A popular glimpse of a bygone era has wowed the crowds and raised an expected £10,000 for charity.

Dave Gooderham

A POPULAR glimpse of a bygone era has wowed the crowds and raised an expected £10,000 for charity.

Organisers of the two-day Woolpit Steam Rally predicted a record breaking weekend estimating that more people attended the event than ever before.

Boasting an array of vintage vehicles and machinery, visitors to Warren Farm, Wetherden, basked in Saturday's glorious weather but even the cool temperatures of yesterday did nothing to dampen the family event.

Delighted David Seeley, who organises the weekend with his brother Gerald, said: “It was absolutely scorching on Saturday and we looked to have achieved a record breaking crowd.

“Then on Sunday, it looked as if it was going to rain but it stayed dry and we think we might have achieved another record crowd for that day as well. I'm absolutely delighted with how the weekend went.”

Held since 1987, the rally, which also includes working demonstrations and Victorian fairground amusements, has now raised more than £50,000 for local charities.

Mr Seeley said: “Everyone who comes here sees it as a nice traditional event and a fun weekend.

“It is not heavily commercialised and just concentrates on nostalgia and a slower pace of life.

“We are delighted with how the event went. We are not sure where the money is going yet but we always give it to local charities and groups or local branches of national charities.”

Other attractions included traction engines, vintage tractors, stationary engines and commercial and military vehicles.