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In pictures: River football and rescued cygnets

BBC About a dozen men are playing football in a shallow, wide river in the middle of a town. They are wearing turquoise or blue shirts and the referee is in a superman outfit. One man is tackling another player in the foreground and the football is in mid-air. There are lots of spectators on the river bankBBC

The welcome rainfall this week has helped freshen up swathes of the countryside, although large parts of the West remain in drought conditions.

Also getting wet were the Bourton Rovers footballers, who hosted their annual August bank holiday match in the River Windrush.

Elsewhere, eight cygnets separated from their parents were rescued in Somerset, two beavers have paired up and a Highland Cow is taking to motherhood.

Here is our weekly round-up of pictures from across the region.

Wiltshire

Brook Mitchell/Getty Images A field which has dry yellow fields and lines of dark green trees and square patches of light green.Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
Brook Mitchell/Getty Images Yellow fields with bright green patches in itBrook Mitchell/Getty Images

Welcome rain: Dry fields near Avebury were pictured with patches of lush green patches on 1 September. More than 71% of England is officially in drought following an exceptionally dry summer and record-low rainfall.

Longleat Safari Park Two tiger cubs up close - lying in a bed of hayLongleat Safari Park

Growing up: Twin tiger cubs born at Longleat Safari Park in July can now open their beautiful blue eyes - which will start to change colour as they age, becoming yellow, amber or green. The rare Amur tigers are among the most endangered species in the world.

Andy Crook Man in red football shirt with his arms outstretched. Andy Crook

Goal of the season? Swindon Town beat Port Vale 3-1 at County Ground on 1 September, with a brilliant volley from Ben Middlemas branded a potential 'goal of the season.'

Manager Ian Holloway said the team showed 'magnificent character' in his post-match interview.

Haydon Wick Parish Council A bus shelter with a rainbow and colourful paintings of animals such as frogs and foxes.Haydon Wick Parish Council

Warm welcome: Inspired by ideas shared by Greenmeadow Primary School pupils, a newly transformed bus shelter at Greenmeadow Shops now celebrates Haydon Wick's wildlife, heritage and community spirit, creating a vibrant welcome to the parish.

Nicola Davis Two girls smile widely with market stalls behind them.Nicola Davis

Top traders: Well done to Trowbridge's Nicola Davis, who creates mental health-inspired textile artwork, and Jemma Houkes-Drewitt, who makes book-themed gifts. They both reached the National Final of the Young Traders Market in Stratford-upon-Avon on 29 August.

EvelynH An orange sunrise in the sky above a row of terraced houses. EvelynH
Saba Getty A sunrise fills half of the picture and at the bottom of the photo is an electricity pylon and a tree which are in shadows. Saba Getty

Thank you to all our BBC Weather Watchers for their photos of stunning sunrises across the county, including these two from Swindon and Corsham on 2 September.

Somerset

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust A group of medics in blue scrubs of varying hue are sit in a hospital room with three women sitting on seats at the front. They are all smiling to camera. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

State-of-the-art facilities: Staff were celebrating at Musgrove Park Hospital this week as a new £87m surgical centre opened. NHS leaders hope it will reduce waiting lists by increasing capacity and improving patient flow.

Secret World Wildlife Rescue Several swans can just be seen nestled in the back of an animal ambulance. Their bodies are wrapped in large blue Ikea bags and their heads are just visible aboveSecret World Wildlife Rescue

Water birds: Secret World Wildlife Rescue rescued eight cygnets found on a road in Somerset last week. The parents of the young swans were nowhere to be seen and the wildlife team said it was an "exceptional situation".

National Trust A black and white infrared photograph of two beavers snuggling up to each other in shallow water. There are fronds of rushes just visible on the right handside of the river bank.National Trust

Romance is in the air: Two of the beavers released into the wild on National Trust land in Exmoor earlier this year appear to have formed a pair. The team at Holnicote Estate said there was hope the beavers would eventually establish their own family group.

Gloucestershire

Gloucester Cathedral A choir of choristers of all ages dressed in either red or blue robes, are banked up on tiers in the aisle of Gloucester Cathedral. There is a choirmaster in red conducting in the foreground of the picture. The new organ pipes can just be seen in the background.Gloucester Cathedral

Significant investment: Following a summer of celebrations marking the completion and dedication of Gloucester Cathedral's new organ, supporters are being invited to become part of its musical history by bidding to sponsor one of the remaining organ stops.

Transition Sroud A man and two women are lined up in a row outside. The man is on the left standing beside a turquoise bike, the woman in the middle is holding up a blue e-bike and an older woman is sitting on the seat of an adapted e-tricycle. She is wearing a bright pink coat and a yellow helmet.Transition Sroud

New additions: Local community charity Transition Stroud has expanded its popular Pedal Power e-bike scheme with two new bikes. Extra funding from Gloucestershire County Council will enable the project to keep running throughout 2027.

Cotswold Farm Park Yara, the Highland Cow is standing in a field of dry, brown grass, nestled her calf who is standing beside her. The sky behind is blue with a few wispy cloudsCotswold Farm Park

Up close: Yara, the Highland Cow, has taken to motherhood "brilliantly" according to staff at Cotswold Farm Park. The livestock team are brainstorming some names - so keep your eyes peeled for an announcement.

Tewkesbury Kite Festival Lots of kites are flying in a blue sky with white clouds. They are different shapes - mainly sea creatures, with a large shark in the foreground. There are also two male cartoon characters, an octopus and a sting ray. There are several people standing in a field flying the kites.Tewkesbury Kite Festival

Let's go fly a kite: Some spectacular sea creatures were visible in the skies above Tewkesbury this week for the town's kite festival. The free event featured large display kites and kite-flying demonstrations.

Bristol

Ritesh Nigam A full arc rainbow in a blue sky framing two large leafless trees. One tower of Clifton Suspension Bridge is visible in the bottom left of the image and the side of the gorge is in the distanceRitesh Nigam

Majestic: This stunning full-arch rainbow was captured spanning the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol this week.

Bristol Beacon A large group of about 30 men and women are standing in the Bristol Beacon foyer with stone arches in the background. To the left and right of the image are two large banners saying 'Bristol Beer Factory pouring back into our city'Bristol Beacon

Locally brewed: The team at Bristol Beacon announced a new partnership with Bristol Beer Factory which has been appointed as the venue's new brewing partner. The venue will be selling the draught options as well as a range of Bristol Beer Factory cans.

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