Haddenham Steam Rally organisers aiming to paint smiles on faces

The 49th event takes place this weekend

Richard Freeman and Andrew Caldow
Author: Dan MasonPublished 7th Sep 2024

Organisers of a steam and country fair in Cambridgeshire are hoping they can paint the smiles on younger and older train enthusiasts.

The 49th Haddenham Steam Rally takes place in the village this weekend, with steam engines and vintage tractors some of the displays available.

Around 800 exhibits are expected to be on show, including vintage cars and lorries, before a Heavy Horse Show takes place on Sunday.

Richard Freeman is one of the Rally organisers:

"All the money we try and raise is for local charities, so it's great to put something back into the community each year and see everyone's happy faces," he said.

"It's great to see the faces of the older generations who used to see these older machines work and haven't seen them for years.

"It's also about putting (something) back into the local community, like when we need a first responder, we've put money towards their equipment, so it's great to have that service on our doorstep."

Andrew Caldow, originally from north London, has been coming to Haddenham Steam Rally since the 1980s and is one of the hundreds of exhibitors due to turn out.

"The he crack is absolutely brilliant; you're with like-minded friends and it gives a lot of enjoyment to a lot of people," he said.

"We like restoration, anything rusty nuts and bolts and make something new again, I just enjoy it."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.