A UFO enthusiast has appealed for more Swindon people to attend a conference on the paranormal.

Chris Williams, founder of Swindon UFO Research (SUFOR), has been organising the Weird 09 event.

The two-day conference will be held at the Victorian Athenaeum Theatre in Warminster on August 29 and 30.

Mr Williams, who lives in Old Town, said he hoped to attract 200 people to the show.

He said: “The main reason I chose Warminster was because in the 1960s and 70s it was crowned the UFO capital of the UK.

“We have got a lot of interest from up North, Wales, Cornwall and the East Coast, but we have sold very few tickets in Wiltshire. We are trying to target Swindon and the surrounding areas.”

Mr Williams said he had sold more than 100 tickets for the conference, but hoped to sell out in order to break even.

Paranormal experts signed up to speak at the conference include Scottish paranormal investigator Brian Allan, Cryptozoologist Nick Redferm, fortean expert Paul Devereux and MoD UFO file release experts David Clarke and Joe McGonagle.

Each speaker will donate an item, such as signed books or DVDs, which will be auctioned or put into a raffle in aid of the Great Western Hospital Special Care Baby Unit in Swindon Mr Williams said: “It is going to be one of the best conferences or events in the UK this year.

“The speakers we have lined up will be fantastic.

“We will have people who believe they have been abducted by aliens but by the same token to balance that out we will have people who say there is no such thing as aliens or ghosts.”

He added the event would cover topics including government cover-ups and alien contact.

A skywatching event at Cradle Hill will also take place and books and DVDs will be on sale at the conference, which costs £25 a ticket.