Festive tractor run raises £68,000 for hospice

A festive convoy of brightly lit tractors that thrilled crowds has raised £68,000 for a local hospice

One hundred vehicles drove through villages and circled Banbury Cross in north Oxfordshire on Saturday.

The annual RC Baker Ltd Christmas Tractor Run, which was first held in 2016, has now raised more than £200,000 for Katharine House Hospice in Adderbury.

This years efforts exceed last years event, which raised £49,000.

The hospice said growing support over the years had made the parade its flagship fundraising event.

Roseann Thompson, community engagement manager at Katharine House, said: "More people than even before came out to watch the fleet and the energy was something else."

She said the annual event was "incredible", adding the hospice was "so grateful to everyone involved".

Jennie Steenkamp, from RC Baker, helps organise the tractor run and was in one of the hundred tractors.

"The view from the tractor cab was simply incredible—the crowds were amazing, waving and cheering, and adding so much atmosphere to the event," she said.

"Seeing the community come together and enjoy the event so much is always a real highlight."

Ms Steenkamp said she had spoken to people who had travelled from as far as California to see the festive convoy.

"But what makes it even more meaningful is the incredible amount of money raised for a charity so close to the hearts of so many in our community and among the tractor drivers," she added.

Katherine House provides specialist palliative care for about 1,300 adults with incurable illnesses every year.

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