Co Down family's farming tribute to 'Wee James' who died suddenly aged 20

A Co Down family have marked what would have been the 22nd Birthday of their brother and son with a special tractor run.

James Malone, from Castlewellan, passed away suddenly last year at the age of 20, and loved attending farm shows all over Ireland. He was also interested in model farms, all things agricultural and above all had a real passion for tractor runs; which is what inspired his family to arrange such a special event to honour his memory.

Speaking following a successful tractor run tha raised £22,000 for the NSPCC, James's sister Lorna said: “I want to give huge and heartfelt thanks to absolutely everyone who helped make this event so successful—my family has been overwhelmed by all the support we received."

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Lorna Malone continued: “We want to offer sincere thanks to all those who took part in the tractor run itself, which was such an incredible spectacle and finally, to the many people who attended on the event and helped raise such an amazing sum of money for the NSPCC Northern Ireland. It was exactly the kind of day James would have loved and it was such a fitting way to remember him.”

With hundreds of tractors taking to the roads, the event was truly something to behold. There was live music, face painting, auctions, raffles, hot food stalls and much more.

“We are so grateful to the people who arranged the many fun events including the lovely music,

fantastic food and also to all the businesses, and everyone else, who donated to the fabulous raffle,”

Lorna Malone said. “We are indebted to the organisers of the tractor pulling event and the Dyno which were new attractions this year and proved to be very successful.”

All the money that was raised went to the NSPCC Northern Ireland, who are dedicated to helping children in need. Fighting to put an end to child abuse, it is one of the leading children’s charity in the UK.

Speaking of the event, Susan Smith, Community Fundraising Manager at NSPCC, said: “We are beyond grateful to James’s family for the incredible donation of £22,198 which was raised at this unique event. This money will be used to support our vital work in Northern Ireland, helping them to protect children and keeping them safe—this includes our Childline service, which is available 24 hours a day, everyday, for young people who need support and feel they have nowhere else to turn.

“Truly it was a wonderful way to mark James’s birthday and many, many local children will benefit from the generosity of James’s family. This amount means that we could answer 5,608 calls to children and young people who need our help—thank you so much for everyone who supported this event.”

The NSPCC helpline can be contacted for free on 0808 800 5000 or on email through help@nspcc.org.uk.

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