In pictures: Cheltenham cheers and rugby delight

All eyes were on Cheltenham this week as tens of thousands of racing fans travelled to the famous course at Prestbury for the annual horse racing festival.

And while some punters - and the bookies - were celebrating there, the University of Bath men's first XV were joyful after being crowned BUCS Super Rugby league champions for the first time in the competition's 10-year history.

Hard-working foster carers were also in the spotlight, along with some adorable baby goats – all named after cheeses.

Here's a round-up of photographs from across the West this week.

Invaluable contribution: A fostering agency is celebrating the dedication of its carers on Every Parent Day, held just before Mothering Sunday. The day acknowledges that fostering is a role embraced by people of all walks of life, not just mothers.

Cheesy does it: Lambing season gets under way at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, a conservation charity in North Somerset. The first Bagot goat kids have been named Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Stilton, Babybel, Mozzarella and Blue.

Hard work pays: Bath's 11th successive victory with a 17-7 away win at Durham put the team two points clear of previous champions Loughborough – and at the top of the BUCS Super Rugby league table.

"It's been a long time and we've been building, building, building towards this," said emotional coach Aaron James after the match.

Nailbiter: Team Bath Netball provided an absorbing match for a sell-out crowd with their first win of the 2026 NXT Gen League season with a 54-51 home victory over Birmingham Panthers.

Cold case: Carpenter Jo Oliver, from Wedmore, is in Antarctica to help future-proof Britain's scientific Base A, Port Lockroy, which he says is currently not able to deal with the change in climate.

He is doing conservation work in near constant daylight, sub-zero temperatures, and without running water or flushing toilets, as part of a three-year team project.

Memorial woodland: More than 650 people have been helping to plant 3,800 saplings at Spring Gardens in Frome, in memory of local resident Moko Sellars.

Her friend and the project designer, James Hamilton, said it would be "a sanctuary for people and wildlife for generations to come".

Eye-catching: Women pose on Ladies' Day at the Cheltenham Festival this year – including one racegoer with a working model train on her hat.

P-p-pleased to meet you: Residents at The Lakes Care Centre in Cirencester were delighted – and bemused – to be visited by some friendly penguins.

Celebrity alert: 2025 MasterChef champion Thomas Frake popped into the BBC Wiltshire offices this week to chat about the volunteer category at this year's Make a Difference Awards – nominations open now – which he will be judging.

Newly-elected: Young people from across Wiltshire gathered for their first event as Wiltshire Youth Councillors, marking the start of their two-year term representing the views of young people in the county.

Can you dig it? Volunteers in Swindon have planted 18,000 trees since November to boost the town's "green lungs". The planting is part of a long-running project administered by Swindon Borough Council called Trees For Climate.

Young at heart: Warminster Mayor Andrew Cooper enjoyed a visit to the town's revamped Fore Street play area this week, where he tried out a new zipline.

Inspiring workplace: Staff at the creative agency GEL Studios, in Swindon, have been celebrating this week after being honoured at a business awards ceremony.

The agency was named Employer of the Year at the South West Business and Community Awards.