fantastic project, which will allow Swindonians to step back in time and glimpse life in ‘our town’ a century ago.”

This is Our Town will be performed at Steam tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 7pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm.

Tickets at £7. To book, call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk