A TRACTOR enthusiast is hoping for good weather and a large turnout on Sunday (June 24) for a charity tractor run in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Service.
Harry Nixon, who is a member of Hamsterley Vintage Tractor Club, said: “The club has done runs in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance before, but this time it’s personal.” Mr Nixon, of Helmington Way, near Crook, had to be airlifted to hospital in November last year when the tractor he was driving was hit by an overtaking vehicle.
Although the injuries he sustained in the crash, turned out to be relatively minor he wanted to show his appreciation for the service, which he says do a “fantastic job”.
Mr Nixon was on his way to collect hay with his tractor and trailer when the accident happened. He said: “One minute there is a van behind me and the next thing I know the tractor’s been tipped on it’s side and the trailer is across the road.”
Mr Nixon says he lost consciousness several times but remembers local GP Dr Enda Chadwick was one of the first on the scene and told him not to move.
“He held onto my head,” said Mr Nixon, who was fitted with a neck brace and strapped onto a back board when medics from the Great North Air Ambulance service arrived. He was transported to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but was released the same day after the gash to his forehead was treated. Mr Nixon said: “The doctors said I had been very lucky.”
The 60-mile run starts at the Copper Mine pub, in Crook, at 10am and will go via Willington, Stonechester, Billy Row, Sunnyside, Tow Low, Wolsingham, Frosterley, Stanhope Crawley before heading over to Rookhope before heading back. Entry is £10. Tea and coffee and bacon will be available before for £2.
