Preparations are now well advanced for the 2018 NVTRR in Knighton, Radnorshire hosted by Teme Valley Vintage Club.
Teme Valley Vintage Club was formed in 1980 by a small group of enthusiasts from Knighton. Three of the original founders are still club members to this day. The annual club programme comprises a charity tractor run, vintage rally and ploughing match, together with various social events. Money is raised annually for local charities. The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month at the Castle Inn, Knucklas and new members are always welcome.
Teme Valley Vintage Club has been selected to host the National Vintage Tractor Road Run 2018 with Radnorshire being the featured county. It will also be assisted by the tractor clubs of Radnorshire and the Borders. The first ‘national’ was held in Herefordshire in 1985 organised by Ashley Godsall. It has been held in a different county of the British Isles every year since then, except for the year of the foot and mouth epidemic and has never been to the same county twice. Still overseen by the founder Ashley the run takes place on Sunday 1st April 2018 and is starting from Bensons Factory Yard at Knighton, by kind permission of Roy and Dave Edwards of M.A. Evans Transport, who are our main sponsors. The site is one of the former homes of County Tractors and Bamfords Machinery. McConnel also used the site as an extension of its Ludlow factory and the swingover hedge trimmer was built here. Also on the same site are Clayton Engineering who manufacture and service lifeboat launch and recovery vehicles and trailers for the RNLI for the use of lifeboat stations around the British Isles and Ireland, some examples of which will be on display on the Saturday. Brian Hughes, consultant engineer for the company will be on hand on the day to oversee the display.
Knighton is known as the town on the Dyke as it is situated at the mid point of Offas Dyke, the ancient boundary between England and Wales.
The run commences from Benson’s Yard at 9.30am prompt and does a figure of eight route encompassing Presteigne, the former county town of Radnorshire and then over Stonewall Hill with scenic views of several counties and back to Knighton for a lunchtime stop at Knighton Community Centre. In the afternoon we will be travelling on the Shropshire side of the River Teme, which enables the run to go up and across the Dyke, then via Llanfairwaterdine back to Knighton, by which time we will have crossed the border many times to include Herefordshire, Shropshire and Radnorshire. The scenery is stunning and the views far reaching so we are hoping for a clear day.
We are expecting up to 500 entrants and are also organising a charity raffle with prizes of £1000, £500 and £250 and many other prizes. All proceeds will be distributed between our chosen charities, the RNLI, Wales Air Ambulance, Hope House Children’s Hospice and East Radnorshire Day Centre. The raffle will be drawn at our social evening on Saturday 31st March at Knighton Community Centre. Raffle tickets are £1 each and are available from TVVC members. They are also available at Bradfords Ironmongers in Knighton and East Radnor Day Centre in Presteigne.
Entry forms are available to download from our website or Teme Valley Facebook page. Telephone enquiries should be made to the organising chairman Steve Weaver on 07891 909325, Phil Evans on 01544 267944, Pat Caine on 07966 387815 or Gordon Morris on 07989 894022.