Tractors pull in the cash
A popular annual tractor pulling event in Shropshire has used horse power to raise cash for two county charities.
Gary Penton, a director of Oswestry based haulage company Pentons, has organised the Ruyton XI Towns Charity Tractor Pull for the past six years.
Despite disappointing weather, last year’s event still managed to raise £6,000 each for Severn Hospice in Shrewsbury and Hope House children’s hospice in Morda. Sponsors for the event included Morris Lubricants, based in Shrewsbury and N and S Scaffolding, Oswestry.
The event attracted 36 tractors and spectators were able to watch action on two tracks. To add the spectacle, Gary arranged for two super powered 4,000 hp and 5,000 hp tractors to travel to the event from Holland but, sadly, the wet weather stopped them from pulling on the day.
This year’s event is planned at Marches Farm, Ruyton X1 Towns on September 22 and 23 and Gary is hoping to attract a couple of European Championship tractors.
He is also pulling out all the stops to get his own tractor ready in time for this year’s British Tractor Pullers Association Championship season after its engine crank cracked when competing at Shropshire County Show last May.
Explaining why he supports the two charities, he said: “My wife and I have both lost family members and friends to cancer and we have seen at first hand the fantastic work that hospices do. It was my wife’s suggestion that I organised a tractor pulling event to raise money for the hospices.”
His family’s association with Hope House began when Pentons agreed to take children from the hospice for ride in a lorry to Llangollen. One of the children was a boy who died shortly after the trip and Gary has never forgotten his smile.
"I appreciate the support of all the sponsors that make it possible to hold the Ruyton X1 Towns Charity Tractor Pull, last year, there were 155 sponsors.”
