IT was an event built to remember as visitors were immersed in the world of Lego in Swindon this weekend.

The Steam museum received record numbers of visitors as it hosted the Great Western Lego Show.

The exhibition, which is the largest display of Lego models built by fans in the UK, included displays such as the Hogwarts Express and the latest Harry Potter characters, and people got a Lego exclusive with the first look at the new Diagon Alley set.

The Brickish Association had the chance to show off hundreds of models which they had worked on, most of which have been built exclusively for the show. These included a model of the warship The USS Entrepid, built by Ed Diment, which took nine months and one quarter of a million pieces to build.

People also got the chance to play Xbox games and get involved with building a 100,000 piece mosaic on the floor of the hall.

Ian Surtees, commercial manager at Steam, said: “It is brilliant to see so many children and families coming into the museum. There is such a buzz about this event now.

“It’s one of the biggest in our calendar and theirs. It is vital for the museum itself, the museum attracts a great number of visitors through the year anyway but it’s events like this one that really get the numbers in. They’re getting to see the heritage of Swindon at the same time. It started as one model railway and has got bigger every year and there are now plans to one day fill the entire museum.”

The Brickish Association is a UK-based community of adult Lego fans and this is the eighth year they have held this exhibition.

Warren Elsmore, chairman of Brickish, said: “This is our biggest event of the year. Most of the models we have here have been built over the year, a lot of work and dedication has gone into them.

“It’s lovely to see the kids, and the adults, when they come here and see the excitement it makes all the hard work worthwhile. To think this all grew out of a small train display.

“Lego have been very supportive of us and we have now had exclusive sets here for the last three years which is fantastic.”

Warren admitted that while they love to see the children enjoying the exhibits, it is the child within themselves that really drives them.

“We have a lot of fun playing with Lego and there’s a part of us which has never really grown up. It’s certainly busier than last year, it’s becoming more and more popular, Lego is not just popular with the kids but also the adults who have grown up with it over the years,” he said.

The show started with one model railway set, and now hosts nearly one hundred individual displays and 6,000 people were expected to visit the exhibition over the course of the weekend.

Coun Garry Perkins, deputy leader of Swindon Council, said: “This show is now firmly in the calendar for Lego enthusiasts and families who have a fascination for these well-loved bricks.

For more information about the Brickish Association visit their website at www.brickish.org