Man to travel 1000 miles by tractor for charity

Paul Marsh (centre) and his friends will travel 1000 miles in vintage tractors to raise money for charity

A potato merchant and his three friends are set to embark on a 1000-mile tractor run to raise money for charity.

Paul Marsh, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, said the idea came to him while in the pub with friends, who encouraged him to take on the task.

The challenge, which starts on Wednesday, will see four vintage tractors trek from John O’Groats in northern Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall.

Mr Marsh said the money raised will be a way to say thank you for the treatment he received when he fell ill with Leukaemia and prostate cancer in 2000 and 2016.

Mr Marsh is aiming to raise £10,000 for charity during the classic tractor run

Mr Marsh will be joined by Mick Knowles, Tomos Pearce and Barry Jackson on vintage tractors from the 1950s, with an aim of raising £10,000 to be shared across five charities.

The group will be leaving from John O'Groats on Wednesday and will travel about 100 miles a day, stopping in Shrewsbury and Gloucester, before arriving in Land's End on 8 June.

Mr Marsh said he hoped "they'll be able to turn the corner despite their old age," and that donations would help make a difference to those "affected by Alzheimer’s, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer."

They were also fundraising for the Midland Freewheelers and West Mercia Search and Rescue, he said.

“Every little will help,” he added.

Mr Marsh was treated for prostate cancer in 2016 and still receives treatment but he said the illness hadn't kept him from wanting to raise money for charity.

"Although I still get treatment now and then, I still feel fit enough to help out and raise money," he said.

The four tractors have been loaded onto a truck and will arrive in John O'Groats on Wednesday