Events
Vintage Charity Tractor Run
Holmfirth to Llandudno
» » ON 2ND JULY THIS YEAR, AN
impressive procession of some 16 vintage
tractors left Holmfirth, in West Yorkshire -
their destination being Llandudno on the
coast of North Wales, a journey of some
360 miles.
Quite a challenge from anybody’s point
of view - but all the team involved were
determined to do it and achieve their aim,
which was to raise funds for the Royal
British Legion which everyone must agree,
is a very worthy cause deserving of support
from all of us.
The tractors - all vintage John Deere,
Massey Ferguson, David Browns, Fordson
- with essential escort vehicles both front
and rear - left West Yorkshire’s Upper
Midhope heading for the first welcome
night’s stay at Bulkeley in Cheshire. From
Bulkeley, the procession headed across
Cheshire and into North Wales, finally
arriving at the campsite at Rhos on Sea.
CIVIC WELCOME
On 4th July the team drove the tractors
onto the pier where they were warmly
greeted by Councillor Francis Davies, His
Worship the Mayor of Llandudno and his
charming wife, Sonia. This is of course, a
popular, traditional holiday destination so
there were lots of tourists watching as well
as local people on the pier who had come
along to see the vintage tractors which
always attract a lot of attention; the drivers
wisely took this opportunity to raise some
more funds for the charity!
From the pier they then travelled up to
the top of the resort’s famous Great Orme
where they enjoyed lunch and again
met lots of lovely people who
wanted to know all about the
journey and the reason for it.
On leaving the Orme they
headed back around to the
beach and then drove the
tractors on the sands, which all
the drivers confessed was great fun!
On Wednesday 5th July they said
farewell to Llandudno and headed to
Anglesey, where they drove over the
Menai Bridge onto Anglesey - and then off
via the Britannia Bridge. From Anglesey
they headed to Caernarfon where again
they were greeted by crowds of people
all interested in the tractors and their
journey.
After some photos around the wonderful
Caernarvon castle, the procession headed
onto the Llanberis for lunch at the slate
mines. These are always a popular visitor
attraction so lots of people enjoyed seeing
the tractors. From there they drove a few
miles onto Swallow Falls for a pleasant
overnight stay.
On the morning of 6th July it was time
to head into Betws y Coed around the
local shops then onto Bulkeley again for
the last night’s stop. From here they were
homeward bound, having clocked up
some 360 miles. Along the route people,
schoolchildren and other drivers all gave a
wave. When they stopped at a Tesco store
for refreshments, the manager kindly came
out to bring complimentary choc ices for all
the drivers which went down very well!
Most of the sponsorship money is now
in and the current total is a magnificent
£5716.47 - with still a couple of hundred to
be collected.
SINCERE THANKS
The organisers and whole team want
to say a sincere, huge thank you to all the
sponsors, Longley Farm, Yummy Yorkshire,
C G Hitchins, Imexpart, Allegro Opticians,
The Ford Inn, The Red Lion, The White
Horse, Wyevale Garden Centre, The Old
Bridge Bakery, Shaun & Stella Heaps,
Sovereign Agricultural Services, Denby
Kitchens, Scholes Post Office, Melvyn
Carr, M J Wilkinson - plus all those who
sponsored us personally - and everyone
who put money in our collection bucket on
route. The consensus from the drivers was
that they all had an amazing experience
while supporting such a worthy cause.
Drivers: Joan Woodall, Alan Woodall,
Lorraine Morley, David Osborn, Peter
Moorhouse, John Edinboro, Wayne
Armitage, Adam Knight, Philip Addy, Keith
Beaumont, Jeff Kaye, Stuart Waddington,
David Aukland, Colin Wragg, Robert
Walker, Charles Halliday and Petra the Dog.
Escort Vehicles driven by Dennis Bradbury
and Mick Green.
Well done all of you!
www.farmers-mart.co.uk Autumn 2017 37