Fordson Dexta painted pink to raise dementia awareness
5th July 2024
A Northamptonshire woman has painted her tractor pink to raise money and awareness of a disease that affected her grandparents.
Anna Griffiths has been visiting various farming events and tractor runs to raise funds for Dementia UK.
She said: “I’ve been brought up with farming, went through farming college. All my friends are doing farming, and I eventually got my first tractor three years ago, a 1957 Fordson Dexta.
“I had to restore it, so I thought, ‘why not do something good with it?’. I started thinking outside the box and came up with an idea to fundraise for a charity that is close to my heart.
“I ended up choosing Dementia UK mainly because my granddad had dementia and my nan recently passed away with dementia.
“So my goal now is to fundraise as much money as I can for this amazing charity.”
‘Hideous colour’
Ms Griffiths set up her goal to fundraise £10,000, and she has been very busy trying to achieve her aim. Currently, she and her pink tractor have collected nearly £6,000.
She added that her initiative receives very positive feedback from people who can meet her during farming shows.
The 35-year-old, who has been in dementia care training added: “Older generations are usually saying ‘what a hideous colour’ but they appreciate that I’m doing it for a good cause and support me.
“I think it doesn’t matter what colour your tractor is because the farming community will come together anyway, work together and support each other.”
Shining light on dementia
Ms Griffiths, who helps her partner at their arable and livestock farm, added that her pink little tractor stands out on every show, sending an important message that women can also find their place in the farming industry.
“I hope my initiative inspires the younger generation, and especially girls, to make their dreams come true and not to be afraid to go tinker with machines.
“What is also important, I’d like to shine more light on dementia, as there is not as much support in this section. We need to get more research and make it easier for people to understand the disease.
“I think nowadays more people are being affected by dementia, so they are more likely to support this cause as everybody knows somebody who suffers from it,” she concluded.
Support the fundraising here.
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