AS a new year dawns, we're kicking off our Shout About Swindon campaign, highlighting the best bits of our amazing town.

Swindon sometimes gets unfairly maligned with a bad reputation and the team at the Adver thought it was high time that we focussed on celebrating the great and the good of the place we’re happy to call home. Here, Mayor Junab Ali tells us why he loves it.

Read more: SHOUT ABOUT SWINDON: Adver campaign celebrates all that's good in our town

“I am very proud of Swindon because it’s a melting place for people of diverse cultural backgrounds from all parts of UK and the world. It has wonderful people, it’s unique and awesome place to live, work and play.

“Swindon has a huge heritage, history and people that we don’t shout about. It has excellent facilities, parks, green spaces, walking routes, cycling routes, great shopping venues and great transport links.

“It has a world heritage site in the Railway Village, it had the first lending library at the Mechanics Institute, which was the model for the rest of the UK, it had the Medical Fund Society which Nye Bevan modelled the NHS on.

“Swindon’s railway engineering works helped build and maintain the Great Western Railway for 175 years, Swindon helped pioneer some of the most incredible aircraft ever built including Spitfires, Swifts and Concorde.

“One locally-built plane, the Supermarine Swift, would even go on to briefly reclaim for the area the world speed record.

“Swindon’s modern-day phenomena the Magic Roundabout is world famous - for some it’s a challenging and frightening experience but for others it’s thrilling.

“As the mayor this year, I have had the honour of visiting many places and people not just in Swindon but as far as Birmingham, London, Bangladesh and Germany.

Read more: Ten things to look forward to in Swindon in 2019

“Everyone I have met and spoken to speaks highly about Swindon and they envy what Swindon has, but I know like each human being, including myself we are not all perfect. Let’s be proud of Swindon and being a Swindonian, as I am, and let’s shout about how good and great Swindon is.”

Coun Junab Ali