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IT'S THE SECOND TRACTOR RUN OF ITS TYPE THIS YEAR - AND WAS ORGANISED IN MEMORY OF GARGUNNOCK FARMER HEATHER MCALLISTER. 15:23, 13 Dec 2024 The roads of Stirling were lit up for a

special festive occasion as a procession of tractors, HGV and special vehicles hit the tarmac for charity on Saturday night. The Christmas ‘tractor run’ was organised in memory of Gargunnock

farmer Heather McAllister, who passed away aged just 38 last year - with proceeds going to the Somerville Heart Foundation. Crowds of well-wishers were out to see off the specially

decorated vehicles on their route around Stirling, which took in Causewayhead, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane and Doune. And the support wasn’t just limited to the side of the roads, with bucket

collections and the JustGiving page set up for the fundraiser surging over the £10,500 mark. Organiser Bob Wilson from Kippen was left delighted once again by the response to the tractor run

- and has promised the event will return in 2025, with hopes of it becoming bigger and better. Bob told the Observer: “It worked so well and the feedback to it has been mindblowing since

Saturday night. “I’ve been taken aback and overwhelmed with the support we’ve been given, both with the numbers that came out and also the donations that have been pledged for us. “It has

been really good fun organising it all and it’s been a real case of lots of good people coming together to create a good event. “The marshals came along in their Land Rovers for this one and

also we knew the lorries would want to get involved with their lights and they really added to things.” The successful tractor run was the second to take place this year, with the first

event of its kind in Stirling taking place in February, when more than £5,000 was raised for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland in memory of Arnprior blacksmith Bobby Gunn. The festive drive

was organised in association with the Royal Highland Education Trust, an organisation which aims to bring farming and its importance to life for young people from all backgrounds. Bob was

quick to thank the RHET for their input in making the Christmas tractor run a success and admits they had some fortunes in missing the recent cold snap and stormy weather. “The two tractor

runs have been different events but both have received such an excellent response”, Bob added. “There was a huge response from those who made it out and we were lucky that the weather wasn’t

too bad or frosty which worked out really well for us.” Article continues below To donate to the Trossachs Christmas Tractor Run, you can get involved at

justgiving.com/page/robert-wilson-1728415105679.