A bygone age of elegant travel returned to Windsor and Eton Riverside Station on Tuesday as four mayors set off for London by steam train.

Leading the way was the Royal Borough's mayor Cllr Sayonara Luxton - and she was in good mayoral company.

The mayor of Runnymede Cllr Parshotam Sohi, South Bucks mayor Cllr David Peplar and Hillingdon's 'first citizen' David Yarrow joined her, along with more than 100 other travellers who had all paid £95.

The train was laid on by the Steam Dream Rail Company's owner David Buck and all the money raised went towards Cllr Luxton's chosen charity for her year as mayor - Windsor's Thames Hospice in Hatch Lane. The hospice is currently waiting for new larger premises to be built and a £3million fund raising campaign to help pay for it has just been launched.

Tuesday's train ride raised £5,000.

 

 

The steam train has become a big attraction in Windsor this summer, giving passengers a chance to travel from London the old-fashioned way.

Cllr Luxton thanked Mr Buck for lending his precious engine for her fund raising efforts.

She said: "Originally we had one carriage and tickets sold out in three hours. In the end Mr Buck let us have three and places sold in three days so we were able to make £5,000 for the hospice fund.

"All the guests enjoyed a three course meal with Champagne and we came back from London by a different route so everybody was able to enjoy different scenery."

Cllr Luxton is holding a tea party at the Guildhall on October 17 for her next fund raiser.