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World Tractor Challenge 2004

Lachie MacLeod MBE, a retired police officer and a native of Skye, is currently embarked on a fundraising trip, driving his 1953 Ferguson tractor round the coastline of Scotland. The six week marathon will take him around the fringes of Scotland and he plans to challenge the current record of 3176 miles for the longest tractor journey in the world!

In 1999 he drove this tractor�affectionately nicknamed �Fergie��from John O�Groats to Land�s End, and in 2002 he drove round 18 Scottish islands using 22 ferry crossings. Both journeys took 12 days and raised almost �14,000 and �12,000 respectively for Something for Romania, the charity he founded in 1990.

In the past 14 years Mr. Macleod, 57, has made at least two visits a year to Romania taking medical equipment and supplies to help the thousands of desperately poor people in that country. He is particularly concerned to care for the needs of the terminally ill and this tractor journey is to raise funds to provide free homecare and palliative care for seriously and terminally ill patients.

Setting off from his now home village of Bowling on May 17th and travelling clockwise round the Scottish coastline, he hopes to arrive in Wick tomorrow (Thursday, June 3rd) after visiting John O�Groats, where he will give a slide presentation on the work of the Romanian charity, before jumping into Fergie�s driving seat and heading down the east coast. He hopes to complete the marathon by June 26th, which will also take in a two day visit to the Royal Highland Show at Ingleston.

You can meet Lachie MacLeod and hear more about his trip at 7.30pm on Thursday evening, in the Free Church Hall, Malcolm Street, Wick.

For further information visit the Something for Romania website at www.sfr.org.uk