A north-east motoring museum is on track for its most successful season in more than two decades.
The Grampian Transport Museum (GTM) in Alford will close for the year on Sunday, with staff at the centre hoping visitor numbers can top 30,000 in its final week.
The last time this was achieved was in 1992, when 32,000 people passed through its doors.
Earlier this year the museum’s new £320,000 revamped visitor centre opened to the public.
Soon after its staff and volunteers were stunned after top UK motorcyclist and TV personality, Guy Martin, asked them to display a number of his most treasured vehicles.
Last night curator, Mike Ward, said these factors – along with a number of popular events – had resulted in their most successful year in “more than a decade”.
He added: “We opened our new reception building of which we are very proud. We have had the support of Guy Martin which is fantastic, that is a real coup for the north-east of Scotland.
“Guy continues to support the museum. We hope it is a relationship we can continue as he does more and more remarkable things. These two differences have produced large visitor numbers.”
“It has been a great year, we have had a great time. Our flagship Speedfest event was brilliant.
“This year we think we are on for 30,000 for the first time since 1992. We have just got this week left to get through and we are on about 28,600 just now.
“It has been our busiest year for a good while, for well over a decade.”
This Friday, a Halloween Special will be held at the museum featuring face painting, balloon modelling and the “critter keeper” with his exotic animals. A display of engineering miniatures is also on show inside the building, mostly made of model steam engines.
