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Somerset in Pics: Taking to the skies

Clara Bullock
BBC News, Somerset
PA Media A person standing in a hot air balloon basket fires up the burners against an early morning sky of dark blue and orangePA Media

There was a stunning hot air balloon launch this week, held to mark the arrival of a new festival.

Meanwhile, Somerset's cricketers kept their impressive start to the T20 Blast going with a win over Middlesex.

They've been busy stitching down in Axbridge, and preparing for a Channel swim in Taunton.

Those tales and more are included in our weekly round-up of pictures from across the county.

Show of Hands A man is playing a keyboard on a green field. Hot air balloons are getting ready to launch behind him. The sun is shining over his shoulder.Show of Hands
PA Media A hot air balloon with its main body coloured red, yellow and blue, is seen flying over Bruton in Somerset, with multiple green fields and hedgerows belowPA Media

Float away: To celebrate the launch of a new Somerset festival, five hot air balloons lifted off at sunrise, soaring over the Somerset countryside and Glastonbury Tor. Bruton's Show of Hands will debut over the May Bank Holiday in 2026 at Gilcombe Farm and aims to offer revellers the "the wild, raw energy that festivals used to capture".

Getty Images Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton of Somerset celebrate together on the pitch following the Vitality Blast Men match between Somerset and Middlesex in Taunton. They are in the county's black and pink kit and in the background the full stands and stadium floodlights are visibleGetty Images

What a night: Somerset chased down 230 in the final over to beat Middlesex at the County Ground on Thursday, sparking well-deserved celebrations.

VisitEngland A large group of men and women in either suits or stylish dresses stand on the stage at the Visit England awards, with spotlights overheadVisitEngland

Small but mighty: No.1 Royal Crescent in Bath has been named the best small visitor attraction in the country. The historic house museum and gallery, run by Bath Preservation Trust, achieved the Gold award in the 'Small Visitor Attraction of the Year' category in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025.

Harry Mottram Eight women stand either side of a new tapestry in St John the Baptist Church in Axbridge in SomersetHarry Mottram

Intricate work: A new wall hanging has gone on display in St John the Baptist church in Axbridge, depicting the town's heritage trail - the idea coming from local woman Margaret Cowie.

Taunton Prep School Pupils in school uniform are sitting outside next to each other holding up a flag. They are smiling at the camera.Taunton Prep School

Channel challenge: A group of pupils from Taunton Prep School are training to swim the English Channel. The pupils, aged 13, will undertake the swim in August following almost two years of training and will become the eleventh group of swimmers from the School to complete the challenge since 2016.

Kate Lynch A painting of a map with roads, a river and green fields. It is very colourful.Kate Lynch

Miniature Langport: Nine local women have completed a picture map of Langport, painting in miniature every building in the town. It took 20 months and over 1,000 hours to complete the map.

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