FOLLOWING the very successful ?Little Red Tractor? fund-raising raffle, which was won last year by a Throwleigh women with a ticket bought at Okehampton Show, a second raffle is taking place again this year to help provide more training for overseas farmers.
Linda Brough, of Throwleigh, generously donated £500 back to raffle organisers Bicton Overseas Agricultural Trust (BOAT), after her ticket was picked out of the hat from the 7,000 which were sold last year.
The resulting publicity prompted a phone call from Peter Love, the editor of Tractor and Machinery Journal, asking if BOAT would like to rebuild a Ford tractor this year.
The support of local businesses who supplied parts to rebuild the tractor made it possible to do it all again, with one crucial difference ? this time the tractor is blue.
Final year students at Bicton College carried out the work completely to strip down and rebuild the tractor, which is now touring various agricultural shows, including Okehampton.
BOAT, which was formed as a charity by Devon farmers 13 years ago to provide practical instruction and support to trainers from developing countries, is currently assisting four trainers from Nepal, Tanzania and Nigeria.