KEEN model railway enthusiasts from far and wide will gather in the North Cotswolds later this month for a charity event that has raised more than £3,000 over the years.

Eight layouts of different gauges, depicting railways from the UK and around the world, will be on display during Stow Rail 2015 at St Edward’s Hall, Stow-on-the- Wold, from 10.30am-4.30pm on Sunday, May 17.

There will be a German layout in narrow and standard gauges, a model of a night scene at the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen, an American narrow gauge logging site layout, an N-gauge model of Santa Barbara station in California and many others.

There will also be a layout based on what it might be like if the railways came to the Shire in Lord of the Rings, as well as a highly detailed street scene from St Pierre in Northern France.

More than 250 adults and countless children attended last year’s event.

It attracted a record number of visitors and raised a record £762 for Action Medical Research for Children, For Life through admission fees and sponsorship.

Over the years the exhibition has raised £3,010.62 in aid of the charity.

First staged in 2010, the exhibition is organised by architect and railway modeller Andrew Eastabrook.

As well as people from the Cotswolds and further afield, the event regularly attracts Japanese and other tourists who call in while visiting Stow.

“The layouts are extremely detailed and interesting,”Mr Eastabrook said, “There should be some - thing to interest visitors of all ages.”

The cost of admission is £2.50 for adults, children under 16 free. The event will also feature refreshments, trade stands and people giving demonstrations.