New Douglas Park sign in Mildenhall tells story of 1934 MacRobertson Centenary Air Race

A new sign about a historic event has been added to Douglas Park in Mildenhall.

The sign displays information about the 1934 MacRobertson Centenary Air Race, which began at RAF Mildenhall and finished in Melbourne, Australia.

Spanning about 11,300 miles, the event was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne and the prize money of £15,000 for the winner was provided by Sir Macpherson Robertson.

West Suffolk Cllr Richard Alecock came up with the idea for the sign and with the help of Cllrs Andy Neal and Ian Shipp, they reached out to Impress Express to help create it.

Cllr Neal said: “It was a brilliant idea from Richard and we ran with it. I’m absolutely delighted with it and it gives a bit of a lift to the town.

“It's a wonderful story to tell, and not many people who live in Mildenhall actually know about the race.

“I hope it ignites a bit of curiosity in people and they can go down to the Mildenhall Museum to find out more about it.

"We are always looking to find new ways to improve the community and embracing the town's history is so important."

The streets surrounding Douglas Park are named after connections with the race such as Comet Way, Douglas Park and Boeing Way being named after the aircraft that finished first, second and third in the race respectively.