RAILWAY stamp collectors flocked to Clitheroe to take part in an annual convention.

About 50 Philatelic Society members made the journey to Clitheroe Parish Church Hall, from as far as Bath and Grangemouth in Scotland, and ten people entered their stamp collections into a competition.

There were three cups up for grabs, for the best collection of thematic stamps, travelling post office and railway history stamps. Jeff Smith, Secretary of the Burnley Philatelic Society presented the cups.

Dr Tony Goodbody, of Waddington Road, Clitheroe, is a member of the Railway Philatelic Society.

He explained: "Mail trains still use special post marks, which are labels issued by railway companies to sort mail whilst in transit, under the direction of the local postmaster. The stamps we are interested in are the actual post marks, as opposed to the adhesive stamps."

The group has 450 members around the country, and 50 members abroad. It was set up in 1966, and runs an auction twice a year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.