A six-year-old North Yorkshire girl is raising money for charity with her sparkly stationary engine at this year’s Tractor Fest.
Molly Marshall, from Slingsby, regularly attends rural shows with her pink Lister D engine with her parents Sarah Bradshaw and Dan Marshall, who are also keen machinery exhibitors.
Sarah said: “Molly is a vintage engine enthusiast. She attended her first Tractor Fest at just nine months old and has been brought up around vintage engines.
“Dan and I have four engines of our own that we show. Molly is always keen to help us with them although she knows they are working engines and to stay away when they are running.
“From four years old she was desperate for one of her own, so we bought her a Lister D engine from a fellow machinery enthusiast who shows at Tractor Fest.”
Molly’s engine was manufactured in 1951 and was previously used on a milking plant. She’ll be using it to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support at Tractor Fest, which is held at Newby Hall, Ripon on 7 and 8 June.
Sarah said: “We bought the engine in 2022 and refurbished it to get it up and running correctly. Its livery was the traditional green but Molly wanted a pink engine, so we had it resprayed with a touch of glitter to really make it sparkle in the sunshine!
“Molly sits with her engine and chats with visitors, giving out small packets of sweets to children and welcoming any donations offered for MacMillan Cancer Research.
“It gives us a great opportunity to engage the next generation of machinery enthusiasts and to help keep the history going.”
To date, Molly has raised £350 for MacMillan Cancer Research and £200 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. This year Molly will again be raising money for MacMillan as there is a history of cancer in the family.
Sarah added: “I lost my mum at just 17 so Molly never met her grandma so it is a cause close to our hearts and I am so proud of her.
“Exhibitors and visitors at Tractor Fest are a generous bunch and we hope to raise lots more money for MacMillan at the show.”
About Tractor Fest
Tractor Fest is the UK’s largest tractor festival and takes place at the Newby Hall award-winning country house and gardens on Saturday 7 June and Sunday 8 June.
Occupying 120 acres, more than 2,000 vintage tractors, engines, commercial vehicles, cars, trucks and motorcycles are on display and the show attracts more than 12,000 visitors annually.
Among this year’s highlights will be celebrations of three anniversaries – 100 years of the American Caterpillar brand and the rare German tractor marque, Kramer, and 80 years of the Fordson E27N tractor.
There will be displays of American cars, cultivation equipment and ERF vehicles. The show will also feature displays from specialist marque tractor clubs and working vintage machinery.
A host of entertainment, crafts, food and drink will be on offer at the show and admission includes access to Newby’s gardens, adventure playground, dolls house and teddy bear exhibitions.
More detail here.