VETERANS and citizens gathered at Lydiard Park this morning for a moving service to open a Field of Remembrance at the Walled Garden.

Representatives of the armed forces and the Royal British Legion, and the mayors of Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett, amongst other dignitaries, added tributes to more than 15,000 crosses and commemorative markers which filled the garden.

The Military Wives Choir and the West Swindon Schools Children's Choir performed after a two-minute silence was held.

Rev Jane Curtis, Vicar of Royal Wootton Bassett and Area Dean of Calne, led prayers and gave a blessing before the crowd sang the national anthem.

After the service ended, visitors planted their own tributes in the field, which has been designed to allow the public to honor those who gave their lives and for families to find their loved one's marker.

Each remembrance tribute carries a personal message to someone that lost their life during service.

The field will be open to members of the public to visit and pay their respects until a week after Remembrance Sunday on November 18.

More than 120,000 wooden crosses will be planted across the six other Remembrance Fields, including one in St James's Park in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Gateshead, and Staffordshire.

Full story in tomorrow's Adver.