Hundreds at Welshpool's Bulldog International Rally

Hundreds of rally fans converged on Welshpool at the weekend to take part in the annual Bulldog International Rally. Motorsport fans from across the country flocked into the town to support the event on Saturday.

Both rally competitors and their support crews turned up at Welshpool's livestock market site at Buttington Cross, which was the base for the event.

Welshpool Town Council also hosted a pre-celebration event on Friday giving people a chance to meet the drivers in the town's Church Street car park.

Robert Robinson, town clerk, said the council had wanted to celebrate the arrival of the rally a day beforehand.

He said: "An informal evening of entertainment took place in Welshpool to celebrate the arrival of the rally in the town."

He said hundreds of people had flocked into the car park to see the cars and meet the drivers. "It was a very successful evening and hundreds of rally enthusiasts went along and saw the cars at close quarters and talked to the top drivers and crews," he added.

Councillor Alan Crowe, from Welshpool, said the event had helped to put the town on the map.

"The pre-celebration event went really well, better than we expected it to go," he said,

"It brought a lot of tourists into the town and I know for a fact that a lot of bed and breakfasts and hotels in the area were fully booked up because of it," he continued.

"It certainly helped the town's trade and I hope it returns to Welshpool again next year because it brings a welcome boost to the town," he added.