The Knaresborough Tractor Run returns this Sunday with hundreds of tractors travelling in convoy to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Everything you need to know about the Knaresborough Tractor Run The Knaresborough Tractor Run returns this Sunday (17th March), with hundreds of tractors travelling in convoy to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Since it started in 2012, the event has raised over £113,000, with last year’s event totalling over £23,000. The run in 2022 still holds the record for the number of tractors that took part, a whopping 383! At this stage, organisers are unsure as to whether that figure will be beaten. So what is the Knaresborough Tractor Run - and where will it be heading on Sunday? Here's everything you need to know... What is the Knaresborough Tractor Run and why does it take place? The Tractor Run is an annual event that’s been running since 2012. All drivers and passengers who take part pay a fee and then travel in one big long line, starting from the Harrogate showground at 9AM. You can see the full route here. The run stems back to 2012, when a small group from the Knaresborough Young Farmers used to head out for a day and raise some money for the air ambulance in the process. [caption id="attachment_100584" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Knaresborough Tractor Run 2023.[/caption] In 2017, they tragically lost one of the group, Mike Spink, who died in an incident whilst in New Zealand. It was then suggested that the run should be a on a larger scale in memory of Mike and now the committee behind the event, has become a community interest company (CIC). Chairman Steven Brown has been explaining to Your Harrogate the work involved:
“So last year we made the transition to be solely on our own, but this year we are fully independent out of our own right, so we’ve a lot of constitutions and a lot of policies that needed to be filled and done. "We’ve set up as a CIC (Community Interest Company) and the paperwork and things involved in that, has taken months.”When is it and how much does it cost to take part? The event returns this weekend on Sunday 17th March, a week later than normal due to Mother’s Day. People wanting to take part are asked to sign up online beforehand and then head to The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate for a 9AM start on the day. The event is charged at £20 per driver and an extra £10 for passengers. This will rise to £25 for drivers on the day, but classic tractor entry will remain at £20, in a bid to raise the number of cab-less tractors who take part. [caption id="attachment_104150" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Knaresborough Tractor Run Hats[/caption] The committee will also be raising extra funds on the day, by selling a limited number of Knaresborough Tractor Run bobble hats for £10 each and to mark St Patrick’s Day, the hats are green. [caption id="attachment_104084" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Your Harrogate will be taking part[/caption] Where can I watch? The Knaresborough Tractor Run starts at The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and will pass through Pateley Bridge before ending at York Place in Knaresborough. To see hundreds of tractors gathering in one place is quite a sight! Participants start to gather at the showground in Harrogate from 7:30AM on the day. Cars will not be permitted where the tractors park and so if you are planning to see the start, please walk along Railway Road towards the Crimple Viaduct, or down the hill from Harrogate Sports and Fitness centre. Tractors with airhorns are politely requested not to sound them early in the morning in residential areas. The convoy is expected to reach the High Street in Knaresborough for approximately 9:15AM, before reaching Burton Leonard at 10AM, Bishop Monkton at 10:30AM, Markington 10:45AM, Sawley 11:15AM, Grantley 11:30AM and Pateley Bridge 12PM. If you’re planning to watch in Pateley Bridge, please arrive early as it gets busy and the tractors park for lunch at the Nidderdale Showground. Afternoon times are all dependent on when the procession leaves Pateley Bridge; the lead tractor will have a tracker and you can follow via the Knaresborough Tractor Run Facebook page. Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite will all be popular places to wave the tractors on during the afternoon, but bear in mind that numbers begin to dwindle as they near Knaresborough because people break off to head home. [caption id="attachment_103490" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Knaresborough Tractor Run (Photo: Lissa Haines-Beardow)[/caption] The beneficiary Yorkshire Air Ambulance is who the tractor run committee raise funds for. Everyone hopes that they will never need the service, but in an hour of need, it is vital across the County and especially in hard to reach rural locations. Tessa Klemz, regional fundraising manager for the North and East Yorkshire explains:
“We are so bold over by the generosity of the Yorkshire folk who keep us in the air. "We do need £19,000 a day to keep the two helicopters flying, but if you break that down, if every adult in Yorkshire gave £1.50 a year, that would cover it.”Those not able to make Sunday can donate online here. How to follow the run Your Harrogate will be in the convoy thanks to Ripon Farm Services and will be covering it on-air and online, all thanks to our main sponsor, Simon Graeme Auto Service Centre. The committee Facebook page will have regular updates, but please only click on official links, none of which will ask for any form of payment. Plus, South Yorkshire farmer, YouTube and TikTok star, Joe Seels, will also be taking part and documenting the day across his channels. The message from the committee is please be patient where the tractors cause delays, they will avoid main roads where possible and get out to support the charity. As chairman Steven Brown explains:
“It’s just such a brilliant cause and you always say I don’t need the air ambulance, but you never know when you do and it may not be your fault, but in my opinion it’s heavily underfunded and if we can do anything to help, it’s all good.”Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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