They don’t do raffles by halves up Brechin way where a £1 ticket is enough to land the lucky winner a vintage Massey Ferguson tractor worth over £15,000.
The lovingly restored ‘Fergie’ has been a popular feature at rallies throughout the country this summer and is now on track to raise thousands of pounds for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS).
The Friends of Ferguson Heritage Group from Angus and the Mearns painstakingly returned the tractor to its former glory and have displayed their work at events across the UK.
When group member Alex Duncan sadly died at the age of 80 in December last year, the friends unanimously agreed CHSS should benefit from the sale of their latest project.
Mike Robertson said interest in the unusual prize has already seen enough tickets sold to cover their costs and hand the substantial cheque to the charity.
“Alex died before we started work on the tractor and he was such a major part of what we do that we decided to donated the money to CHSS,” said Mr Duncan. “It was his workshop that we used and his son is part of the group.
“When we got the tractor it was in pretty poor condition and was missing a lot of pieces. We are hoping the raffle goes well and if the winner doesn’t want the prize they can have a cash alternative.”
Mike and his workmates spent over £3000 restoring the tractor and tickets for the raffles have been sold throughout the year some as far afield as Australia.
CHSS senior regional fund-raising manager Paul Corrigan said the charity was “thrilled” to be the beneficiary of the project.
He added, “As well as raising a phenomenal amount of money for us, the tractor has been a focal point of awareness-raising all year on behalf of our work for people with chest, heart or stroke illness and their families.
“Our sincere thanks go to all members of the heritage group and to all the volunteers and local suppliers who supported the restoration project with donations of time, cash and equipment. It’s been a really inspirational project.”