In Pictures: Spring cleans and secret paintings

3 hours ago

Sam Binding A silhouetted image taken from a distance, showing a group of people enjoying a misty sunrise over the monument at Burrow Mump in Somerset.

It has been a week of spring makeovers, captivating sunsets and impressive milestones.

From epic clean‑ups, uncovering history and record‑chasing adventures, plenty has been happening both on the ground and high above it.

Dairy farmers have been competing for the title of cheese champion in Somerset, while runners hit the streets for a half marathon in Gloucestershire.

All this and more in our selection of the best photographs from across the west of England.

Bristol

Plaster A large colourful mural on the side of a building, depicting Aardman animation characters. Below it is a large sign which reads 'made in Bristol', with each letter a different colour.

Spring clean: Volunteers, businesses and city partners all came together to freshen up the city centre by removing graffiti, litter picking, planting and painting.

The Big Broadmead Spring Clean marked the launch of Bristol BID's 'Love Bristol, Love Broadmead' programme - a new initiative focused on revitalising public spaces.

Kinrise / ShotAway A crowd gathered in a large room with a high ceiling and metallic staircase. The walls are covered in glass panelled windows and it is dark outside. The indoors is lit up with pink, purple and orange hues. The crowd of people are all facing towards a short stage, where a man is giving a speech.

Sneak preview: Business and community leaders gathered at Canons Wharf for an event hosted by joint venture partners, Kinrise and Mactaggart Family & Partners.

They offered guests a glimpse into their plans to transform the Grade II-listed waterfront estate into a vibrant mixed-use campus.

Allie Dunnington A selfie of Allie Dunnington and friends sitting in the wicket basket of a hot air balloon in the middle of a field, surrounded by scorched grass and trees in summer. It appears to be sunset, as the light is warm and golden.

High achiever: A balloon pilot from Bristol is on the verge of breaking a world record for taking off in the highest number of countries around the world.

Allie Dunnington has launched hot air balloons in more countries than any other female pilot and is now on a mission to beat the overall record of 127 - held by her late husband Phil Dunnington - by the end of 2026.

Gloucestershire

Getty A large group of Gloucester rugby players and mascots, along with Leicester players in the centre, holding a gold trophy up, stand around Ed Slater on a rugby pitch surrounded by empty stands post-match.

Joining forces: Gloucester Rugby and Leicester Tigers came together on Saturday to compete in the Slater Cup at Villa Park as the fixture's namesake watched on. The game raised money for 4Ed, a foundation set up to help those living with motor neurone disease following Ed Slater's diagnosis in 2022.

On your marks: It was a beautiful day for a run as the Forest of Dean Spring Trails Half Marathon got under way on Sunday.

In first place was Jacob Tasker from Bridgend, Wales, who took just shy of one hour and nine minutes to cross the finish line.

BBC Weather Watchers/Weatherornot The bright sun sets over a sloping green hill dotted with trees, turning the sky bright red.

Shepherd's delight: This vibrant sunset was caught above Stroud on Monday at about 18:20 GMT, and is a reminder of the later sunsets to come now the clocks have sprung forward.

Alison Whaley A young woman with tied back brown hair and glasses, who is wearing a green Forestry England polo shirt, plants a tree in the ground as primary school aged children watch on in the sunshine.

Tree-mendous effort: The final trees have been planted in the Silk Wood Community Planting Project at Westonbirt Arboretum.

The project was launched to tackle ash dieback, with more than 9,000 trees planted over three years. Thousands of volunteers helped out with planting, the scale of which has not been seen at the arboretum for many years, Westonbirt bosses said.

Somerset

PA Media Two men wearing purple aprons, analysing some cheese at the award show. There is a low table in front of them full of different types of cheese. The man on the right is bald, wearing black thick framed glasses and is smelling a small chunk of pale cheese. The man on the left, bald with a red beard, is watching him intently. They appear to be in a large warehouse type building with high ceilings.

Cheesy does it: The judging was a serious business at the British and Irish Cheese Awards at The Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet last week. An entry called Waterlip, from the Newt In Somerset, won gold, while Mrs Bell's Salad Cheese secured second place.

Patrick Khachfe/Onside Images Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker hold up their gold medals at the Recreation Ground in Bath. He is wearing a dark shirt underneath a white jersey jacket with light blue sleeves and collar. She is wearing a black top underneath a black leather jacket. They are standing on a green pitch in the dark, but the light is bright on their faces.

Golden duo: Winter Olympians Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker gold medallists paid a visit to the Recreation Ground in Bath to show off their award.

The skeleton stars, who train at the University of Bath, were in attendance at the home side defeated Saracens.

Getty Images A group shot of the Gloucestershire cricketers. They are posed in three rows, wearing their right uniforms. The front row are sat down with their hands on their knees, and the two rows in the back are standing with their hands clasped behind their backs. It is a sunny day and the club building is visible in the background, with lots of glass windows and white picket fences.

Spring swing: As the weather begins to warm up, Gloucestershire's cricketers took the time to pose for their pre-season team shot at the County Ground in Bristol.

Wiltshire

WeatherWatchers/Sonia A large tree stands alone during a colourful sunset in Devizes. The sun is low and the sky above is purple at the horizon, fading into orange and then light blue.

Standing alone: Our intrepid Weather watchers have been dodging the spring showers this week on the look out for the perfect vista.

Many thanks to Sonia for finding and then taking this glorious image of Oliver's Castle near Devizes at sunset.

Mavern House Care Home A group of people sat on chairs in a living room, smiling at the camera. They are surrounded by mylar birthday balloons and bunting.

Major milestone: Betty, who lives at Mavern House Care Home in Shaw, has celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Born in Bath in 1923 to Scottish parents, Betty grew up in the West Country and was a teacher at Bath College of Domestic Science and also a chef during WW2.

She says the secret to a long life is "a good breakfast" and "probably genetics too".

Betsy Ogilvie A painting of a rural setting which includes a lake and some trees. It is illuminated between white pillars and white walls.

Hidden history: Stourhead's new exhibition 'The secret lives of paintings' has lifted the lid on the secrets and surprises concealed within the house's art collection.

Among them is 'Stourhead in its Infancy' - long believed to be the earliest view of the estate until recent conservation work revealed a different picture beneath the surface.

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