The first weekend in June is going to be another busy time for us.

June 1 to 7 is Volunteers’ Week, a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK.

So we are joining in with a New Volunteers Day on Saturday which is a chance to find out all about volunteering at Didcot Railway Centre.

The day is a chance to see what volunteering is all about and anyone interested can come along.

We ask our volunteers to join the Great Western Society and anyone joining on Saturday will have their admission fee refunded.

We will be running our Steam Rail Motor and the ‘Teddy Bear’ diesel so it is a chance to speak to the crews to find out what it is like to drive a train.

But Didcot Railway Centre is much more than trains and we are always looking for volunteers to help with the shop, marketing, publicity, education, gardening, painting, restoration of engines, civil engineering, conservation, photography and much much much more.

Anyone signing up can also help at one of our most successful events – Sunday’s Transport Rally, which we run in conjunction with the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust.

Sadly last year the Didcot Parkway Station works meant that we could not hold the rally but it’s back with a vengeance this year at a new location – Ladygrove Park.

The event will be integral with Didcot Railway Centre where our usual railway-related operations and exhibits will be available, plus some additional activities.

There will be a wide variety of vintage cars and some unusual commercial vehicles, which this year include a USA built Freightliner FLD 120 Tractor unit and steam traction engines.

We will have a variety of stalls including tools, models and food outlets, as well as a miniature railway offering free rides with a variety of locomotives. The bus destinations this year include Wallingford, Abingdon, Wantage and local villages in and around Didcot.

The admission price for the Rally includes access to Didcot Railway Centre where steam and diesel trains will be offering unlimited rides.

Visitors can ride free Vintage buses from outside Didcot Parkway station or walk through the Cow Lane bridge underpass.

Transport Rally tickets are on sale in advance or on the day from our kiosk outside Didcot Parkway Station or at the Railway Centre.