TruckFest staged in Peterborough for the last time

TruckFest first came to the Peterborough Showground in 1983, but next year it moves to Lincolnshire

A woman whose family have been attending the "Glastonbury for trucks" for 30 years said it was "a shame" it was leaving its Peterborough base.

The East of England Showground has hosted TruckFest for 40 years, but the site's redevelopment means it will relocate to Lincolnshire next year.

Denise Vaughan and her family run SlingShot Monster Truck, which jumps over cars in the showground's arena.

She said: "It's a lovely showground and they've always been very welcoming."

Denise Vaughan (third on the left) said it is a shame TruckFest is leaving Peterborough

TruckFest has been described as the "Glastonbury for trucks" by its event director and founder, Bob Limming, but instead of musicians, lorries and their drivers are the stars.

Mrs Vaughan, 53, said her family first began attending about 30 years ago, showing "street legal trucks".

"But after a visit to the United States, my brother [Karl Swallow] came back and he says to my husband, 'Do you think we could build a proper one?' and that's how we built the first SlingShot monster truck," she said.

After Mr Swallow died in 2012, his nephew (Denise's son) Alan Vaughan, 29, took over driving Chevy Silverado, which is 12ft (3.6m) high and 18ft (5.4m) long.

Mrs Vaughan, who is in charge of SlingShot's health and safety, said: "I have an RII - a remote ignition interrupter - so if I see anything wrong with Alan, the truck or the crowd I can press a button which actually stops the engine.

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Mr Limming said: "We've loved being in Peterborough with the event, but things do change.

"We've got a new site for next year, which is the massive Lincolnshire Showground and we've got more room there."

The last Peterborough TruckFest runs from Saturday until Monday. The organisers stage eight TruckFests around the UK.

Lorries and their drivers are the stars of the "Glastonbury for trucks", which is moving to the Lincolnshire Showground, at North Carlton to the north of Lincoln