THE seventh annual ‘Gathering of the Greens’ earlier this year raised £500 for Wales Air Ambulance.

Gathering of the Greens is a group of John Deere tractor enthusiasts who get together for a weekend in July to meet up with old friends, make new ones, share and learn more about their John Deere passion and talk tractors round the clock!

The Deere enthusiasts held their event on 2nd July at Parc Grace Dieu Farm, The Hendre courtesy of local John Deere dealer Frank Sutton.

There was a fine display of vintage and modern John Deere tractors in attendance with the surprise landing of a helicopter which caused much interest and highlighted the clubs chosen charity this year, the Wales Air Ambulance. Catrin Hall, the area representative for the WAA, visited the club in October to receive the donation of £500 and gave a presentation about the life saving work done by the charity.

The event included a tractor ride around the farm and surrounding Welsh countryside, culminating with a hog roast around an authentic John Deere chuckwagon and camp.

Enthusiasts came from Monmouthshire and beyond including visitors from Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Devon and East Anglia.

There was a Western theme with an Indian encampment and families were treated to an afternoon trailer ride around the farm with the Grace Dieu Cowboys rounding up the herd of Longhorn and White Park cattle in front of them! The Young Deeres Competition featured designs of robots for the future farmer and crafts were taken outside with a mud sculpture competition fashioned purely using mini-diggers. A popular attraction was the wood carving of a Longhorn cow and buffalo by artist Chris Wood, who created the sculptures with a chainsaw on the day.

The evening gathering featured a fundraising Barn Dance with a steak bar, fire juggling entertainment and casino with country and western dancing.