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Tractor run raises £17k in memory of farmer

BBC A side-on image of two tractors decked in multi-coloured Christmas lights, parked outside a brown building. The left tractor is red and the right is blue. In front of the red tractor is two reindeer statues made of white Christmas lights.BBC
The event was in memory of Will 'Choc' Roberts, who died in December 2022

A festive tractor run has raised almost £17,500 for charity, in memory of a young farmer who died of a brain tumour.

The Oswestry Illuminated Tractor Run, which took place on 14 December, featured more than 100 tractors and a team of 100 people collecting donations.

The tractors embarked on a 38-mile route through 11 villages around Oswestry.

Taking place for the second consecutive year, the event was in memory of Will 'Choc' Roberts, who died in December 2022.

Family handout A man with blond hair and a beard holds two silver trophies in one arm and a trophy plaque in the other. He smiles at the camera while wearing a yellow and blue zip-up over a blue shirt. He is standing outside, with a white marquee in the background, and several people are outside the tent in the background.Family handout
Will Roberts, fondly called 'Choc' because of his love of chocolate, died of a brain tumour at the age of just 26

It was organised by Will's parents, Dave and Sue Roberts, as well as Mike Lade and the Whittington and Oswestry YFC, a rural youth organisation which Will had been the chairman of.

The fundraising total is an increase of £5,000 more than last year's event and will be donated to the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.

Organiser Mike Lade said the team had been "totally amazed" by the level of support for the event, which the number of people involved "greatly increasing" from last year.

Mr Lade said: "I hope Sue and Dave Roberts think this was a good epitaph to Choc and has now become an annual event in the Oswestry diary."

A view through a window down onto a car park which is filled with lines of tractors in various colours including red, green, and blue. The sky is grey and trees can be seen in the distance.
More than 100 tractors took part in the fundraising event
A red tractor and a blue tractor parked next to each other, covered in multi-coloured Christmas lights. The red tractor is nearest the camera and has two white reindeer sculptures made of Christmas lights. Two women are in the tractor on the right while two people climb into the tractor on the left.
The tractors made their way along a 38-mile route through 11 villages

Naomi Atkin, CEO of Lingen Davies, said: "A massive thank you to everyone involved in organising and supporting the event, in particular Dave and Sue Roberts who continue to fundraise for the charity in memory of their son Will.

"Organising an event of this nature and on this scale is no small feat and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has been a part of the tractor run.

"This is a massive event and to raise £17,000 is a phenomenal tribute to Will Roberts and his family."

Speaking about the work the charity does in the community, Ms Atkin said: "As a charity we fundraise to support services for those impacted by cancer throughout Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Mid Wales.

"This money will go towards ensuring local people can access the best cancer services, equipment and kit locally at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's Lingen Davies Cancer Centre, as well as furthering our programme of holistic therapies available to patients living with and beyond in the community."

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