VILLAGERS decided to be bold when they faced a big bill to rebuild their village hall.

The hall at Appleton with Eaton was condemned in 1974 and the cost of major improvements to bring it up to standard was £27,000, a huge amount for a small village.

Someone suggested organising a steam rally. Everyone rallied round and within six weeks, it had been organised.

The one-day event raised £1,600 and was so successful that villagers decided to hold a bigger two-day event the following year, with the aim of raising £9,000.

An organising committee was set up, the weekend of June 14 and 15 was chosen, and work began in earnest to fill a 37-acre field between Appleton and Eaton with traction engines, stalls, displays and other attractions, including parachutists and majorettes.

The rally was blessed with good weather – the sun shone on both days – and 32,000 people poured through the gates, paying 50p a time.

Many villagers responded to an appeal to help the organisers over the two days with various tasks, including catering.

The event attracted so many visitors that on the Sunday, nearby roads were clogged with traffic. Two extra car parks had to be hastily opened to clear the jams.

There was another scare when 10-year-old Nigel Cook became separated from his parents in the crowds and disappeared. Aerial pictures showed him being abducted by a man in a van. The boy was later found in woods near Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

As a result of that incident, villagers decided not to organise any more steam rallies, despite pressure from exhibitors.

But they could still celebrate – the 1975 event raised nearly £11,000, well above the target figure. All the hard work paid off when the new-look hall opened.