Oswestry Illuminated Tractor Run: Farmers light up the roads for charity
Thousands of people lined the pavements in towns and villages, as well as gateways and laybys along the route, to watch 95 tractors, festooned with Christmas lights and fitted with musical air horns by the local farming community.
The convoy set off from Oswestry Livestock Market, completing a 38-mile circular route through eleven other Shropshire towns and villages before returning, all to raise money for the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, based on Mytton Oak Road in Shrewsbury.
Lingen Davies exists to improve the lives of everyone impacted by cancer in our community, as well as to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of cancer – helping to contribute to more people seeking and getting an all-important early diagnosis and much more local treatments. Over the course of their long history, they have run several high-profile and successful cancer appeals to enhance care and treatment for cancer patients at the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
This event is organised in memory of a very popular young farmer, Will Roberts of Pennant Farm in Gobowen. Will, the much-loved son of Dave and Sue Roberts, was affectionately known by all as “Choc” because of his love of chocolate. Sadly, “Choc” died from a brain tumour on December 12, two year ago at the age of just 26. This is a fitting event to remember “Choc”. Chocs own tractor lead the tractor run, driven by Whittington and Oswestry Young Farmers Charles Dean, also had Santa onboard to wave to all the children as they passed. Lingen Davies supported Will and the family through his diagnoses, treatment and throughout his illness.
At the Livestock Market, the best illuminated tractor was judged by the town’s Mayor Councillor Rosie Redford, North Shropshire’s MP Helen Morgan and Shropshire’s High Sheriff Jane Trowbridge and the prize for the ‘Best Illuminated Tractor’ was awarded to Gareth Williams and his tractor from Coleg Cambria Llysfasi. All three judges then waved off the convoy to start the Oswestry Illuminated Tractor Run at 5.20pm after a little delay.
Through the towns, villages, laybys and field gateways on the route people stood to cheer and wave at the tractors as they passed by, each tractor driver sounding their air horns in acknowledgment.
The whole event was jointly organised by Whittington and Oswestry Young Farmer’s and Lingen Davies Cancer Fund who arranged the collectors on the route.
Event spokesman, Mike Lade, said: “We were blessed with the weather so that brought out people to the market and onto the streets. Changing the route into Oswestry at the start as well as returning through the town centre was a great decision. Again, we were amazed by the level of support from our great farmers and the local community in the Oswestry Livestock Market, towns and villages and the numbers of people supporting the event have greatly increased again.
"Many thanks to the local Whittington and Oswestry Young Farmers, without whom this event would not have happened. I hope Sue and Dave Roberts think this was a good epitaph to Choc and the run has now become an annual event in the Christmas diary for Oswestry and surrounding towns and villages towns to bring-in the Christmas spirit to the community. If anyone is yet to donate, then please go to our Facebook page and see the link to our Just Giving page and hopefully we will get close to our figure last year of £20,000 for Lingen Davies."
The page will be open until January 2026 or go to justgiving.com/campaign/oswestryilluminatedtractorrun.
Thank you to all of the stewards to ensure tractors went in the right direction and the 70 Lingen Davies bucket collectors on the route. We are so grateful to many other local businesses and individuals for material support! Oswestry Wynnstay Stores for donating the prizes, the Oswestry Livestock Market for the use of the market area, Hughes Agri (Oswestry) Ltd, Shropshire Live, Eagle Tyres for the supply of escort vehicles and drivers at the front and rear of the run, BSB Sound, Village Bakery, BML-Hayley, Griffiths Tool Hire, Stans at St Martins, Charlies AG &Turf, Winston Farm for Christmas trees, Egerton Tree Care, Oswestry Rugby club, finally the local Oswestry Bobbies Mike Hogg and his team for helping the column of tractors from the market and escorting through Oswestry and then the return from Whittington. Apologies to those we may have missed out.
Pencil a date in your diary for Saturday, 12 December, 2026 for the next run because we will be doing it all again!
