For most of the people in Swindon, tomorrow won’t be out of the ordinary. But for the town’s Bahá'í community it is their New Year’s Day. The Bahá'í New Year, also known as Naw-Rúz which means New Day, coincides with the start of spring and is the year 158 in the Bahá'í calendar. The central message of the Bahá'í Faith is unity. Bahá'u'lláh taught that there is only one God, that the human race is one family and that all the world’s religions are one.

Janet Justnes, one of the local Bahá'ís, said: "Wednesday is the official start of spring and what a wonderful time to celebrate a New Year and a fresh start.

"The Bahá'í faith began in Persia, and since then has been established in almost every country in the world. In fact it is now the second most widespread religion after Christianity. The spring seems a sensible and suitable time to start a new year.

"In fact it used to be the custom in this country. Just as the earth is coming alive after the winter, so we can start afresh and commit ourselves to a spiritual reawakening."

The local Bahá'ís meet together on Tuesday night to celebrate the event together and will have their party on Sunday, at the Even Swindon Community Centre, where they will be joined by Mayor of Swindon Arthur Archer and friends from all over Swindon.

The celebration will include performances by the Northampton Bahá'í Choir and musicians Frank and Gemma Abrams.