My Passion with Elinor Walsh: Enjoying a feast of history in days of future past

Elinor Walsh, a customer service representative at engineering firm Dormer Tools, based in Sheffield.

Raging battles, lavish feasts and nights spent under the stars – that's what most of my weekends entail, and I love it.

I've been a member of the Thomas Stanley Retinue group for almost 12 years now, dressing up and taking part in medieval re-enactments across the country.

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Along with my partner, Stephen, who is also a member of the group, I get to travel the length and breadth of the UK, visiting some of the most magnificent castles and historical sites in the world.

I first got involved with the group after a friend from my fencing class suggested it. It sounded like good fun and I have always been interested in history, so I went along to find out more – and I've never looked back.

Throughout the summer, we put on historical displays, cooking medieval feasts of fresh fish, meat pies and home-made bread, and re-enacting historical battles.

The whole experience is as close to the real thing as you can get. We eat, sleep and dress in medieval attire for the whole weekend, camping in authentic medieval tents under the stars and donning our suits of armour to prepare for battle.

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I find the whole experience really exciting and I've made so many good friends through the group. The social side of the re-enactments is fantastic.

After each day, when the public has gone home, we all pay a visit to the beer tent to sample some medieval ales and to wind down a little before bed.

But it's not just our social lives that have benefited from taking part in the re-enactments. Being a member of the group has also inspired Stephen to set up his own company making armour and medieval accessories to order.

He'd always had an interest in armour, and after discovering how costly it was to buy – he decided to make his own suit. Before long, other people began asking him to make their suits and word quickly spread.

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Now, 10 years on, he's the proprietor of White Rose Apparel, making customised armour for medieval re-enactments, collectors and live-role

players, as well as for famous museums such as the Tower of London and The Royal Armouries.

My family think I'm completely nuts for doing what I do – but they come along to support me when they can.

Medieval re-enactment isn't just a hobby to us, it's a way of life and I wouldn't swap it for the world.