Giant convoy of tractors to travel through Greater Manchester as lost farmers remembered

A giant convoy of more than 100 tractors will once again drive through the rural streets of Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Derbyshire this December - and it's all for an important cause.

The convoy, which has already raised thousands of pounds for The Christie Charity since its conception and will head out on Sunday, 29 December. The fundraising event is also a tribute to three much-loved members of the farming community, Harvey Mitchell, Lisa Messenger and Stuart Wainwright.

It was started in 2020 by agricultural contractor Ferguson Roylance. When his good friend and farming colleague Harvey died from cancer in December 2020, Ferguson wanted to do something in memory of him, and to say thanks to everyone at The Christie hospital for caring for Harvey.

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"My aim, initially was to give people a chance to say goodbye to Harvey while raising money for the hospital that looked after him," Ferguson shared.

"I’m not experienced in organising events, but it turned out to be a huge success - hundreds of people stood along the roads, socially distanced, to watch and wave as we passed by with our tractors. It was a heartfelt way to honour Harvey’s memory and support essential care for cancer patients and their families."

Harvey’s funeral was restricted, due to the pandemic, so Ferguson and his partner Zara came up with the idea of organising a ‘tractor run’ where people could participate via social distancing and to let Harvey’s family and friends have the chance to say goodbye to him.

The following year another friend of the farming community Lisa Messenger died, so the fundraising tractor convoy was repeated to honour her as well. The