Shropshire hills vintage tractor run raises hundreds for charity
Eighty vintage and classic tractor drivers from Shropshire are celebrating raising more than £1,800 for Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.
The drivers took part in a 30-mile vintage tractor run around the Shropshire Hills organised by Shaun Middleton in memory of his grandmother, Eileen Hill, on July 24.
The rain failed to dampen the spirits of the drivers who were cheered along the route by family, friends and villagers.
Mr Middleton, said this was the second year he had run the event to raise funds for charity.
“Cancer Research UK was chosen because we lost my Nan suddenly in 2015 to leukaemia,” he said. “It felt quite fitting as we had a large amount of the family involved, not just driving tractors but marshalling and helping out, so we were all involved. If Nan had been here, she would have been right in the thick of it, loving it all.
“Local businesses and local people were really supportive and it was great to see so many people turn out to see us off and to enjoy a lunch and great atmosphere in the pub afterwards. “
Paula Young, spokesperson for Cancer Research UK, said: “We’re really grateful to Shaun and everyone who supported the tractor run. Thanks to research, cancer survival has doubled over the past forty years. Our ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, three in four people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Without supporters like these, that simply wouldn’t be possible.”
