There was the sound of thunder in Hastings on Sunday morning – but for once it had nothing to do with the weather writes Rob Griffin.

The rumbling was due to more than 100 supercars snaking their way into town to celebrate the life of a very special little boy.

Car-mad Hughie Pringle was just three-years-old when he died of a brain condition almost three years ago. His passing stunned our close-knit town. However, his heartbroken parents, Richard and Jen, have since turned their unimaginable nightmare into a way of raising money for local charities.

As the fun loving youngster always clutched a toy supercar wherever he went, they hit upon the idea of staging a motoring event in his memory.

Hughie’s Supercar Sunday is now a hugely popular annual fixture that attracts thousands of people – most of whom attend wearing his favourite colour of red.

The first one took place a year after he died. It saw 50 amazing cars parked outside the Pringle home and raised £2,500 for the Conquest Hospital’s MRI scanner appeal.

In 2018, the event moved to the Stade Open Space on the seafront and attracted double the number of cars – as well as making an incredible £5,136 for the Demelza Hospice.

This year, visitors were treated to an absolutely stunning line-up of dream machines gathering to raise funds for the Chestnut Tree House hospice for children and young adults.

Every prestige marque you could imagine was represented, including Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, McLaren, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar and Nissan. There really was something to suit everyone’s taste. From powerful family saloons to hand built sports cars and everything in between.

Generous owners allowed parents and children to slip behind the wheels – and rev the engines – of cars that most had only seen in magazines.

One of the star attractions, however, was a VW campervan. This stunning machine is no ordinary vehicle. It retains a special place in the Pringle family’s heart and for good reason.

Named Hughie’s Red Firebus, it’s a mobile charity playpark that was bought with the £48,000 raised by the public in the weeks after Hughie’s death in 2016.

Hughie had loved seeing the camper around town – and the chance to turn it into a fund raising machine was a fantastic opportunity.

After another incredibly successful event, Richard paid tribute to the army of people who worked tirelessly to put it together.

They included Surrey Car Meet, Lamborghini Sevenoaks and the numerous cake makers, security guards and volunteers on duty throughout the day.

“Today was a celebration,” he said. “A celebration of a beautiful boy. A celebration of incredible cars and a celebration of the incredible town, full of incredible people, that we live in.”

• You can still give money to support the event online: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hughiessupercarsunday?utm_id=106&utm_term=BvWq9kqbn&fbclid=IwAR1ofdx8q6ynFREooIQ83UjO-EfV4RSVJ3GSsCVdVsXvVtIPLfC55MsBAHE