A NEW chalk carving in the north Wiltshire town of Calne could soon honour the area’s connections as the home of the Wiltshire Cure.

The county of Wiltshire is home to eight White Horse chalk carvings, the oldest in Westbury dates from 1778 and the most recent, near Devizes was carved to mark the millennium.

The new chalk carving will be in the shape of a pig and will mark Calne's town’s history of Wiltshire ham and bacon production.

The White Pig will be the second chalk carving in the Calne area.

Cherhill White Horse, created in 1780, can be clearly seen from the A4 when travelling between Calne and Avebury World Heritage Site. The site is a haven for wildlife with footpaths to the top offering far reaching views across Wiltshire.

Sue Boddington, Calne Heritage Centre curator, said: "The Heritage Centre has been working with the ‘Calne Our Place’ initiative to increase tourism in Calne and make residents aware of the town's rich heritage.

"We receive more queries about the Harris Bacon Factory than any other topic.

"The creation of a chalk pig will be a great attraction and a fitting tribute to the Harris brothers who in the early 1840s devised a method of curing bacon that became known as the Wiltshire Cure, recognised as a quality product internationally.”

Robert Buttle, a free-range pig farmer and self-catering property owner at Buttle Farm, Compton Bassett, said: "We take pride in the strong connections the area has to the pork industry and, as a pig farmer myself, it will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase Wiltshire and its food connections further.”

David Andrews, chief executive of VisitWiltshire, said: "Calne has such a strong connection with the curing process and it’s great to see it being honoured in such a way.

"We hope it will bring a lot more people into the area to come and see the White Pig and look forward to seeing its progression.”

Further developments on the White Pig at www.visitwiltshire.co.uk for details.

Update: We hope everyone enjoyed Visit Wiltshire's April Fool's Day story!