TWELVE months of dedication, hard knocks and fun by volunteers were celebrated at the anniversary of Nottingham Industrial Museum's reopening.
A unique collection of working steam and diesel engines were on show at a special free steaming day to mark the milestone on Saturday.
And hidden treasures from Nottingham's mechanical history were once again revealed at the Wollaton Hall venue – including the full collection of restored Raleigh bikes and lace machinery.
Staffed entirely by volunteers, the museum is split into five sections – steam, transport, mining, textile and communication – to give an overview of the city's past.
Rebecca Wilson, 23, of Sherwood, has been volunteering for over a year.
"I think we're different to other historical attractions because although you can see a lot of history, the great thing here is that everything works or is on its way to working."
The council stopped running the Nottingham Industrial Museum at Wollaton Hall in September 2009.
It was run by volunteers at the Arkwright Society for a while, with the building only opening on the last Sunday of every month, but is now open every weekend.
"I was interested in volunteering anyway but this was a great opportunity to get some higher level experience," said volunteer Michelle Towler, 30, of Beeston. "The museum is such an important attraction, it's nice to get it reopened so people can come and have a look and get to know their history. We've had people playing the vintage games as well as looking round the steam engines which are always a big hit."
Roger Gagg, 73, of Ilkeston, took grandsons Troy, seven, and Charlie, six, both of Chilwell, to the museum.
He said: "The kids always really enjoy it because the steam engines are just so huge and fascinating to the kids."
Troy added: "We've really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the motorbikes the best.
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