A bumper turnout in Chippenham for classic cars (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

A bumper turnout in Chippenham for classic cars

2:00pm Sunday 3rd June 2012 in Chippenham By Alex Winter

The Chippenham Lions held their first Cherished Vehicle and Family Fun Day near Allington Farm at weekend – and it was heralded as a great success by all.

With more than 100 classic cars on display, including a Lambretta LI150 Series I, a Triumph Spitfire, a Bentley Turbo R and an Aston Martin DB7, the fields filled with families and enthusiasts having fun on a sunny day.

There was something for everyone, with stalls, fairground rides and refreshments from Allington Farm Foods on offer.

Lion Martin Horton said: “The cars themselves were meticulously turned out by their proud owners and the perfect weather conditions allowed them to be seen at their best.

“Among the individual entrants, there were many owner’s clubs represented by marques as diverse as Jaguars and Volkswagen. And, of course, for many visitors, there was the nostalgia of seeing cars they had once owned all those years ago and reliving the memories and the problems of ownership.”

Chippenham mayor Andy Phillips and Lions president Malcolm Burlow jointly opened the event.

Mr Horton said: “The long-awaited sunshine brought out just over 100 cherished vehicles and these, and a number of fairground attractions, were in place by about 11am when the doors opened to the general public.”

Chair of the organising committee, Byron Hughes, said the Lions couldn’t have wished for a better day.

“It really was an excellent day and we were delighted with it,” he said.

“We were very pleased with the turnout and the hope is we are going to make it an annual event as it went so well this time.

“It was a really wonderful occasion. The weather was superb too – it was fantastic.”

All of the money raised will go towards local charities supported by the Chippenham Lions.