Tractor enthusiasts from the dale have so far raised more than £3,500 in memory of a valued club member during an epic three-day coast-to-coast rally.
Fourteen members of Hamsterley Vintage Tractor Club set off from Ramshaw on a Friday earlier this month for Seaton Carew on the North Sea before returning to the dale, to complete a second leg to Bowness-on-Solway on the Irish Sea the next day and returning home on the Sunday.
The journey went without hitch, except for a minor breakdown. Club chairman David Armstrong said: “One of the lads said ‘you really need to give your tractor a wash off’. So he washed it off and something happened to the electrics on the Saturday morning.”
Not to be deterred, Gray Vipod, of Graham’s Logs, returned to his yard and got onto his JCB Loadall and caught up to the convoy at Alston.
Each day the group set off fuelled by bacon buns and hot tea, thanks to Richard Gilby’s wife Wendy, who also had refreshments ready when they returned to Ramshaw on the Sunday afternoon.
Mr Armstrong said: “We got to Bowness-on-Solway at about 3pm, so we made good time and we managed to get down on the beach. We got to dip the wheels, but the tide was coming on rather fast so Richard had to go for a sort of paddle to get to his tractor.”
The convoy included three generations of tractor enthusiasts with Trevor Walton, who at 72 was the oldest driver, followed by his son Jason and grandson Harry.
The oldest tractor on the trip was Robert Martin’s 1950 David Brown Cropmaster, a unique petrol engine tractor, which switches over to TVO (tractor vapourised oil) once the engine has warmed up.
Others taking part included Ian Williams, Raymond Emberton, Mervyn Thompson, Joe Dobson and Stan Lawson.
Neil Todd, on a Derza, joined the first two days, but had to return on the Saturday evening because of other commitments.
The club chose to support St Cuthbert’s Hospice through the trip in memory of Bob Alderson who died in March from prostate cancer.
Mr Armstrong said: “Bob’s wife Lillian gave us his bait bag to take with us. He had his flask and cup of tea and everything in there. That was on the back of Joe’s tractor, so we had a bit of Bob with us all the way.”
He added that it is a credit to the members’ that the trip went without hitch.
He said: “It is a big commitment, it is a full weekend, and credit to them all, the tractors were well maintained and that is why we didn’t have any breakdowns.”
Anyone who wants to support the fundraising appeal can donate here.
