Despite grey and overcast weather for the whole country, Lyneham was completely different. The village recorded the sunniest day in the south-west where 10.7 hours of sunshine was documented.

Venus Williams crashes out of Wimbledon as her bid to land a sixth title comes unstuck in straight sets to world number 82 Tsvetana Pironkova. The Bulgarian stuned the second seed 6-2, 6-3 to book her place in the semi-final.

American John Isner held his nerve to overcome Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the deciding set of their unforgettable first-round encounter at Wimbledon. Isner outlasted Frenchman Mahut to win 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 70-68 in the longest match in history, taking 11 hours and five minutes over three days. Isner finished with 112 aces and Mahut 103, easily beating the previous record - held by Croatia's Ivo Karlovic - of 78.

Conservationists hoping to reintroduce the world's heaviest flying bird, the great bustard, to the UK are celebrating the birth of four chicks. The species was hunted to extinction in the UK in 1832, but was reintroduced to Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire, in 2004. This is the second year running in which the birds have bred successfully in the wild.

David Cameron becomes Prime Minister - to form first Tory government in 13 years... after Gordon Brown finally throws in towel. David Cameron swept into Downing Street as Britain's youngest Prime Minister in two centuries just an hour after Gordon Brown dramatically stood down.

British soldiers have marched in Red Square in Moscow for the first time to mark the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Seventy six soldiers from 2 Company 1st Battalion Welsh Guards marched beside more than 10,500 Russian troops and others from the US and France. The multi-million pound parade also included a 1,000-strong military band, tanks, missiles and 127 aircraft.

Jenson Button stormed to his second win of the season as he headed team-mate Lewis Hamilton to a McLaren one-two at the Chinese Grand Prix. Rain played havoc in China as Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg held off Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to finish third with Renault's Robert Kubica in fifth.

A man believed to be cycling without lights was killed in a road collision in Swindon. The 23-year-old man from Chiseldon was cycling south along the A419 dual carriageway at Commonhead when he was hit from behind by a horsebox. The man was then struck by several other vehicles and was pronounced dead at the scene.

At least 38 people were killed and more than 60 injured in two suicide bomb attacks on the Moscow Metro during the morning rush hour. Female suicide bombers are believed to have carried out the attacks on trains that had stopped at two stations in the heart of the Russian capital.

Former Labour Party leader Michael Foot died, aged 96. Mr Foot was elected Labour leader in 1980, succeeding Jim Callaghan, but stood down after a heavy defeat in the 1983 election to Margaret Thatcher. Mr Foot, who was also a prolific writer, was first elected to Parliament in 1945 and was an MP for 42 years.

Amy Williams slid head first with lightning and daredevil skill into sporting history in Whistler Vancouver, Canada to become the first British woman for 58 years to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal.

A campaign to stop X Factor winner Joe McElderry from claiming the Christmas number one has worked. Many critics and fans alike were annoyed that Simon Cowell X factor programme was manipulating the festive charts. Rage Against The Machine's expletive-laden 1992 single Killing In The Name, was the top selling hit. The band's single, Killing In The Name, sold 500,000 downloads beating X Factor winner Joe McElderry's The Climb by 50,000 copies to clinch the top spot. Their success followed a Facebook campaign designed to prevent another X Factor number one.

Four RAF servicemen were charged with smuggling cigarettes on board military flights. Customs officials arrested the four men following an investigation involving the RAF and Special Investigations Branch. Senior Aircraftsman Paul Garbutt, 30, of Billingham, Cleveland, Corporal Stuart Helens, 30, of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sergeant Stuart Walker, 42, of Basingstoke, Hampshire and Corporal Thomas Warren, 21, of Lyneham, Wiltshire were charged at Gablecross Police Station in Swindon. They are accused of conspiracy to evade cigarette duty on large commercial-scale quantities of cigarettes on military flights into RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire, and RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire. They were bailed to appear at Bristol Magistrates Court on January 5, 2010.

A service of commemoration honouring British military and civilian personnel who served in Iraq was held at St Paul's Cathedral, London. Veterans and relatives of the 179 killed took part in the service, with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, used his address to praise the efforts of the troops in Iraq. But he criticised policy makers for failing to consider the human and other costs of the conflict.

Swindon Town manager Danny Wilson paid tribute to Phil Smith after the stand-in keeper performed heroics to book Town’s place in the southern area quarter-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Despite dominating the match Exeter equalised deep into injury time to force the cup-tie to penalties. Phil Smith was the Swindon hero, saving spot kicks from Neil Saunders and Stuart Fleetwood to seal their 4-3 penalty victory.

