Around 20 vintage steam engines took to the highways of west Suffolk and north Essex this weekend for a special anniversary road trip.

Yesterday morning, participants set off on the 14 mile round trip from Webb’s yard in Acton, before making their way through Sudbury and out to Hill Farm Museum at Gestingthorpe, near Halstead.

The convoy of steam powered vintage vehicles from all over Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and beyond then wended its way back to Long Melford. Today, they are visiting Hawker Restorations in Milden on the outskirts of Sudbury, where vintage aircraft are restored.

The road run was organised to mark the 60th anniversary of the East Anglian Traction Engine Society which was founded in 1955 to promote the preservation and running of all types of steam traction engines.

In addition to the celebration, the event is raising funds in memory of seven-year-old Bures schoolgirl Daisy Brooks, who died last year after battling a rare and aggressive brain tumour. Her family and friends have continued to raise money for research into the condition, which is called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG.

Several of steam enthusiasts are expected to meet up again later this month when they take part in the annual Threshing Day at Bardwell near Bury St Edmunds on August 22.