Knaresborough tractor run raises thousands for Yorkshire Air Ambulance

An estimated 400 tractors took part in the Knaresborough Young Farmers’ Club’s annual charity tractor run, raising £23,340 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The spectacular convoy set off at 9am on Sunday 12 March from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate before snaking around the countryside.

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The 25-mile route headed to Knaresborough and then on to Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton.

The tractors arrived at Pateley Bridge at 12pm and those taking part enjoyed a hog roast before departing for Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite, finishing in Knaresborough at 4pm.

Prizes were awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern. Stephen Dennis won the vintage award with a John Deere 1020 tractor, which he bought especially for the run.

Jonathan Walmsley won the classic award for a Massey Ferguson 399, and the modern award went to Oscar Bevan for a John Deere 215 tractor.

© Rachael Fawcett Photography

The event is held in memory of Mike Spink, a former member of Knaresborough YFC who died in a road accident while working on a farm in New Zealand in 2017.

Tractor run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown said: “The support from the public was unbelievable. There were children who brought all their toy tractors out onto the pavements.

“There was every type of tractor you could think of on display, including a rare Volvo BM tractor and a 1970s machine which looked more like an airport tug than a tractor.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance provides a vital lifeline for emergency medical assistance for farmers across the county when they are injured in remote rural areas.

To donate online, visit the Knaresborough Tractor Run 2023 JustGiving page.