A Wiltshire man who bludgeoned his landlady to death then threw her body into the River Avon was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Marc Riley, 24, from Trowbridge, admitted murdering Antonietta Guarino, 61, and obstructing the coroner.

Rio de Janeiro claimed a stunning victory in the race to host the 2016 Olympics as favourites Chicago slumped to a crushing defeat. Brazil will become the first South American country to host the Games after a historic vote by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen. Rio will host the summer Games just two years after Brazil host the 2014 football World Cup and the announcement led to wild celebrations among the 50,000 people at a party on the famous Copacabana beach.

Hollywood star Patrick Swayze passed away aged 57 in Hollywood after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Best known for his film roles in Dirty Dancing and the Hollywood blockbuster Ghost.

Keith Floyd, the Celebrity Chef, passed away following a heart attack at the age of 65. Witty, warm and with a genius for cooking equalled only by his fondness for a glass or five of wine, Keith Floyd was the first of a new breed of celebrity chef. Speaking shortly before he passed away, about his autobiography, he said "Don't ever go into the restaurant business. It kills marriages, it kills relationships, and it kills life. It kills everything. And I, the man with four ex-wives, should know"

Forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn has become the oldest living artist to top the UK album chart. She achieved her success with her album, We'll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn, which has been steadily climbing the chart in recent weeks. The album was originally released to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the declaration of war.

Kim Clijsters completed her incredible return to Grand Slam tennis with a 7-5 6-3 win over Dane Caroline Wozniacki to claim her second US Open title. The Belgian, 26, was a wildcard into her first Grand Slam tournament since 2007 after coming out of a two-and-a-half year retirement in August. In that time she gave birth to a daughter, and so becomes the first mother since 1980 to win a Grand Slam. She is also the first woman to win a major as a wildcard.

A couple jumped to their deaths from Beachy Head in an "act too shocking to contemplate" after their paralysed son died, an inquest heard. Neil and Kazumi Puttick, aged 34 and 44 and from Wiltshire, were found dead at the notorious suicide spot near Eastbourne in East Sussex, on 1 June 2009. Their five-year-old son Samuel, who had been confined to a wheelchair since a car crash in 2005, had died on 29 May 2009. The coroner recorded verdicts of suicide on the deaths of the couple

Controversial world champion athlete Caster Semenya arrived home in South Africa to a rapturous welcome. Hundreds turned out to greet Ms Semenya and fellow medallists, men's 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena. South Africans have rallied behind Ms Semenya, who won the 800m final World athletics Championship, hours after the news broke that she had to take a gender test. The IAAF ordered Ms Semenya to take the "gender verification test" after she improved her personal best by more than eight seconds over the past 12 months.

Sir Bobby Robson, who led England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 76. He also enjoyed a glittering career as a club manager. He played for Fulham and West Brom during the 1950s and 1960s, and later went on to manage Fulham, Ipswich, PSV, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and the club he supported as a boy, Newcastle.

The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, died at the age of 111. Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died. He was raised in Coombe Down, near Bath, and had been living at a care home in Wells, Somerset. The oldest WWI veteran Henry Allingham, who served in the Royal Navy and the RAF, died at the age of 113 on the 18th July 2009. More

Cartoonist John Ryan, creator of the Captain Pugwash TV series, died in hospital in Rye, East Sussex, aged 88. The BBC commissioned the first series in 1957 after spotting potential in Ryan's books about the tales of Pugwash and his nemesis Cut Throat Jake.

England took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes series and ended a 75-year wait for a win against Australia at Lord's as they wrapped up a 115-run win before lunch on the final day of the second Test. England 425 & 311-6 dec beat Australia 215 & 406

Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and one of the last surviving World War I servicemen, has died at the age of 113. Mr Allingham died in his sleep at 3.10am on Saturday at his St Dunstan's care home in Ovingdean near Brighton, after a life that saw him marked out as a national treasure. more

Rowdy behaviour is the biggest cause for complaint among people in Wiltshire, Government figures have revealed. Home Office figures showed Wiltshire Police recorded 23,071 incidents of “rowdy or inconsiderate behaviour” across the county in 2007/8.

Roger Federer became the greatest player in Grand Slam history as he beat Andy Roddick in five dramatic sets for a sixth Wimbledon and 15th major title. The Swiss won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to surpass Pete Sampras's 14 Grand Slam wins and regain the title he lost to Rafael Nadal in 2008.