Tractor trundle raises £400 for St Bees RNLI

Fifty-seven tractors and vintage vehicles of all shapes and sizes gathered in St Bees car park for the annual trundle around the local villages and farms which raised £400 for St Bees RNLI.

Tractors at the event (Image: Members of St Bees RNLI)There was a great turnout not only from the participants but from the many visitors who came along to see the colourful array of vehicles.

Volunteers from St Bees RNLI drove their tractor and lifeboat along the seafront to add to the spectacle.

The RNLI volunteers handed out tea, coffee and bacon sandwiches to the cold and wind-swept club members and visitors. The generous donations from the welcome refreshments raised a further £390.

During the event the St Bees RNLI volunteers heard the sad news that Ted Biggins had recently died.

Ted was a member of the West Cumbria Vintage Club and had been the Vice Chairman since the late 1990s.

Ted Biggins (Image: St Bees RNLI)He set up the Boxing Day tractor trundle back in 1982 starting with eleven tractors. In later years there has been up to seventy taking part.

Ted will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him, especially family and those in the WCVC.

Over the years Ted has helped raise around £2800 for St Bees RNLI from the annual tractor trundle.

Founded in 1824, the RNLI is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom.

The institution has saved some 140,000 lives since its foundation, at a cost of more than 600 lives lost in service and is funded by donations from members of the public and the service of hundreds of dedicated volunteers.

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