Farmers driving a combine across the UK raise over £23K for charity
7th June 2023
A group of four farmers, who have all lost close friends to suicide, are travelling from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for mental health and cancer charities.
Image: JustGiving
Farmers travelling the length of the UK in a combine harvester have smashed their original £10K fundraising target, hitting over £23,000 on JustGiving.
The four drivers started their journey in a Claas combine harvester on 4th June and are due to complete the trek on Thursday 8th.
The team comprises Olly Harrison, John Branson, James Baldini and Martin Williams, all of whom have suffered the loss of close friends to suicide – which could have been avoided through talking and communication.
They have partnered with Mind mental health charity to raise awareness, and will also raise money for Children with Cancer UK, Claas’s chosen charity this year.
‘As farmers we have chosen the biggest machine that we could find to highlight this big issue throughout the country and we are happy to have Claas on board and supporting the project,’ the group wrote on JustGiving.
The five-day route will cover a total of 875 miles, travelling around 200 miles a day with overnight stops at Sellars Agriculture Ltd Perth, Rickerby Ltd Carnforth, Cotswold Farm Park and Hamblys Ltd Launceston.
Being agricultural they cannot use motorways and the 3.49m width means the journey has required careful planning. In order to minimise their environmental impact they are running on Certas Energy HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fossil-free fuel.
After completing the trek, the combine will be on show at Cereals in Newark on 13th and 14th June.
To donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/team/combinejogle
Watch the latest update video from Olly Harrison’s YouTube page:
