Pensioner to lead vintage tractor convoy cross-bay attempt for Diabetes UK

The first ever convoy of vintage Massey Ferguson tractors will (we hope!) cross the hazardous sands of Morecambe Bay, between Cumbria and Lancashire, to raise money for Diabetes UK on Sunday, 2 June 2013.

Bob Dickman, 81 (pictured), from Bampton, Cumbria has signed up twenty tractor enthusiasts (the maximum number allowed for safety reasons)  with Massey Fergusons to join the fully guided, sponsored, seventeen mile return drive. Mr Dickman himself will be driving a 1954 fully reconditioned, Grey Ferguson TEF 20 tractor.

He said:  “A similar crossing was successfully undertaken by Land Rovers some years ago, but this would be the first time such a crossing will be undertaken by tractors. Massey Ferguson is a massive part of Cumbria’s heritage, the tractors were enormously popular from the 1950s onwards, and are still in use today, plus Massey Ferguson is part of my own, personal history, I worked for the company for over 40 years.

“I know that Diabetes UK has a strong track record in supporting life-changing research and I felt strongly that I wanted to raise money for the charity after seeing the impact that diabetes has had on family and friend’s lives.”

Money raised from the convoy will go to a Diabetes UK, Type 1 diabetes research project conducted by Kings College, London.

Kate McKie, Diabetes UK, Regional Fundraising Manager North West, said: “This is such an inspiring initiative from Mr Dickman to raise much needed money for research into Type 1 diabetes. I think this will be a very memorable day for anyone who takes part or goes along to watch the convoy cross the notorious sands of Morecambe Bay.”

At low tide, which occurs at 1.45pm on the 2 June, Morecambe Bay exposes 120sq miles of sand flats, and the Bay, which cuts into the North West coastline, is the largest continual intertidal area of Britain and is fed by five fresh water rivers.

Steve Morris, organiser of the Flookburgh Steam Gathering, who lives with Type 1 diabetes and is a key organiser in the tractor convoy, worked closely with Alan Sledmore, and two other official Morecambe Bay guides, to ensure the safest route across the bay and pinpoint the best time and date, according to the Bay’s tides and sand conditions.

The guided crossing, which will start and finish at Cark Airfield (see map), near Flookburgh is to set off at 12 noon and head south east across the Bay to Hest Bank, a return journey of about 18 miles. The return crossing  is expected to take three to four hours, with the tractors driving  through the River Kent, which will be knee deep at low tide and one of the most hazardous parts of the crossing.

Anyone interested in sponsoring or watching the event can find more details at: www.justgiving.com/bobdickmanMF-fergusontractorroadrun, or contact Mr Dickman on 01931 713106, or email, bobdickman@btinternet.com.

Further information on Diabetes UK research can be found at: www.diabetes.org.uk/Research.

For the more pedestrian among us, there will also be a Cross Bay Walk in aid of Diabetes UK, led by experienced Guide Alan Sledmore, from Hest Bank to Flookburgh on Sunday 30 June. For more information see our calendar listing for this event.

Morecambe Police hunt teen "flasher"

Police are appealing for information after a teenager indecently exposed himself in Morecambe.

Between 3.50 and 4.00pm on Thursday 16th May, a 49-year-old woman was walking along Marine Road Central when a boy stepped out of the bushes, dropped his trousers and touched himself inappropriately.

The boy is described as white, around 5'6” tall, of slight build and aged around 14-15 years old. He had fine, mousey blond hair and was wearing turquoise, three quarter length, baggy trousers, a dark pink or burgundy coloured t-shirt and a black baseball cap. He had a silver stunt scooter with him.

PC Jo Clement said: “This was an unpleasant incident and we do need to trace the person in question.

“If anybody thinks they recognise the description of the boy or was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious they are asked to call police.”

Student robbed in Penny Street ginnel, police hunting muggers

Police are appealing for information after a 19 year old student had his wallet and phone stolen after using a cash point in Lancaster.

The robbery took place just after midnight on Thursday 17th May 2013, when the victim withdrew £30 cash from the Halifax cash machine on Penny Street - and was then attacked by two men in the alley next to the bank.

The victim was overpowered and his mobile telephone and wallet stolen.

The first offender who initiated the attack is described as being white, aged between 19 and 20, 5ft 10inches tall with short dark hair and was wearing a black shirt with stocky build.

DC Jennie Pinder from Lancaster CID said: “I would appeal to anybody that witnessed this incident or with any information that could assist with our investigation to come forward and call Lancashire Police on 101 quoting log reference LC-20130516-0015.

“Fortunately the man was not injured but he was left badly shaken up.”

The victim’s wallet is described as being black with orange polka dots; it had an elastic strap which was orange with black polka dots.

His mobile phone is a black Hawaii Ascend with a black front and a metallic back cover.

• People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Difficult North West 200 meeting but solid results for McGuinness

Photo: Mark ‘Wally’ Walters

Morecambe’s John McGuinness scored two top seven finishes at the International North West 200 road races this week but poor weather conditions affected the race schedule throughout and ultimately saw practically Saturday’s entire schedule abandoned. Torrential rain meant that it simply wasn’t safe for racing to take place leaving everyone connected with the event both frustrated and disappointed.

