Tom Allan Tractor Run
Oct 15, 2023 • General
The Tom Allan Tractor Run
12 months ago, Tom Allan died in a Road Traffic Accident, he was 18 years old. He worked for the family business as a Welder and Fabricator and attended Lancaster College one day a week honing his trade. A past Student of Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale, Tom was a keen tug of War participant and early last year travelled with the Upper Eden Team to Amsterdam to represent England as a junior and brought home the team bronze medal. As a member of Sedbergh YFC, Tom’s interests were varied and numerous and lived his short life to the max. He was following his Dad’s passion for rural sports and enjoyed gamekeeping and shooting. Tom’s short life had touched on so many and representatives from all parts of his life took up the mantle and became part of this memorial day.
With a massive 218 tractors, it was Tom that we remembered on Sunday, but what the tractor run stood for turned out to be much more. It was the opportunity for the rural community to come together, to talk, the swap stories, to compare tractors, the take in the beautiful scenery of South Cumbria. The Tractor Run was led by Tractor Pulling and Vintage Tractor officianado, Mike Stainton who after liaising with Ruby, painstakingly fine-tuned the route. The Family friend of Gary, Jane and Abbie, Mike said he was honoured to be asked to lead the tractor run and did so with some style on his……
It was the brainchild of fellow Sedbergh Young Farmer, Aaron Troughton, who suggested back in the new year we should perhaps have a Tractor Run to Remember Tom. Ruby Allan, Tom’s Cousin took the baton and ran with it, with the help and support of Sedbergh Young Farmers, Neighbours and family and local rural community ‘The Tom Allan Tractor Run’ has surpassed all expectations.
The Tractors started arriving before 9am that morning at NWA Junction 36. They were to come from as far away as Preston the south and Carlisle to the North. Tractors all shapes and sizes, all colours. Tractors drivers from the newly passed to the more experienced. Men and Women, Sons and Mothers, all joined in a mark this first anniversary of Tom’s passing. The tractors and their drivers were welcomed by complimentary tea, coffee and tray bakes served by enthusiastic volunteers to set them on their journey. A short safety briefing and Welcome Speech headed by family fried Jonathan Capper, started off proceedings and then the countless volunteer Marshalls set the tractors off. Travelling through Endmoor on the back roads to junction 37 of the M6 the tractor run stopped in the shadow of the Howgill fells to partake of Lunch and more traybakes. The journey continued down the picturesque Firbank and onto Sedbergh where crowds lined the street. On driver stated that they felt like royalty. The journey continued up to Gawthrop, bown the picturesque Barbondale to Kirkby Lonsdale Rugby Club where we concluded with some well-earned refreshments and a farewell speech from Ruby. Ruby quoted “The last 12 months has been the longest and shortest years, all rolled into watching the minutes tick by to waking up and realising that we’ve spent a full year already without Tom, the loss of a young life is tragic in any circumstances, but when the local community steps up it is overwhelming and truly heart warming to see the support that is out there.” Tom’s elder sister, Abbie, as a newly qualified NHS Physiotherapist decided on North West Ambulance Service as the chosen charity. The tractor run has currently raised around £7000 with money still coming in.
