How to start a report that tries to top the achievement of the 2007 show when a magnificent £14,000 was raised for local charities? The show was again blessed with fine weather all weekend and the car-parks filled up pretty much the same, but it was a little cooler which may affect the attendance a bit, but if anything the field was crammed with more exhibits and trade stands.

Several of the Seeley’s veteran tractors were undergoing restoration and leaps and bounds had been made since last year on the Saunderson, Fowler Motor Plough, IHC Titan & Mogul. Other veterans this year included an early Renault and a trio of Austins, including a large 50hp diesel version, not a model I’d seen before. The balance of tractors had the usual representative mix of most of the popular makes including Ferguson, Fordson, John Deere, David Brown, Nuffield, Case, Allis Chalmers & International.

Both Walsh & Clark ploughing engines were making valiant attempts at running this year although one was still not quite right. The steam engines across the roadway had a good mix of makes including Ruston Hornsby, Burrell, Allen of Oxford, Aveling & Porter, Fowler, Robey & Wallis, all joined by a Stanley steam car on Sunday. Showman’s, steamrollers, traction and lorry types were all on show.

The car section gave us some beautiful prestige makes with examples of Pierce Arrow and Auburn, together with several different styles of 1930s Rolls Royce, including an astonishingly curvy Sedanca de Ville. The Renault post office van made a return but my favourite of the weekend was the 1964 (but looking a decade older) Volvo, which was I suppose the forerunner of the 200-series. However, there was a selection of more down-to-earth vehicles including two contrasting Volkswagen Beetles. One car, a 1930 Ford A Tudor, had travelled from Carrington last week to Woolpit this weekend.

The commercial vehicle section appeared largely unchanged from last year with the possible addition of a 1965 Foden but the attendant living vans had swelled from two to four, two of which were Sipsons which I particularly like. There were a good number of military and air-force vehicles on show including several different Bedford RL mobile control centres. GMC, Dodge & Studebaker general-purpose trucks and Willys, Ford & Hotchkiss jeeps illustrated the American manufacturers who turned out military vehicles in the 1940s to help the war effort.

There was a little bit of turnover on the stationary engines lines this year with a few first-time exhibitors, in the main with Wolseley engines in various colours. Larger engines included the Tangye, Olds and Ruston Hornsby. In between were some less well-known makes such as Wiscona, Ottawa, Arcadia & New Holland. Cup winners for 2008 were Shane Marrows & Sheila Smith with Cliff Smith winning the Dennis Pittock Shield for Best Enclosed Crank engine, which was my honour last year.

Dennis unfortunately passed away in April this year but his family rallied their collection of steam models in his memory. Other collections included the Fenland ice-skating history, blacksmith’s & wheelwright’s tools, 2-gallon petrol cans, paraffin bygones, machinery spanners and a vast collection of metal nameplates. One or two absentees in this section this year allowed a few extra trade stands to come along, much to the delight of my wife who invested in a few more plants for the garden from her favourite Lincolnshire supplier.

Thanks also to all those exhibitors and friends who’ve enquired as to Carol’s health recently, as they’ve not been used to seeing her on a mobility scooter before. Hopefully, it will not be permanent, but if we do still have it next year, maybe an opening in each end of each stationary engine compound would ease access for those odd one or two people who do rely on them for mobility.