Tuesday’s first qualifying sessions saw the best weather and John was well to the fore as expected in all of them, none more so than in the Supersport category where he took pole position on the HM Plant/Padgetts Honda.

Needless to say, John was in confident mood although Thursday’s races were made tricky by the wet, but drying, conditions. A superb start to the five-lap Supersport race saw him grab an early lead although by the end of the first lap he’d been pushed back down to fifth.


As the race wore on, it was clear the riders on intermediate tyres were in better shape than those, like John, on full wets but he was able to bring the bike home in a solid seventh. The six-lap Superstock race, which got underway at 8.15pm, saw the best of the weather with the sun shining and 90 per cent of the circuit dry but it proved less kind to John and he was forced to retire at two-thirds race distance.

Photo: Mark ‘Wally’ Walters

A day of sun and cloudless skies on Friday was replaced by torrential rain on Saturday’s feature race day and the second Supersport race was stopped after three laps before the racing had to be abandoned completely, four races being lost. Despite the treacherous conditions, John put in another solid ride in his only outing and was rewarded with sixth place.

“There was four to five inches of water through the Juniper Chicane section on Saturday and it was like a swimming pool so it simply wasn’t possible for the racing to continue, said John, speaking after the early conclusion of Saturday’s racing. "As fast as the water was being cleared it was re-forming and it’s just such a shame for everyone involved in the event. We all love coming here and we all love riding but safety has to come first at all times, it’s just so frustrating when the non-race day saw such fine weather.

"On the plus side, we did get to complete three races and the bikes were working really well in practice and I was happy with all of them.”

“I put the HM Plant/Padgetts Honda’s on the front row whilst the Honda TT Legends bike was also bang on the pace, I just pulled in a lap too soon otherwise I’m confident I’d have been higher up on the grid. Sadly, we didn’t get to race the Superbike and although conditions were far from ideal in either of the Supersport races, I did my very best and I’m satisfied with sixth and seventh.

"With the loss of Saturday’s races, we’ve missed out on some mileage before the TT but everyone’s in the same boat and I’m looking forward now to the Island. It’s a big event for all of us so let’s hope the weather’s kind and we all have some fast, safe racing.”

• The first practice session for the Isle of Man TT Races, held on the world famous Mountain Course, takes place on Monday 27th May

In Review: Haffner Players at Atkinson's Priory Hall Cafe

Haffner Players
at Atkinsons
Priory Hall, China St, Lancaster, LA1 1EX
Friday, 17 May 2013
Reviewed by Henry Prince


It wasn’t supposed to be a concert but that is how it turned out. As a patron of the orchestra, I went along to support the joint venture between a small group of Haffner Orchestra players and Atkinsons at the latter’s latest venue ‘The Hall’ on China Street, Lancaster. Expecting to enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of coffee in the company of live musicians providing wall paper sound from a corner of the room, we were surprised to discover that the usual daytime patrons had been replaced by a room full of serious concert goers who had no intention of coming and going. They were there from the first note to the last one two hours later and extra seating had to be brought in to accommodate the unanticipated demand.

Lancaster is not short of live music venues but there was only one place to be Friday night if you wanted to hear acoustic classical instruments being played at close quarters to a very high standard, including a standard quartet of strings, an oboe and a piano. The musical selections were obviously chosen for an audience with eclectic tastes. We were treated to Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, ragtime and tunes from the musicals. Moreover, the combinations of instruments were varied. Sometimes, the string quartet played without the others, sometimes they were joined by the oboe. Occasionally, the oboe combined with ‘cello and piano and more than once the pianist played alone.

It is impossible to single out any particular player as outstanding. They were all equally good and mostly had the opportunity to demonstrate their exceptional abilities. Only the viola player was denied equal opportunity but that is a fact of life for all viola players. Few composers have treated the instrument with the respect its players deserve.

There was one moment when you could have heard a pin drop. That was when the players had at last to concede that they were hopelessly lost and stopped playing. There followed some discrete whispering (“from letter H”) and all was once again well. It happens with the best of players and was a good reminder that the music was live and that despite their other-worldly skills, the players are still human!

These particular amateur musicians are drawn together by both a love of music and the opportunity to play with others of a similarly high technical standard. It is difficult to accept that they all have ‘day’ jobs, ranging from designing buildings, managing businesses, treating patients and raising families. When do they ever find the time to practise!

The evening was referred to as an experiment and I am sure the listeners are looking forward to version II in the near future. It is said that the entry charge will go toward funding a particularly prominent soloist’s particularly large professional fee during next season’s Haffner concert series. If that is true, everyone who attended is a double winner. For a measly £5, each got an immediate return of 2 hours of chamber music and the promise of another big return at a full Haffner concert next year.

The last in this year’s Haffner Orchestra concerts is at 7.30 pm on Saturday, 29th June in the Town Hall on Dalton Square. I shan’t be missing it for the world.

H. Prince

For more about the Haffner Orchestra and forthcoming concerts visit:
http://www.haffnerorchestra.org/

For more about J. Atkinson & Co and their Priory Hall project visit:
http://www.thecoffeehopper.com/