Glamorous outfits and a huge range of hats transformed Newcastle Racecourse into a sea of colour on Saturday as Ladies Day made its return in trademark style.
The eagerly-awaited return of the sporting and social highlight of the year saw the crowds in buoyant mood at Gosforth Park as queues built up before doors opened at 11am. Sunshine and cloud - then showers later in the day - were the forecasters' predictions but it seemed nobody much cared what the weather might have in store.
For many Ladies Day is an excuse to dress up, get out and about with friends again and make the most of what is - like June's Plate Day - one of Newcastle Racecourse 's biggest events of the year. On the same day as Pride was taking place in the city centre, the atmosphere here was building quickly as crowds mingled outdoors and in the bars ahead of the 1pm start of the day's eight races.
Read more: Winner of Ladies Day Style Awards has double reason to celebrate
A group of friends from Gateshead were among the racegoers who said "it's just nice to have a reason to dress up!" Among them was Debbie Belle who was delighted to have chance to dig out a dress she'd bought pre-Covid. "I've never worn it," she said while friend Barbara Gates said: "I''ve had mine 15 years!" She added of Ladies Day: "It's .all about the atmosphere for me."
Among the later arrivals was a group of friends from Consett, out to celebrate Brooke Hill's 20th birthday and sharing a first drink. Brooke said she had been planning her outfit since March - "I had to get it from eBay I wanted it so bad!" she said. They were with a Ladies Day first-timer, Danielle Roscoe, who had travelled up from Cumbria to join them for the day.
With a new sponsorship deal in place this year with the Gainford Group, operators of many of the city's bar-restaurants, there were extra pop-up bars and dining pods across the grounds while old favourites like the on-site pub were doing a brisk trade from the start. For many, being out and about at a major event still felt like something of a novelty after the two long years of Covid despite the recent rise in cases.
Following a smaller scale Ladies Day last year, this summer's event "feels back to normal," said a big group of friends from High Farm in Wallsend who were checking out the pop-up bars while others who had booked one of the new dining pods with friends from Cheshire added of it: "It's very impressive." They agreed: "It's nice to get dressed up again!"
And for the most part the weather didn't disappoint too much. It was cloudy and could have been warmer but
Among the eight races of the afternoon was a Silk Series race exclusively contested by female jockeys and in between a highlight of the day was Style Awards which turned the attention again to the parade ring.
Open to both men and women to enter, the best-dressed competition resulted in a shortlist of 10 - including people who had been spotted in striking outfits around the grounds and encouraged to enter by model scouts. And there were lavish prizes in store, with a delighted Lindsey Bamborough, from Woolsington, winning top spot - making it double celebration on the day she was celebrating her 12th wedding anniversary with husband Chris.
The last race was at 5pm - when there was still no rain in site - and, following the racing action, it was the turn of some more entertainment, courtesy of local podcast favourite Rosie Ramsey. The wife of South Shields comedian Chris Ramsey, she ended the day on a high with a Massoke - a communal karaoke - before those who still had energy left headed into the city centre to wrap up the night at restaurants and bars, including an offical after-party at Aveika on Newcastle Quayside.
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