AN incredible 104 vehicles lined up for the upper Gaunless Valley’s annual Farmer Christmas tractor rally.
New for this year was a Christmas fair at Tilesheds Farm, in Woodland, ahead of the brightly lit tractor parade which passed through Woodland, Copley, Butterknowle, Southside and Hamsterley.
Organiser Becky Land was overwhelmed by the response.
She said: “We were blown away that people gave up their time. Last year we had 83 vehicles, the year before it was in the 70s and the first year we had 20. So, this is massive.”
She was equally as thrilled at the response to the inaugural Christmas fair.
Ms Land said: “The traders took a punt on us and the shed was full most of the day. It was a really good atmosphere and the traders were really pleased.”
Cash raised from Farmer Christmas this year will support a kit racing car project at Cockfield Primary School, gifts for children at Woodland Primary School and a donation to Copley Village Hall.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
