Seaforde Vintage Club to hold event on Friday night

24 May 2023

SEAFORDE Working Vintage Club will host their annual road run in support of diabetes treatment at the Ulster Hospital on Friday evening.

Vehicles can assemble from 6.15pm on at the JH McCammon Hall, Seaforde. All vintage, classic and modern tractors and classic and vintage cars, motorbikes and lorries are very welcome with tractors leaving at 7pm and cars at 7.30pm sharp.

The route for the tractor run has been organised by club member Eugene Gibney and will be through the picturesque lanes and fields of the Seaforde Demesne.

Permission to use the Demesne has been kindly granted by Mr Mathew Forde and participants are asked to take special care not to damage any private property.

They are also reminded that no implements should be attached to the rear of tractors as they are considered to be a danger to other vehicles.

The car route, organised by club member Michael McKibben, will and go to Dromara via Demesne Road, Magherahamlet Road and Dundrum Road.

From Dromara it’s back to the hall via Rathfriland Road, Castlewellan Road, Drumnaquoile Road, Carnreagh Road, Claragh Bridge, Drumcaw Road, Cochrane’s Bridge, Castlewellan, Road and Clough.

This year the road run will be supporting the vital work of research and care of patients with diabetes at the Ulster Hospital as they seek to help people who suffer from this disease.

Meanwhile, the club will be holding a threshing display at Castlewellan Show in July and the annual rally and rural celebration day will be held later in September in the Seaforde Demesne, again kindly granted by Mr Mathew Forde.

The Christmas tractor road run, which was very well supported last year, will be held in December with thanks to club members, Noel and Richard Kane and Richard Fitzpatrick for the use of their yards to assemble the tractors.

In addition to all the usual activities, this year Seaforde Working Vintage Club is holding a raffle for a vintage tractor in aid of diabetes at the Ulster Hospital.

This tractor, a 1952 Ferguson TE20 TVO complete with a Ferguson drill plough, Ferguson potato planter and Ferguson fertiliser attachment, has been generously donated by the club chairman, Mr Davy Martin, whose son, Eddie, suffers from diabetes. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the road run on Friday night.

The club wishes to thank everybody who has already bought tickets at Shanes’s Castle and Balmoral Show where the tractor was on display on stands kindly donated by John Rice of Miller’s Oils and Richard Fitzpatrick of Slurryquip, manufacturers of slurry spreading equipment.

Seaforde club members are appealing for a large turnout of tractors and cars to support the charity and ask drivers and spectators to be careful both on the runs and at the assembly point and obey the marshal’s instructions. The evening will conclude with the usual cup of tea and sandwiches and presentation of a souvenir in the hall.

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