JCB Fastrac and Land Rover Defender in major charity runs

Two major new charity initiatives are in preparation – one driving a JCB Fastrac almost 5,000 miles around the coast of Great Britain, the other involving an old Land Rover Defender covering a similar distance from Scotland to the Sahara desert.

The JCB Fastrac charity run is the brainchild of Lincolnshire farmers Taron Lee and James Caswell, who will set out from Cleethorpes seafront on 10 June.

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Their aim is to highlight the poor mental wellbeing so often found in the UK’s farming sector, while raising funds for the Farm Safety Foundation’s Mind Your Head campaign.

A team of 14 will share the driving, sticking as close as possible to the coastline on a journey of 4,690 miles, culminating at the Lincolnshire Show on 19 June, some eight days later.

The tractor run has been inspired by Taron’s personal journey, but has taken on new significance in 2024.

“We are now also doing this in honour of Alec Newlove,” explains Taron.

“Alec was a member of our local Young Farmers’ Club who tragically took his own life earlier this year.

“He was an amazing lad, and it seems right that we complete this challenge in his memory.”

Supporters will be able to follow live updates of the team’s progress via the Facebook page Back British Farming and Mental Health.

There is also a Just Giving page for anyone who would like to contribute to their cause.

Hugh Chamberlain © RSABI

Desert challenge

Meanwhile, Perthshire farm manager Hugh Chamberlain, who runs the farming at Atholl Estates, is preparing his own charity drive, in memory of his late father-in-law Tony Rawlings.

Together with Dave Hill, who he met at agricultural college, the aim is to complete the 5,000 miles from the Highlands to the Sahara in September, and so raise money for the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Eden Vale Hospice.

The pair will be driving the old 1993 Land Rover 300tdi that Tony had planned to explore the world in.

Sadly, he succumbed to cancer, but he had found solace during his illness by planning and modifying the Land Rover for this very journey.

“We are embarking on this expedition to prove that, even amid loss, dreams can endure, and compassion can ignite change,” Hugh said.

“It is our hope that through this challenge, we will provide a beacon of hope and support to those in Scottish agriculture and the hospice community.”

To find out more and maybe make a donation, visit the Highland Heather to Sahara Sands Justgiving page.