If you are visiting the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show on Wednesday 19th or Thursday 20th August, stop by and talk to members of the North Dorset Tractor Run Facebook group at their stall, and find out how this energetic band of tractor enthusiasts have turned their passion into a way to raise funds for Salisbury Hospice and other local charities.
The group was set up by Suzanne Smith in memory of her father Barry Smith, whose death in 2010 inspired an event that has developed into annual vintage tractor and vintage rallies across the Dorset countryside that he loved. Barry was a well-known East Stour character, a lorry driver by day and a keen restorer of vehicles in all his spare time. Even while undergoing gruelling chemotherapy, he could still be found coaxing life into the vintage tractors he loved. They were more than old, rusty machines to him. They reflected workmanship, patience and pride.
On his final journey to church and on to the cemetery, he was driven on his cherished Fordson Major by his daughter Suzanne’s partner Tony Fowler.
Barry’s expertise in restoration began with an old Austin and a Ford Anglia before he progressed to tractors. The first was a 1963 Fordson Super Dexta and then he moved on to a 1953 Fordson Major six-cylinder conversion, on which he was still working as the treatment took its toll. He found the Dexta as a rusted shell in a hedge near East Knoyle, and brought it back to full working order. Tony Fowler describes The Major as ‘the limousine of vintage tractors’.
Both machines were left to Suzanne and the family in her father’s will, and she wanted to make the legacy count, as a memorial to her father and to thank Salisbury Hospice for the care it had given him.
The seeds of the North Dorset Tractor Road Runs were a one-off vintage vehicle rally and family fun day at The Udder Farm Shop in East Stour, which grew in scale and popularity until Covid forced a rethink. During the pause, the idea of the road runs was developed, with the idea that scores of tractors could rumble through miles of lanes, villages and farm tracks, with people waving from gateways and children waiting excitedly along the route.
‘Small and mighty’, says Suzanne. Tractor drivers pay to take part, routes are published on social media, bucket collections are held where possible and each run ends with a fundraising barbecue, raffle and a chance for the public to admire the tractors. Like a farming timeline, the runs include elderly working tractors and also the most modern machines. A tiny 1930s Field Marshall might sit alongside a huge 2020s John Deere – a juxtaposition that’s part of the appeal.
Modern tractors matter because they attract young drivers, says Suzanne. ‘Some drivers are only 16 years old – you can drive a tractor legally on the road at that age,’ she says. ‘We want to keep the future generation engaged in farming.’
The passion runs through three generations of Suzanne’s family. Her daughter Hollie took her tractor test on Barry’s Dexta, which would have made Barry so proud. Her son Curtis, who rode beside his grandfather as a boy, is now an accomplished tractor driver himself. ‘They fight over who is driving in the runs now,’ Suzanne says. Even her five-year-old granddaughter Dulcie is already captivated.
‘These are not just machines,’ says Suzanne. ‘They are special to us. We’re passionate about them and the Tractor Runs because of all the close connections.’
A key cog in the Tractor Run is retired third-generation East Stour farmer Henry Miller, who acts as the run’s route master. He knows the local lanes, fields and fords intimately, and that knowledge turns each outing into more than a procession though town. Routes range from 15 to 30 miles, and often include off-road sections with fords and rough terrain, adding interest and challenge for the drivers.
Henry grew up around tractors and learnt to drive as soon as he could reach the pedals. Blue tractors remain his favourite, a childhood loyalty strengthened by memories of his grandfather’s big blue tractor and by the popularity of Fordsons. He owns a Fordson Dexta from 1963 and a 1976 Ford 4600 … and admits he is always looking for more.
‘You can’t have enough tractors,’ he says. ‘It’s very hard to turn down a vintage tractor if one comes along!’
For Henry and many of the drivers, the attraction lies in the simplicity of the older machines. They’re built to last, and once restored can still be understood by anyone prepared to lift the bonnet and tinker. Modern tractors may be astonishingly capable, but vintage ones carry a different kind of fascination: visible engineering and the satisfaction of keeping history moving.
And very uncomfortable seats! ‘About three hours is a long time on an old tractor,’ says Henry. ‘You start to feel saddle sore, especially sitting on the metal seats!’
The runs have a gentle, good-humoured spirit, with the organisers always mindful of other road users. A sign on the lead tractor asks drivers to be patient because money is being raised for charity. This reduces motorist frustration.
Remarkably, the single mishap so far came when Suzanne’s partner Tony tipped his tractor while leading a run. He ended up with the tractor in a hedge, and had to be pulled out by the following tractor … once its driver had finished laughing. Thankfully, the only thing damaged was Tony’s pride!
Tony was born on a farm in Somerset and has been driving tractors since childhood. He went to shows with Barry, taking the Dexta and the Nuffield. Suzanne never wanted to drive them.
‘I didn’t want anything to do with them,’ she says. ‘But when Dad died, everything changed.’
At the stand at the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show, visitors can meet the team and see the tractors up close. Every tractor on display dates from 2002 or earlier, giving younger visitors a chance to see how today’s huge, high-tech machines began. They are also popular in the Main Ring parade.
‘The show is a great opportunity for us to connect with the public and to fundraise as well’, says Suzanne.
When the summer shows are over the group members turn their attention to wintry fundraising. Cabless tractors can be a chilly prospect, so the winter runs include 4x4s. Last year Suzanne suggested to Sturminster Newton Town Council a town parade of tractors decorated with Christmas lights and drivers in festive gear. The inaugural festive run packed the streets and brought busy trade into local businesses. ‘Feedback was remarkable’, says Suzanne. ‘Some said the town hadn’t seen so many people since the old carnival.’
The next road run, on 8th August, will raise money for Weldmar Hospicecare in memory of Carol Adams, the wife of a friend. ‘We’ve been through it,’ says Suzanne. ‘We understand why it matters to show support.’
The machines that her father loved but she would not even climb on have become part of Suzanne’s family life and her community. Is there one tractor she would like to buy?
No hesitation – ‘The bright orange Nuffield that Dad sold before he died. I still know the registration: WAD 39. It’s local somewhere,’ she says.
Henry, true to form, would choose a classic Fordson 40 Series: ‘They’re like gold dust and cost a fortune.’
