CELEBRATIONS to mark the 175th anniversary of Swindon will move to primary schools on Thursday with a series of special events.

The day of assemblies and themed activities is the latest in the commemorative programme put together by Swindon 175, the group tasked with marking the birth of the new town.

Project Manager Caroline Black said: “We have been in touch with a number of schools that have decided to take part, it’s a great opportunity for the children to learn about the story of Swindon.

“We suggested doing an assembly to set out the history and heritage in a fun way and some schools have decided to do just that.”

Special guests will be visiting a number of the schools as part of the celebrations including players from the Swindon Wildcats and Swindon Town as well as the Mayor and representatives from Swindon Heritage.

Children at St Francis Primary School on Taw Hill have been learning about the birth of the railway in preparation for their assembly which will be attended by Mayor of Swindon Cllr Andrew Bennett.

Teacher Nicki Sellars said: “We’re doing an information assembly celebrating the heritage of Swindon 175.

“Some of the Year 4 children have been to the Steam Museum and heard about Gooch and Brunel, they’re going to present that to the rest of the school.

“They will use what they learned to put together a role play featuring the main characters, other children will represent Swindonians and talk about the reasons for and against the railway.

“They’re very excited to be able to show the rest of the school what they have prepared.”

The Swindon 175 campaign was launched at the end of last year and has been generating increased attention in recent weeks with the announcement of GWR as the main sponsor and Lord Joel Joffe as patron.

The schools day is just one event in a calendar that includes a ten day fringe festival, an orchestral concert, a street renaming, photography competition and even a Brunel themed opera.

Lainesmead Primary School on South View Avenue are really getting into the party spirit with not one, but two birthday discos to mark the occasion.

Headteacher Eirian Painter said: “We have got the assembly during the day featuring Graham Carter from Swindon Heritage.

“Then after school we have our big event, we’re having Swindon 175 birthday parties with Swindon 175 birthday cake to really celebrate the day.

“We’ve told the children there will be some surprise football player guests and they can’t wait.

“Having the discos is a fun way to celebrate and also build on the knowledge learned.

“Our Year 2 pupils actually visited Steam last term as part of their focus on learning about the local area so this is a great way to bring it all together.”

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