A tractor run novice is set to take on the ultimate challenge when he embarks on the 250-mile journey from Pembrokeshire to Shropshire in a 62-year-old tractor.

Estimating a top speed of 12 mph, Arwyn Williams, the head of A-levels at Pembrokeshire College and owner of a smallholding on the Preseli mountains, will be driving his 1956 International B250 over the mountains of mid-Wales in a journey that is expected to take three days - all in the name of raising money for charity.

The idea was conceived following the death of Arwyn’s father-in-law, Edgar Harris, in 2015, from bowel cancer. During Edgar’s illness, Arwyn and his partner Amanda,travelled from Pembrokeshire to Shropshire on an almost weekly basis.

Well known within the Shropshire farming community, at Edgar’s wake, family and friends decided to raise money to support other cancer patients and Arwyn and Amanda’s brother decided a tractor run would be a fitting tribute - the big downfall being Arwyn did not have a tractor!

Arwyn commented: “The charities we have decided to support are the Paul Sartori Foundation - Pembrokeshire’s only Hospice at Home Service and the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund which has been raising funds since 1979 to improve cancer facilities in Shropshire, Telford and Mid Wales. Both charities are doing amazing things for people who are suffering from cancer and we felt that raising money for one at both ends of the journey was the right thing to do.”

Two weeks after the initial idea, Arwyn acquired ‘Roger the tractor’ and started getting her ready for some trial road runs! After a couple of false starts, ‘Roger’ is now ready to make the epic journey and Arwyn hopes that local vintage tractor enthusiasts will join him on stages of the journey to raise as much money as possible for charity.

Arwyn explained that most of the tractors seen on tractor runs are in better condition than when they were manufactured and have been completely rebuilt, but this isn’t the case for ‘Roger’, who is an unrestored tractor that has only had the essential mechanical repairs to prepare it for the run.

For Arwyn, this tractor run is bitter sweet in many ways. Having always wanted a little tractor for his 15-acre smallholding, his neighbour, Roger, purchased the International B250 (the 444th one ever made in the world), but unfortunately passed away before being able to do any tractor runs. Arwyn is very close to Roger’s family and asked if he could purchase it and give it a good home.

“Roger bought the little tractor so he could use it to do a few jobs and take part in tractor runs. As the new owner of the tractor, I felt that I had a duty to try and complete Roger’s mission to get the little tractor up and running and out on the country roads of Pembrokeshire,” explained Arwyn.

“I plan on taking as many of the unclassified roads as possible and calling in at villages along the way hoping that people will come out to donate what they can for our chosen charities.”

You can donate online via the Just Giving website: tractorrunpembsshrop or Tractorrunpembsshroppaulsartori and you can follow the preparations and progress on Facebook: Tractor run Pembrokeshire to Shropshire.

Anyone wishing to join Arwyn on any part of his journey should get in touch via the contact details on the Facebook page.

Arwyn and ‘Roger’ will be starting their epic journey with a start event at Pembrokeshire College at 9 am today (Friday), and are aiming to arrive at Apley Farm Shop, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire, at around 2 pm on Sunday, July 1.