Devizes residents enjoyed the sunshine on Saturday as they held a picnic to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the Devizes Millennium White Horse.

It is 13 years since dozens of local volunteers climbed Roundway Hill with spade and shovels on September 29, 1999, to mark out the outline of the horse which was then dug out by a local construction company. New residents of the Quakers Walk estate, Thelma and Colin Edwards, decided to celebrate this event by inviting members of their local community, of Trinity School, Nursteed School, Roundway Parish Council and the people who planned the cutting of the horse, to come up the hill for a picnic. The event included blowing out the candles and cutting the delicious cake which Mrs Edwards had baked. The ceremony was performed by Sarah Padwick, whose idea it was to mark the Millennium with a new chalk hill figure, and the Mayor of Devizes, Kelvin Nash. Mrs Padwick said: “The children brought flowers to make a garland for the horse’s neck and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Chalkie – as the horse is now nicknamed.

“The horse was looking bright and white in the sunshine after the summer's efforts by the Probation Service's community payback groups.”