Well, if you do there isn’t a vintage club in Barrow but there’s a good one not far away in Melton. They had to close over Covid but are up and running again now, building up numbers again, and doing all the things they used to do with renewed vigour!
The Rutland National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club (NVTEC) meets on the second Tuesday of every month, at 8pm, from October to March in Melton Indoor Bowls Club.
It’s here that a cheerful bunch of tractor enthusiasts, both men and women, meet to have a drink, talk tractors, network and listen to a visiting speaker. Apart from vintage tractors the members also share a common love of the countryside and its wellbeing. And they are not complete fuddy-duddies by any means, for although their barns may contain a few vintage models, for day-to-day farming needs, they use modern ones.
The evening I went along the speaker was Phil Johnson, a tenant farmer from Great Easton, south east Leicestershire, whose topic was ‘87 years of farming’. He used slides, many of which were of tractors, of course, a short 1940s film and old farm implements to illustrate his talk. I found it fascinating as did many in the audience who reacted to his photos of old tractors with cries of “Great little tractor” or “I had one of those – a right bugger!”
The club doesn’t meet in summer because it’s the busiest time of year for working farmers, people are away on holiday and there are agricultural shows and ploughing competitions to attend. The club supports both the Keyworth Show, which is on July 1st and 2nd this year, and July 8th and 9th Rempstone Great Steam and Country Show. Vintage tractors and charity go hand-in-hand. A lot of money raised by these shows is distributed to local charities and the club also takes part in tractor runs which often have a charitable focus. For example, The Archer’s Festive Charity Tractor Run raised £40,000 in 2021.
This Lutterworth-based tractor run has nothing to do with the popular BBC Radio programme of the same name but without the apostrophe! The Rutland NVTCE helps to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal by parking old tractors in places such as Tesco and Asda car parks. The exhibits attract attention and squeeze coins from people’s pockets. But one of the greatest advantages of being a member is that, included in your yearly membership, is public liability insurance for your tractor or engine.
Individual Full Membership is £17.50 per adult, Joint is £19.50, Individual Senior Citizen £15.50, or for Family Membership it’s £21.00. However, members still have to take out Road Traffic Act insurance for self-propelled vehicles which travel on the road or attend public events. For further information please email Bob Cragg on bob.cragg.tractors@gmail.com or ring him on 07759487684 . So, if your passion is tractors and barn engines you now know where to meet like-minded folk who are not too far away.
Gaynor Barton with thanks to Sheena Taylor, Nessa Ogden, Bob and Mal Cragg for their help in writing this article