WHEREVER she has ventured she has attracted crowds of enthusiasts who have not got over their love affair with steam.And next week, the Mincarlo Trust, guardians of the Lydia Eva - the world's last remaining steam herring drifter - will have everything crossed that she can finally make a welcome return home to Yarmouth where her fans have not forgotten her.

WHEREVER she has ventured she has attracted crowds of enthusiasts who have not got over their love affair with steam.

And next week, the Mincarlo Trust, guardians of the Lydia Eva - the world's last remaining steam herring drifter - will have everything crossed that she can finally make a welcome return home to Yarmouth where her fans have not forgotten her.

First though, she will bid farewell to the Lowestoft-based workforce whose expertise has brought her from the brink of ruin at a celebration party on Monday.

Organised as a thank-you to the loyal employees at Small and Co and the many other firms who have helped her, the low-key event marks a milestone in her long restoration paid for mainly by the Heritage Lottery Fund and well-wishers.

And the following day, if all preparations go to plan, including the availability of a tug boat, the tides and the weather, she will be towed to Yarmouth harbour for the final phase of a refit to turn her into a floating museum.