THE PEOPLE of Flookburgh were excited for their yearly steam gathering in 1988.

The yearly event saw a collection of old motorcars, mighty machinery and the finest engines gathering in Cark airfield.

That year, The Mail reported the news of the annual weekend event.

The steam show was proud to announce its new recruits, the six-month-old at the time, Old Barrow branch of the Morris Minors Association. They sent a membership form to a Briton living in Sarawalk - after the man's friend noticed the association displaying its vintage cars.

Shelagh Lawson, the local secretary, said: "His friend was after some Morris Minor parts for him and saw us - so I gave him a membership form to send to him in Sarawalk."

The show was one of many displays that attracted thousands of people to Cark airfield on its third year.

Steam engines, steam rollers, steam wagons, farm tractors, fire engines and military equipment were all on display.

Owners and groups brought machinery from all over the country.

Collectors and owners brought their families, friends, and colleagues to display their mighty machines to the intrigued public.

The tradition was known to attract hundreds of families to Barrow every year.

In 1990, The Mail reported on the event once again.

The smell of oil and smoke, roaring well-tuned engines, and a bang or two was more than enough to quicken the pulse of the visiting public that year.

As awards were present for the finest machinery, contestants often travelled for miles to reach the event.

One contestant took an eleven-and-a-half-hour journey to cover 37 miles to get his motor car there on its own steam.

Some of the engines on display that year had been rescued from scrap heaps and barns after years of neglect. Seeing them restored to their former glory brought a tear to the eye of collectors. Sponsors Exchange and Mart magazine had arranged a reminder of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a fly over by the RAF’s own spitfires.