A VINTAGE car enthusiast helped spread the Christmas cheer in Cirencester as he drove around in a glittering Beetle called ‘Matilda’.

Factory worker Andy Gough, 35, from Stratton, spent nearly five hours decorating his beloved Matilda with 180 metres of tinsel and nine elves in order to put smiles on people’s faces over the Christmas period.

Andy explained: “I am a really big fan of Christmas and love all the decoration side of things but sadly, I have not got a garden.

“So I thought about it and thought, ‘why not decorate a car?’

“This year, I drove around town with Matilda, making people smile. I’ve had people waving at me. I’ve had people taking pictures, smiling and people giving me a thumbs up.

“I would of loved to have used Matilda to do some collecting for charities over Christmas but I wasn't sure how to go about it.

“So I went and got involved in the Vale Road Christmas Lights Switch On by putting Matilda on display on the green.”

Andy’s wife bought the 1974 Volkswagen 1303 Super Beetle as a restoration project nearly three years ago. It had been a “non-running wreck”, Andy said, and had not been on the road for more than seven years.

He has spent the last year slowly restoring Matilda to road worthy condition, though there is still a bit of work left to do.

Andy explained his love for the vintage cars: “I’ve always had a soft spot for Volkswagen Beetles.

“My first Beetle was a 1975, I then bought a 1972 Beetle a year after that, but I had to let them go because of circumstances beyond my control.”