A twenty-five mile tractor run through the countryside on a blazing hot day in May has raised £5,500 for Farleigh Hospice.

On Monday, a cheque was presented to Maz Keenan from the hospice after the third Stebbing Vintage and Classic Tractor Road Run. The event event in May saw, 43 tractors, a Land Rover and a Navara truck set off from organiser David Hunt’s farm in Oxen End, Little Bardfield. The convoy snaked through the backwoods of Duck End and processed down Stebbing High Street.

The other organisers are Mac Beanland and Dick Hughes. Mr Hughes said: “We were greeted by throngs of villagers who had come out to wave us through.

“The route took us to Bardfield Saling, Shalford Green, Rotten End, which is a misnomer as this little hamlet is very pretty, Blackmore End, Wethersfield, Finchingfield, Little Bardfield and back to the start.”

There were what Mr Hughes describes as “incidents”. One tractor got stuck in a narrow rut and had to be yanked out with chains. Another packed up altogether and had to be towed the rest of the way.

But he said: “We raised a truly staggering figure for such a relatively low key event. In the three years since we first began the road run, we have now raised nearly £13,000 for Farleigh and for Macmillan. We want to thank all the sponsors who contributed. We’d like to invite other people to join us, why not find yourself a little grey Fergie and join us. They are not very expensive, they don’t need polishing and they easily fit in a domestic garage.”