Why tractor run is 'best medicine' for organiser

WHEN the Chew Valley Tractor Express gathers on Christmas Eve it will be a particularly poignant moment for founder Carrianne Summers and her family.

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Carrianne Summers with her friend Grace Dursley who helps her run the Chew Valley Tractor Express

For on Valentine's Day this year the mother-of-two was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.

Despite spending the last ten months undergoing gruelling chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, the 44-year-old was determined not to step away from the tradition which started when she realised her eldest son Harvey, who will be six on December 22, would not be able to see Santa because of the Covid restrictions.

“Absolutely not,” she answered without a beat when asked if she ever felt like cancelling. “When you come around the corner and see all the people who have come out for it, it makes everything seem worthwhile.”

Carrianne has been brutally honest about her diagnosis in an effort to warn other women to check for breast cancer and not put lumps and bumps down to changes following childbirth or breastfeeding.

CARRIANNE SUMMERS