VISITORS to the Wyvern Theatre are in for a colourful surprise, as steps leading from the car park to the building have been painted in bright rainbow colours. The work was done yesterday morning by the Swindon & Wiltshire Pride Committee.

This has been created to celebrate diversity and equality for all as the replica of the iconic rainbow flag was hand painted by members of Pride and volunteers.

The work has been fully funded by the Pride committee, with support from local businesses B&Q, Wickes and Homebase, who donated materials for the project and have even offered the artists a touch of helpful advice. Local drainage business Newjax also offered its services.

Committee member Phoenix Stewart said: “We wanted a visual piece to send a positive signal and a welcoming message for visitors to Swindon that being LGBTQ+ is something to be proud of.

“We have been exploring ideas to bring some colour to Swindon while highlighting diversity in Swindon and Wiltshire. I came up with the idea to add a rainbow to the steps leading up to the Wyvern Theatre and the council was extremely supportive; they approved the installation with no objections.”

Councillor Keith Williams, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for corporate and customer services, said: “This is a brilliant initiative that celebrates diversity in Swindon.

“I commend members of the Pride committee for coming up with such an imaginative idea and I’m sure it will add a nice bit of colour to the town centre.”