Shropshire Star

Market Drayton Transport Festival: Appeal for volunteers

An appeal for volunteers to help park vehicles at a popular event has been launched.

Published

This year’s Market Drayton Transport Festival will take place on August 20.

The event, which is in its third year, will be held at Palethorpes Pork Farms and feature vintage lorries, cars and vans as well as bikes and trucks and more modern vehicles.

Organisers Nathan and Nicky Shore said they need help with marshalling for parking vehicles.

They have about 120 entries so far, with this expected to rise over the next few weeks.

The event will once again be raising funds for Ward 23 for haemotology and oncology at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Nicky said: "Plans are coming along well, we have about 120 entries so far with this expected to rise over the next few weeks.

"We would require help to distribute some leaflets and helping with marshalling for parking vehicles and then the procession on the day.

“We are expecting a variety of vehicles of interest once more from classic motorbikes and sports cars to restored tractors, vintage lorries and modern trucks.

“This show is open to any vehicle of interest, modern, classic or steam-powered.

“New for this year, we have steam engines coming along. In addition to vehicles, we have children’s fairground rides and we have some new catering suppliers attending, to bring a different flavour to the show.”

Last year’s event attracted over 200 vehicles and hundreds of visitors.

The event featured local caterers with a selection of different food, from Mexican food to hot dogs and ice cream.

There was also lots of entertainment for children including puppet shows.

Mr Shore said that the idea for a festival had come about from a 1953 truck his father owned.

He said he would take the truck to different shows and loved seeing all the other older vehicles.

The inaugural event in 2015 raised £5,000 for Ward 23 at the RSH to purchase pulse oximeters.

More than 600 people flocked to the first festival.

It also saw more than 100 vehicles pack onto the site as well a convoy of vehicles pass through Market Drayton.

If anyone would like to enter a vehicle for this year’s event, entry forms are available from the website www.mdfestival.com, or by emailing mdfestival@outlook.com