In pictures: Crisp-tasting and newly-hatched cygnets

4 hours ago

News image — BBC Proms and the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta will both be held in Bristol from 7-9 August

BBC About eight musicians with different orchestral instruments, including a harp and a double bass, are standing inside a partially-inflated multi-coloured hot air balloon in a large auditorium. — BBC Proms and the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta will both be held in Bristol from 7-9 August

In the West this week it was confirmed that two "cultural icons" - BBC Proms and Bristol International Balloon Fiesta - will be heading to Bristol over the same weekend in August.

A crisp-tasting championship took place as well as celebrations for a hospital's 25th anniversary and events to raise money for local charities.

Here's a round-up of pictures from across the region this week.

Bristol

Happy birthday: Wallace and Gromit joined in the celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children - the UK's first purpose-built children's hospital when it opened in 2001.

The Robin Hood Three people in a pub room looking at tables laid out with lots of different packets of crisps. Each table has a poster with a title such as "Best artisan crisp"

Tasty snack: More than 500 people voted in the UK Independent Crisp Tasting Championships which took place at The Robin Hood pub. The top prize went to Salty Dog's Salt and Malt Vinegar crisps, chosen from a sample of 80 different flavours.

Jon Jerrome A men's football team dressed in kit of blue T-shirt and yellow shorts are pictured kneeling in front of the goal

Charity match: The University of Bristol staff football team are limbering up to take on their counterparts from the University of Bath on Sunday. The annual match at Twerton Park raises money for the Southmead Hospital Charity.

Darren Bane Five officials - three men and two women - are standing behind a podium in a large, grand room with a chandelier visible and the French and British flags.

European ties: A delegation from Bristol travelled to Bordeaux ahead of the 80th anniversary of the twinning relationship between the two cities. The partnership was established in the aftermath of World War Two.

Wiltshire

BBC Weather Watchers: Big-Ben Yellow flowers stretch across a field

Fields of gold: Thank you BBC Weather Watcher Big-Ben for this stunning picture of Amesbury on a warm April evening.

Roy Howard A man sitting on a bench on a sunny day. There is a cream-coloured dog sniffing the bag that is across the man's body. The man is holding a map and a walking stick and is wearing a blue cap, a bodywarmer, grey trousers and a white T-shirt.

Sit down for success: Roy Howard, from Chippenham, took a seat on 70 benches at the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire this week to mark his 70th birthday and to raise money for the Lily Foundation, which supports people with mitochondrial disease.

Way Swindon A man running down a dirt path with green and yellow fields in front of him. The sky is very cloudy. There are people in the distance running ahead of him.

Way: Some 23 Swindon residents completed the WAY52 challenge across the picturesque Ridgeway this week. They chose to walk or run 52km for the 52,000 children and young people in Swindon and they raised more than £15,000 for youth work.

Walk and talk: Men from across Swindon took part in an eight-mile walk to raise money for the local Prospect Hospice - as well as enjoying an opportunity to have meaningful conversations en-route.

Somerset

BUCS A close-up of a man on a rugby pitch looking ecstatic - crouching down and holding his fists up in triumph. There are three players behind him shown from the neck down, all clapping.

History made: Bath defeated Loughborough 41-14 in the BSR Milk Championship rugby final this week to complete a historic league and cup double.

"I'm a bit emotional, we got there," said an ecstatic coach Aaron James after the match.

Bishop's Palace Three grey, fluffy cygnets sitting amidst greenery. Two of the cygnets are looking at each other.

New brood: These fluffy cygnets emerged from their eggs on Wednesday at the Bishop's Palace in Wells. They hatched from the nest of the palace's much-loved swans, Grace and Gabriel.

Coat of Hopes A person is wearing a long patchwork coat which is draped across the floor of a church.

Pilgrimage: A patchwork coat highlighting the climate emergency has been walked to Frome as part of a nationwide tour. The Coat of Hopes began its journey in 2021 - to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) - and has travelled more than 2,150 miles in total.

Queen's College Five young men in dark pink cricket shirts standing in front of a net, holding their gloves and helmets and smiling to camera

Batting technique: Students at Queen's College, Taunton, are looking forward to some new high-tech indoor cricket nets. Set to open next year, the nets will provide advanced technology designed to replicate real match conditions for both pupils and the local community.

Gloucestershire

Joanna Lumley with a man in a dark suit both with their arms outspread in front of a huge green bow and lots of people behind in a shopping mall

Absolutely fabulous: Joanna Lumley was invited to officially open the Five Valley's shopping centre in Stroud this week.

Reuters Three plane-spotters on short step ladders stand at the perimeter fence of an airfield with a B-52 plane flying overhead in a blue sky with white clouds.

Military activity: Plane spotters watched as a Boeing B-52 took off from RAF Fairford this week. The airbase is hosting United States Air Force personnel during the war in Iran.