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In pictures: Cold water dip and beavers unleashed

News imageSt Peter's Hospice Two women in water wearing green swim rash vests and green woolly hats. They are both smiling and have their arms around each other.St Peter's Hospice

Thrill-seeking swimmers enjoyed a cold dip this week at Bristol's The Wave as part of a fundraising event for hospice care.

In Somerset, six beavers were released into the wild at an estate as part of efforts to restore nature.

Elsewhere in the West of England, flooding dominated the landscape after relentless rain, but fortunately there was still plenty to smile about.

Here's a selection of the best photos from across the West.

Wiltshire

News imageBBC Weather Watchers/Delbert Aerial view of a flat piece of land at Salisbury, showing flooded fields between houses and tree-lined roads.BBC Weather Watchers/Delbert

Super soaker: This week brought heavy rain to the region. BBC Weather Watcher Delbert snapped this view of floods from the tower of Salisbury Cathedral.

News imageLawn Manor Academy A group of four adults and four children in school uniform pose behind a trolley and green crates stuffed with food items including Cheerios cereal. They are all smiling.Lawn Manor Academy

Kind hearts: Pupils at Lawn Manor Academy have been inspired to make a difference to those experiencing homelessness in Swindon by collecting food donations for local charity Threshold.

News imageDilton Memorial Hall Three women and a man stand outside a red brick building, next to a white box that is part of a solar panel installation.Dilton Memorial Hall

Green and clean: Dilton Memorial Hall has been granted £18,622 by Scottish and Southern Electricity to install solar panels and battery storage. The system means the hall's trustees can save money and reduce its carbon footprint.

News imageBBC Weather Watchers/SSMani A lake on a cloudy day with silhouettes of trees in the background. A tall white viewing platform looks over the lake. BBC Weather Watchers/SSMani

Don't stop me now: Swindonians are still braving their favourite walks despite the rain this week. Weather Watcher SSMani took a stroll around this lake at Coate Water Country Park.

Somerset

News imagePA Media Queen Camilla smiles as she walks past a line of police officers in uniform. She has blonde hair flicked out to the sides and is wearing a blue tartan suit.PA Media

VIP incoming: Queen Camilla visits Avon and Somerset Police headquarters in Portishead to hear about the force's work tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence.

News imagePA Media A beaver is swimming in water. The top half of its body is out of the water and has fluffy brown hair.PA Media

Ready, set, gnaw: One of six beavers is released into the wild at the National Trust's Holnicote Estate, Minehead.

News imageNHS Somerset FT A group of smiling doctors in dark blue scrubs in a hospital corridor, holding up a large cardboard picture frame saying "my first case".NHS Somerset FT

Generous gift: Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton has been given a grant of £835,000 to improve care for patients undergoing complicated spinal surgery. The money, donated by the hospital's League of Friends voluntary group, will pay for a robotic navigation system that assists surgeons, called Excelsius GPS.

Bristol

News imageUHBW NHS A group of about a dozen clinical staff, wearing different coloured scrubs, standing in a hospital foyer with floor to ceiling glass windows behind. They are all smiling to camera.UHBW NHS

Health campaign: Teams from hospitals in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare carried out blood-borne virus tests this week as part of National HIV Testing Week.

News imageJon Drew A red panda walking along a slim tree branch. It has orange-red fur along its back, white ears and facial features, and black legs. Jon Drew

Baby steps: Asha the red panda cub is venturing outside for the first time in her outdoor habitat at Bristol Zoo Project. The cub has been hand-reared for several months after the sudden loss of her mother, Laya.

News imageUniversity of Bristol A dachshund is dressed in a graduation outfit and mortar board hat, standing on green decking. The dog is on a lead, with the legs of a person behind.University of Bristol

Dapper dachshund: This sweet dog was dressed up for graduation ceremonies at the Wills Memorial building in Bristol this week.

Gloucestershire

News imageSimon O'Rourke A wooden carved sculpture of two pine martens, which has been put on display in the Forest of Dean.Simon O'Rourke

Perfectly captured: Seven more pine martens have found a home in the Forest of Dean, in the form of this sculpture by chainsaw artist Simon O'Rourke. The artwork, on the Coleford walking trail, was commissioned to celebrate the successful reintroduction of the animals. More than 50 now call the forest home.

News imageEmma Kernahan A woman with curly reddish hair, and glasses, wearing a blue jacket, is standing in a country lane, smiling to camera and holding an A4 piece of paper with information about the Heavens Valley on it.Emma Kernahan

Beauty spot: Locals are being asked for their views on the future of the Heavens Valley natural habitat on the edge of Stroud. The community bought the land in August 2025 and is running a year-long consultation.

News imagePaul Nicholls Photography Three women, wearing traditional Ukrainian dresses, stand around an art installation – a scorched and ripped red front door. Gloucester Cathedral can be seen behind them on a grey day.Paul Nicholls Photography

Doorstep terror: Three women in traditional Ukrainian dresses pose with an art installation at Gloucester Cathedral. The piece, Collateral Damage, by Rob Marshall, features a front door from a house in Toretsk, Ukraine, which was bombed by Russian forces.