A MASSIVE celebration is being planned in Swindon to mark the world's greatest engineer's 200th birthday.

A range of spectacular events are being organised for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's anniversary in 2006 and Swindon will form a big part of the regional celebrations.

Coun Fionuala Foley, Swindon Council's lead member for cultural change, wants the town's cele-bration to be on a similar scale to the year-long, £2 million package of events planned in Bristol.

Earlier this week arts and heritage organisations in Swindon held the first talks about the festivities. "Swindon should be a prominent part of any celebrations because we need to celebrate what he has brought to the town," said Coun Foley.

Elaine Arthurs, collections officer at the Steam Museum of the Great Western Railway in Kemble Drive, said the Swindon plans were top secret.

"They are only at an early stage but I don't think anybody will be disappointed," she said.

"He was a big man in Swindon, building the locomotive works in the town in the early 1840s."

The museum, a former works building, is yards away from the outlet village.

This also formed part of the factory which holds many Brunel exhibits including his walking stick.

"Brunel made Swindon the place it is today," said Miss Arthurs.

Andrew Kelly, director of Brunel 200 and head of Bristol's unsuccessful City of Culture 2008 bid, is consultant to Swindon's party plan.

"Bristol is planning a whole range of things including a lighting scheme on the suspension bridge, an international exhibition and a schools project," he said.

"Swindon is at the same stage as us a year ago and it is up to organisers in Swindon to decide what scale of events they want but it will form part of the region's celebrations.

"Brunel was the greatest engineer of the 19th century and a great visionary.

"He has been behind some fantastic structures which are works of art."

The pint-sized engineer, whose designs included the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Great Western Railway and steamship the SS Great Britain, was born in Portsmouth on April 9 1806.

He died on September 15 1859 aged just 53.

His creative genius was highlighted in 2002 when he came second in the recent BBC's Greatest Britons poll just behind Winston Churchill.

Ben Payne