The 875 mile route from John o’Groats in Scotland to Cornwall’s Land End is a favourite for local heroes taking on the challenge to raise money for charities. Walks and bicycle rides are the preferred method of transport, yet four farmers from the UK have taken it upon themselves to drive a Combine Harvester. 

The team of farmers are raising awareness for mental health in rural communities and industries by undertaking the challenge. The money that they raised has been donated to Mind Mental Health Charity and Children with Cancer UK. 

Olly Harrison, John Branson, James Baldini and Martin Williams have each lost a close friend to a suicide that could have been avoided with swifter, more compassionate support and better funding. They left John O’Groats on Sunday 4th June and covered 200 miles a day to arrive in Land’s End on Thursday 8th. 

In addition to the massive distance the team will be traversing, they have teamed up with German machinery manufacturer Claas to use the largest agricultural vehicle in the form of an enormous LEXION 8700. This is to better illustrate the magnitude of the issue and draw attention to the vital cause. Due to the large size of the Combine at 3.49 meters wide, the route will avoid motorways, and to ensure that the environmental impact is kept to a minimum, their combine runs on Certas Energy Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil. 

Once the journey has been completed, the vehicle will be displayed at exhibited at Cereal 2023 at Thoresby Estate in Newark on the 13th and 14th of June. 

If you would like to see their incredible challenge in action, head over to AcriContracts YouTube page, and to lend your support you can find details on the teams JustGiving page.