Pink Ladies' Tractor Run reaches £1m breast cancer milestone

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Tractor run organiser Annie ChapmanImage source, Jonathan Slack
Image caption,

Organiser Annie Chapman drove one of almost 200 decorated pink tractors in Sunday's convoy

A charity event set up in 2004 which sees women driving a convoy of tractors festooned in pink decorations has managed to reach its "dream" £1m goal for breast cancer research.

This year's Pink Ladies' Tractor Road Run saw 201 women and their decorated farm vehicles drive through south Norfolk and north Suffolk on Sunday.

This year's pledges of £104,000 so far takes their 20-year total to £1m.

Organiser Annie Chapman said it was "beyond my wildest dreams".

She added: "I will not know the final total until the beginning of September but, for now, we all have cause to celebrate.

"This cannot be the end of the journey. It is a big step forward but the road to successfully diagnosing and treating breast cancer is a long one.

"We must keep the wheels turning."

Image source, Jonathan Slack
Image caption,

The fundraising tractor run began in 2004

This year's tractor convoy saw a record 201 women swathed in pink driving 197 decorated tractors," the organisers said.

Image source, Jonathan Slack
Image caption,

These are just a few of the 201 women who took part in this year's event

One of those taking part was Laura Middleton-Hughes, who said: "This was my third... and seeing so many more tractors on the street and seeing thousands come out in support of a cause very close to my heart, shows how many people this disease touches.

"Cancer has been part of my life now for just over nine years, being diagnosed myself aged 25 in 2014.

"I then sadly had it come back in 2016 as secondaries (incurable) to my bones. I have been on medication since to keep me here, but I don't know how long it will work for."

She added: "A huge thank you to everyone who took part or sponsored money towards the fundraising, as it really does help people like me."

Media caption,

Breast cancer survivor Lynne Ainge spoke about the Pink Ladies Tractor Run in 2019

Image source, Jonathan Slack
Image caption,

It's all pink - as far as the eye can see

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