A GROUP of mayors descended on Bury's East Lancashire Railway for a special visit.

The eight civic leaders, including the Lord Mayor of Manchester and Bury Mayor Cllr Mike Connolly, joined together for a visit to the Bolton Road station.

The group was made up of mayors, mayoresses, deputies and consorts from Wigan, Oldham, Stockport, Cheshire East, Manchester and Bury.

They were there as part of the annual visit of the Greater Manchester Transport Heritage group.

Mike Kelly, ELR chairman, said it had been a great honour to welcome the distinguished visitors.

He said: "The East Lancashire Railway is tremendously honoured that our esteemed guests decided to pay us a visit and we see it as a very fitting way to mark another annual gathering of our friends from the Greater Manchester Transport Heritage Group.

"It is these connections that allow us to do what we do and to succeed, and we look forward to even more triumphs before our next meet-up in 2018."

The day commenced at the Museum of Transport in Boyle Street, Cheetham, before heading to Bury, via Heaton Park Tramway, on a vintage bus.