Thousands Enjoy a day of Happiness.

Sunday 24th March dawned in Steyning - a beautiful sunny day, laced with excitement. Steyning was a buzz with anticipation as vast crowds gathered.

From 10.30 the vibrant French Market offered plenty of treats with stalls laden with cheeses, charcuterie, french bread and patisserie together with non foodie offerings which included Provençal soaps, dried lavender, clothing and handbags. To add to the atmosphere a delicious variety of filled crepes were cooked before your eyes, plus many other delicious take-away regional dishes.

The stars of the day were set to arrive at around 14:00, so when the High Street closed at 13:30, ready for its 'metal invasion', the build-up was immense. Crowds of thousands lined the street with volunteer marshals looking after their safety, as the distant roar of engines was heard. The roar came closer, and then the Street was shaken and stirred by over 40 arriving machines – Super cars, American muscle cars and the iconic and beloved, VW camper vans.

The cavalcade parked up and down the middle of the road to allow as much space as possible for the waiting enthusiasts to take a closer look. The Tour arrived with its own travelling band the Downland Troubadours aboard a 1925 REO Speed wagon, which added even more panache to the proceedings. After 45 minutes, it was time to say goodbye, as the cars needed to move on to their next port of call, Henfield. The leaving was just as exciting as the arriving – the noise of the engines, just as electrifying. However, one of the Super cars failed to start up immediately, necessitating an encouraging, friendly 'push' to send it on its way – great fun, and probably better than everything going exactly to plan!
 
It was a fantastic day – Steyning has a beautiful town centre and to see it full of people having such fun was superb. As with all events that involve such a lot of work behind the scenes, there are a many unsung heroes.

Thanks must be given to HDC and their team for initiating the process and accompanying the Tour around the district on the day; plus, of course, the exacting and difficult task of parking up all the vehicles on reaching each destination. Thanks must also go to all the wonderful volunteers from the Steyning & District Community Partnership who took on the task of organising the event’s participation for Steyning - plus all the other Horsham Rural Town Community Partnership volunteers across the district, whose towns were also involved in bringing this Showcase Tour to such a successful conclusion.