Thousands enjoy Melton's weekend celebration of the 1940s

The strains of swing and jazz music, people dressed in wartime fashions and uniforms and re-enactments and displays created a real nostalgic atmosphere.

Activities took place in the town centre, the parks and in St Mary’s Church for 40s Weekend in Melton Mowbray, which is now firmly established as one of the town’s most popular free public events.

People of all ages were dressed up in vintage clothes - many of them attend similar events around the country.

Young couple Simon Flavell and Emma Rose Gough love the fashions.

Emma said: “I like the vintage scene and dancing to music from the forties.

“This is a lovely event - it’s well attended and organised and there are lots of different things to attract people to.”

Pensioners Ron and Christine Spinks were drinking coffee, resplendent in wartime RAF and WAAF uniforms.

Ron said: “I enjoy the atmosphere of these events and the way everyone gets involved.

“The 1940s are a special time for me. I was born in 1942 in Coventry and when I left it was still a bomb site from the war damage.”

Tony Weston and wife had travelled with friends from Berkshire for the event.

Tony was wearing an authentic army uniform from the Second World War, armed with an Enfield revolver.

He said: “We’ve been coming to these events for 18 years.

“We love meeting up with friends and doing some time travelling at the same time.

“My father was in the Royal Artillery in the war so this uniform is a tribute to him.”

Visitors were treated to speeches at the bandstand by some of our great wartime leaders.

Alan Oliver was impersonating Field Marshall Montgomery and he was really enjoying the day.

“This event has been brilliant, it’s really something special,” he said.

“I thought the displays in the church on Saturday were very good as well.”

Professional stage and radio actor, Steve McTigue, attended as Winston Churchill.

He said: “I’ve been doing this for 14 years and it always gets a good response.

“I attend about 30 1940s events a year and cover 10,000 miles travelling around the country.”

There were plenty of vintage cars on display and military vehicles from the era.

Howard and Diana Dykes towed their 1944 army Jeep to the event from their home in the north-west.

The vehicle has been restored and rebuilt after being abandoned in France after the war.

Howard said: “I’ve re-badged it as a British army Jeep.

“We’ve actually driven it all the way to Normandy from Preston, which took two days. There is always a lot of interest in it wherever we go.”

There was lots of interest in the living history displays.

Eve Miller and and Jon Davison attended with Bomber, an eight-year-old shire horse.

They attend lots of 40s show highlighting the wartime work of the Land Army and Home Guard.

Eve said: “Bomber is quite a celebrity and he even has his own Facebook page.

“He weighs 800kg, which is about twice the weight of a normal horse, and he eats about 50 per cent of his bodyweight.”