In pictures: England victory and summer solstice

17 hours ago

BBC Crowds gather at Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice. — Crowds gathered earlier to celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge

Thousands of people across the West celebrated the summer solstice earlier, which marks the official start of astronomical summer.

This year, the solstice fell on 21 June, and thousands flocked to Stonehenge in Wiltshire to watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year.

Football fans across the region were also celebrating this week, after England's 4-2 win against Croatia in their first World Cup Match on Wednesday.

Here is a selection of photographs from across the region this week.

Bristol

Two young women in England tops smile as they cheer for joy at Ashton Gate Stadium. Other people can be seen celebrating behind them.

Smiles all round: England fans at Bristol's Ashton Gate Stadium cheered for joy as England beat Croatia 4-2 in their first game of the FIFA 2026 World Cup on Wednesday.

A dappled lake in the grey light of dawn. The heads of several swimmers in swimming caps can be seen, accompanied by pink and orange tow floats. The sky is a pinky blue.

Up and at 'em: Swimmers arrived early at West Country Water Park for a solstice dip on Sunday.

RTS/Richard Kendal Two young women stand in front of a blue velvet curtain. Niamh has short brown hair and is wearing a black, short-sleeved top. She is holding a glass award up. Amy has long brown hair and is wearing a strapless white dress with black polka dots on it.

Award winners: Students from the University of the West of England celebrated winning four categories at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards this week. BA (Hons) animation students Niamh McArdle and Amy Mulcahy were among the winners and were commended for their "exceptional editing craft".

Plaster Care home residents sit in the audience as the watch an orchestral concert at the Bristol Beacon. There are musicians behind them playing cellos.

Lost in music: Aurora Orchestra's immersive performance of Mozart brought hundreds of care home residents together for a unique live music experience at the Bristol Beacon.

LooseHeadz Amber Reed, left, has long curly brown hair. She stands next to a man with dark brown hair. On his right is a woman with long brown straight hair, The trio are wearing black T-shirts and are standing in front of a rugby pitch.

The importance of community: World Cup winner Amber Reed attended a mental health awareness event at the LooseHeadz summer roadshow at Lockleaze Sports Centre on Monday. Reed, a 2014 Women's World Cup winner with England and now assistant coach of Bristol Bears Women, joined the event in her hometown and spoke about the importance of community.

Grand Appeal Emma Stuart wearing blue nurse scrubs. She smiles as she stands in front of one of her fundraising stalls.

Charitable work: Emma Stuart, who works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu) at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol, celebrated raising £60,000 for Cots for Tots, the charity that supports the unit and the babies and families in its care.

Gloucestershire

PA Media Football fans at the EV Charge Points Stadium in Cheltenham throw their hands up in the air in excitement as England win their first World Cup game.

Victorious: Fans celebrated victory after watching a screening of the FIFA World Cup match between England and Croatia at the EV Charger Points Stadium, Cheltenham.

Birdland Park Head and shoulders shot of two penguins in a zoo enclosure.

Precious egg: A king penguin egg has been laid at a bird park in Gloucestershire for the first time in six years. The 289g (10oz) egg was laid by a younger female king penguin named French at Birdland Park and Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water earlier this week.

Getty Images Gloucester-Hartpury women's rugby players in red uniform playing against Trailfinders who are in green uniform.

Women's Rugby: Trailfinders held off Gloucester-Hartpury as they beat the reigning champions 29-26 to reach their first Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) final on 14 June.

Wiltshire

Football fans at The Old Lane pub celebrating England's win.

It's coming home: In Wiltshire, England fans watched their team's victory over Croatia at The Old Lane pub in Pewsham, Chippenham.

EPA Two women wearing flower crowns smile as one beats a handheld drum and another waves a shaker. Behind them is an arch formed by the stones of Stonehenge.

Joyful moment: Drumming and singing accompanied the sunrise at Stonehenge, where 20,000 early risers gathered to celebrate the solstice on Sunday.

The Hop Pole Inn Two people stand next to a bug house.

Community spirit: A much-loved pub in Limpley Stoke, near Bath, has transformed its garden at the Hop Pole Inn into a space for children and family to have fun.

Publicans Hannah Randall and Charlie Rawlings are pictured here next to a bug house which is one of the latest additions to the garden.

Wiltshire Council A group of school children stood in a field

Inclusion award: The Trafalgar School at Downton became the first secondary school in Wiltshire to achieve the National Autistic Society's Autism Inclusion Award. The school has achieved the recognition following its work to raise autism awareness among staff and creating a more inclusive and comfortable environment for autistic pupils.

Westbury Festival Leaflets in a box covered with an elastic band

Festival fun: Programmes are out for the Westbury Festival, which will see the town adorned with bunting ahead of a series of events, many of them free. This year's line-up includes a talk from Bristol-based adventurer Jacqui Furneaux, a show which pays tribute to comedian Victoria Wood and a Frozen sing-along.

BBC Weather Watchers Trees surrounding a body of water

Summer strolls: Thank you to BBC Weather Watcher David58 for this stunning photo of a tranquil walk at Stourhead.

Somerset

A small orange sun rises, casting a band of warm orange light across the horizon. Mist surrounds trees atmospherically in the distance, and in the foreground there are dark green plants on a sloping hill with the outline of people standing and watching the sunset on the right.

Dawn breaks: About a hundred people gathered at Burrow Mump for the summer solstice sunrise on Sunday. There was drumming, singing and applause when the sun broke over the skyline.

Pete Budd and Tommy Banner from the Wurzels stand in front of a combine harvester on a field.

Combine Harvester: The British Scrumpy and Western band the Wurzels celebrated 50 years of their chart-topping song Combine Harvester (Brand New Key).

The novelty song reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1976 and famously held the top spot for two weeks, beating out massive acts like Dolly Parton, Rod Stewart, and Wings.

University of Reading Horizontal stripes are projected against the tower on top of Glastonbury Tor. The bottom stripes are mainly dark blue, the middle are mainly light blue and the top are mainly red. It is night time, the sky is filled with moody blue clouds and the town is lit by street lights in the distance.

Warning beacon: St Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor was illuminated on Saturday for Show Your Stripes Day, an annual day of climate awareness. Each stripe represents the global average temperature for one year. Starting at the bottom, in 1850, the blue stripes represent cooler temperatures, rising to hotter red years in recent times.

Image of a number of men in cycling gear, standing with their bicycles. In the background can be seen a crowd of people and the outside of a large stadium building

Cycle challenge: England's former rugby captain Lewis Moody cycled into Bath on Thursday in the latest leg of his 500-mile (804km) charity bike ride.

The former Bath flanker is attempting to ride from Newcastle to Twickenham via all five of his former clubs to raise awareness around Motor Neurone Disease (MND) following his own diagnosis.