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Snapshot of town's history displayed in 70m banner

Sue Davies,BBC Radio Wiltshireand
Kirsten Robertson,Wiltshire
BBC Lots of squares make up a long banner which is attached to metal fencing inside a hall. Each square depicts a different organisation.BBC
The final Devizes banner is as long as the Bayeux Tapestry

More than 170 groups have come together to create a snapshot of their town's history.

A 70-metre banner has been created in Devizes, Wiltshire, after efforts from charities, community groups and independent businesses to create individual panels for it.

Devizes Mayor Vanessa Tanner organised the event with 10 volunteers, known as the banner buddies.

"I wanted a way of drawing the community together", Tanner told BBC Radio Wiltshire. "And making something that we could all look at, a snapshot of Devizes in 2026. I thought we'd get maybe 50 organisations, but it became a lot bigger."

Gail Foster Photography A woman wearing a mayoral chain stood in front of a sign which says 'the Banner Buddies'.Gail Foster Photography
Mayor Vanessa Tanner at the official unveiling of the banner
A fabric banner square with embroidery on it depicting food and drinks - including a tomato, a pineapple, bananas and a cupcake. The middle of the banner reads 'Deivzes Food and Drink Festival'.
Local organisations created their own submissions for the banner project

Tanner said she had to keep buying more fabric to account for the number of groups taking part in the project, which stands at 177.

Groups featured on the banner include Devizes Netball Club, the Men's Shed, Devizes LGBT, Clean Up Devizes and the Muslim Community of Devizes.

Local companies such as Pins and Needles Gaigers and local schools are also featured.

At 70m (229ft), the banner is as long as the Bayeux Tapestry - an 11th Century embroidered cloth, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest.

A wildlife scene on a banner which includes a bumble, plants and poppies.
Judy Rose helped to create a panel for residents of Avon Road
Two masks with 'Devizes Musical Theatre' above'
A panel of the banner made by the Devizes Musical Theatre group

Judy Rose was part of a group of Avon Road residents which created a submission for the panel. It included poppies, thistles and bumble bees, as the residents take care of a green space near their homes.

"We do have a lot in Devizes and this banner shows that," Rose said. "I went on Saturday and came back to see it again on Sunday with my camera to get another look.

"It's amazing what people have done, it's really impressive."

Scenes of a riverway, with birds and fish, under a sign which says 'The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust'
The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust created a square for the banner

"I can't believe how inventive people have been, I've been overwhelmed. It's been absolutely amazing," Tanner said.

She was joined by the High Sheriff of Wiltshire and members of the community on Saturday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Corn Exchange.

The banner will be relocated to the town's library for the remainder of the week and conversations are under way to find it a permanent home.

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