UFO enthusiasts and skywatchers are converging on Warminster this August Bank Holiday to mark the 50th anniversary of The Warminster Thing.

Warminster 2015 will celebrate the beginning of the The Thing, which started on Christmas Day in 1964 when strange sounds were heard for several days.

These sounds soon turned into several reports of UFO sightings in spring 1965 and – fuelled by Arthur Shuttl-ewood’s book The Warmin-ster Mystery – thousands of people came to the area over the following decade to try and glimpse their own extra-terrestrial sighting.

Due to be held on August 29 at the Old Bell Hotel, Warminster, the event could see as many as 120 people attend.

Kevin Goodman, organiser of the event and author of UFO books Cradle of Contact and History of a Mystery, said: “There has been interest in the event, no doubt.

“I was due to speak at three other events last year but they were all cancelled due to poor ticket sales, but they were charging far more than we are.

“Ours will be £15 and for the calibre of speakers that we have lined up I think that is rather good. This is going to be a one-off and unique event.”

Well-known and respected speakers from the UFO community are due to attend the event including a special UK appearance by Peter Paget, author of UFO-UK and The Welsh Triangle.

Mr Paget was also in charge of the research Fountain Centre in the 1970s, when Mr Goodman moved to Warminster from his home in Stourbridge to work there.

Not long after, the seasoned skywatcher – who grew up reading Shuttle-wood’s book – had his first unexplained sighting around Easter 1977 on the famouslook-out spot of Cradle Hill.

“As me and my friend were at the gate to Cradle Hill we looked to our right and saw these four red lights evenly spaced apart,” said the 55-year-old.

“They flew over the top of the hill and Battlesbury Barracks where they stopped and hung there for about a minute.

“Then one shot out of the sky at a 90 degree angle at great speed before it was followed a minute or two later by the other three.

“Our jaws were hanging on the floor at what I had seen and still to this day I have no explanation for what it was.”

Although the buzz around Warminster is not what it used to be, there could be a chance of seeing something in the sky, with a late evening sky watch planned to end the day’s event.

For more information, visit warminster2015@yahoo.co.uk or search for Warminster 2015 on Facebook.