Babs Watson: "Today was a very emotional day"

Sarah Hipperson, part of the camp since 1983, said: "It has been wonderful. Our time at Greenham is an experience I'd never want to have missed.

"I feel very privileged. I don't think I could have spent this part of my life in a better way."

Fellow campaigner Jean Hutchinson, from Wales, said: "It's a tremendous accomplishment.

"As the caravan was taken away I did feel a bit emotional but it's also great to feel that the hard work has been done."

I don't think I could have spent this part of my life in a better way

Sarah Hipperson, protester

Around 40 women were present at the camp's final hours and watched as the final caravan was lifted onto the back of a lorry.

They marked their departure with a day-long picnic, and they are hoping to bury a time capsule at the site.

The last of the missiles was flown back to the US in 1991, but protesters remained at the site to ensure it was handed back to the people.

In April, the wire fences surrounding the base were symbolically removed and the site has been returned to common land.

Reminder

The protesters are trying to raise �100,000 for a memorial site to commemorate their struggle.

The memorial on the site would include a ring of Welsh stones, and a garden.

The women slept and sheltered in tents

Greenham Common became an air base in 1941 and from 1968 was occupied by the US Air Force.

The site was sold to the Greenham Common Trust in 1997 and much of the land has passed back to the local council for just �1.

One of the original campaigners, Babs Watson, 80, who comes from Kent, said: "It has been a real privilege being involved. I have a passion and I believe that if you don't have one then life is a bit mindless.

"What has been achieved here has exceeded all our expectations. Today was a very emotional day."

Banners with slogans such as "No More War" and "Remember Nagasaki" still hang from nearby worksite fences.