Ahead of this month's fair on Saturday, in Bob's words, here’s how it happened:
"It’s now around 15 years since I, together with my wife Margaret, started this event at the Belmont Hall.
"Many years ago; Margaret’s father passed away leaving behind a lot of china, glass and other bric-a-brac dating from the 1930s and 40s. We hadn’t a clue what to do with all this stuff, but a friend of ours who was an antique dealer had a look at it and said it was all saleable. She suggested that we take a table at a local antique fair.
"We did this for a few years, until we got fed up with the rat race and decided to sell up, take early retirement and tour the UK in our caravan for a few years. All our personal possessions went into storage including our unsold antique stock.
"Six years later; we decided it was time to put down roots again. We bought a house in Trench and, after a few years renovating the place, thought about all that stock we had left from our fairs down south.
"After a lot of searching; we discovered the Belmont Hall, got our old stock together and, together with most of my coin collection and other bits and pieces inherited from my parents, started the event that today is one of the most popular free events in the area.
"Our stallholders sell all kinds of things including coins and banknotes, books, badges, vintage jewellery, Victoriana, militaria, DVDs and every variety of bric-a-brac imaginable!"
The Wellington Collectors' Fair returns on Saturday, 8 March. For more information or to enquire about booking a table, please give Bob a call on 01952 371626.