Take a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine at East Lancashire Railway

Since the television series was first broadcast in 1984, there can barely be a a childhood that hasn’t been touched by the stories of Thomas the Tank Engine. A pretty simple premise, the stories told are usually of mild peril, and are invariably remembered being told by Ringo Starr, regardless of which iteration of the series was watched. East Lancashire Railway bring the series to life over the course of a weekend this August, inviting you to take a ride on Thomas, as well as getting a chance to meet the Fat Controller and have your face painted (probably worth giving a miss if you’re a revivalist twenty something trying to relive your youth), as well as balloon modelling, free temporary Thomas tattoos and other stuff. If you’ve got a young one who has fallen in love with the inexplicably popular series – or you’re just after a facebook profile picture that will get an absolute tonne of likes – this should be unmissable.

Sat 3 Aug – Sun 4 Aug, Heywood Station, Railway Street, Heywood, OL10 1PW, £16 Adult, £8 Child, £40 Family (2 Adult, 3 Children), Free for Under 3s, https://www.quaytickets.com/