A Christmas first for Welshpool
Starting and finishing from Welshpool Livestock Market, the event is set to welcome an impressive 80 tractors who will embark on a 30.2-mile route.
Such is its immediate popularity, all of the tractor spaces have been pre-booked with the event set to raise a considerable sum for The DPJ Foundation, a charity which supports anyone in the agriculture sector with mental health issues.
Lead organiser, Jenny Clarke, revealed how her initial idea to watch a small scale local event has ballooned into what promises to be one of the events of the year!
“This is the first time something like this has been held in Welshpool,” she told us. “I wanted to take our youngest to see some illuminated tractors near Christmas time but couldn’t find anything local enough so thought I’d look into trying to arrange something on a small scale.
“But wanting to keep it ‘small’ went out of the window very quickly as more people heard about it.
“It soon became a much larger event and we will be welcoming 80 tractors for the road run plus some decorated gators provided by Coed y Dinas Groundcare, as well as a handful of illuminated vehicles which will stay at the Livestock Market for viewings only.”
Jenny said working with the The DPJ Foundation was “an obvious choice”.
“This seemed to be an obvious choice of charity because of how rural we are in Welshpool and mental health issues can effect anyone, so for us it seemed a very worthy cause.
“We’ve had to close the entry book now as we have reached 80 tractors which is amazing, but we’ve limited it at that because of health and safety and how long the run would take so to keep the excitement for spectators we stopped taking entries.
“We are asking for the entrants to get to The Livestock Market no later than 4pm on Sunday, December 12 and spectators can arrive then too.”
Jenny revealed that there will be a children’s pedal tractor/crazy coupe-type vehicle tractor run which is a purpose-made track at the Livestock Market so that youngsters can have an illuminated tractor just like their grown-ups. That’s just £2 per entry and every child gets a goody bag for entering.
There are also prizes for the best decorated adult and the children’s tractor.
Refreshments from Hughes Catering will be available at the Livestock Market canteen, and toilets will be available too. There is ample parking and it’s free entry.
A raffle with plenty of prizes will be drawn on the night. It’s £1 per ticket and some of the prizes include food hampers, alcohol, gift vouchers, restaurant vouchers, and a huge prize of a Children’s Battery Powered Ride On Gator which was generously donated by Coed Y dinas Groundcare.
The gators, which will join the run, will have their back filled with money collection buckets to allow spectators along the route (below) to donate.
THE ROUTE
- Starting at Welshpool Livestock Market,
- Turn Left heading down the bypass,
- Taking the slip road Right onto Salop Road.
- Follow the one way system from the The Westwood Pub
- Round past Marks Autos.
- Left at NFU MUTUAL to the traffic lights.
- Turn Right at the traffic lights and go up the High Street keeping to the left towards The Raven Roundabout.
- Take the 2nd exit towards Guilsfield.
- Turn Right into Guilsfield going past Derwen Garden Centre, staying on the B4392 to Arddleen.
- Get to the T-Junction at the other end of Arddleen,
- Turn Left towards Four Crosses/Oswestry.
- Head towards Four Crosses roundabout.
- Take 3rd Exit into Four Crosses,
- Go straight over zebra crossing and past Lloyd Fraser buildings (on the right).
- Turn right at the end of the road towards Llandrinio.
- Head straight to the T-Junction at the end and
- Turn Left into Llandrinio, stay on the road, going over the bridge.
- Turn Right towards Criggion/Trewern.
- Get to a Y-Junction and turn right towards Trewern (18 tonne weight limit and single track lane)
- Turn Right at the T-Junction on the A458 towards Welshpool.
- Head back to the Livestock Market, driving through Trewern and Buttington.
Raffle tickets are available to buy before the event from the following places:
- Coed-y-Dinas (Charlies) country store
- The Groom Room Barbershop
- The Monkey Puzzle Licensed Cafe (from late morning tomorrow)
- Wynnstay Group Plc Welshpool.
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