The mystery of the 1000 eggs on a bicycle was solved at the monthly meeting of Abergavenny and District Steam Society when guest speaker Colin Boocock challenged the 30 members and friends present to keep their eyes open.

The audience at the Hen and Chickens Hotel enjoyed Colin's talk about Railway Children, a charity dear to his heart.

He gave a brief synopsis of the charity then made sure his listeners did not nod off by asking them to shout out if the numbers of any of the locomotives that appeared in the presentation ended with 000.

The keen observers were rewarded with chocolate eggs, with secretary Ken Mumford winning two.

Colin, a keen photographer, showed at least one shot for every year of his life behind the camera.

But why was the talk entitled 1000 Eggs on a Bicycle? It came from a picture Colin had taken in Marrakech, Morocco, when he estimated that he saw about 1,200 eggs stacked up in boxes on the back of the bike!

The Railway Children charity supports children living alone and at risk on the streets, something that Colin had witnessed on one of his overseas trips. The charity helps youngsters all over the world, many of whom live in and around railway stations.

Last year, more than 24,000 street children were helped by the charity. The focus of its work is to stop the abuse they suffer and Railway Children now works with 40 partner organisations, with 117 projects across Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. There are also 100,000 runaway children in Britain.

At the society's annual meeting at the Hen and Chickens Hotel on May 13, guest speaker Barry Foster will show transport films. It starts at 8pm.