A tractor run that is set to take place in Cahir in Co. Tipperary this weekend hopes to raise awareness about meningitis.
‘TrACTors for Meningitis‘ is being organised in memory of Grainne O’Donnell, who passed away suddenly from meningitis earlier this year at only 20-years-old – leaving all of her family, friends and community in shock.
Multiple fundraisers have been held in Grainne’s honour this year, with well over €20,000 being raised for charity to date.
In order to raise money for ‘ACT for Meningitis’, family members have decided to organise a tractor run. It is also hoped that awareness about meningitis will be raised among all the participants and spectators on the day.
Registration for the tractor run is set to take place from 9:00am until 12:30pm in Cahir Mart on Sunday, July 16; refreshments will be served prior to the tractors setting off on the run.
The tractors are scheduled to begin the run between 12:30pm and 1:00pm; participants will travel down through the town of Cahir before taking the Mitchelstown Road.
Tractors will then travel down that road as far as the roundabout for the motorway on the Cork side of Kilbeheny. Participants will then travel back to Cahir using the bypass and return to the mart via the Cashel Road, according to the organisers.
Prizes have been donated to the raffle by generous sponsors and local businesses in Cahir; some of the prizes have a value of up to €85.
Anything that moves, including vintage cars, is welcome to take part in the run – which is about 14 miles long each way – according to John Davis, Grainne’s uncle.
There will be no discrimination here, everyone is welcome to take part. We are expecting over 200 participants. Lads have promised to come from counties Cork and Limerick.
“We want to raise awareness about meningitis and get people talking about it; if it is flagged down in just one person as a result of this, it will all be worth it. You never know about meningitis until it hits your family,” Davis told AgriLand.
All entrants in the run will be required to produce a licence and a valid insurance disk upon registration.
Anyone bringing a tractor equipped with a front loader is asked to take the bucket, grab or bale handler off; no attachments are allowed on the tractor’s 3-point linkage either.
Drivers will only be permitted to carry passengers if the tractor has a proper seat to accommodate them, organisers concluded.