‘Conor’s Truck and Tractor Run’ raises over £70,000 for charities

THE friends and family of murdered Castlederg father-of-one Conor Browne have said they would like to thank everyone who helped them raise over £70,000 for charity during the first annual truck and tractor drive at the weekend.

‘Conor’s Truck and Tractor Run’ took place on Sunday with over 170 lorries and over 140 tractors arriving from all over the North. The run started in Castlederg before travelling on through Victoria Bridge, Newtownstewart, Ardstraw before returning to Castlederg.

The run – held in aid of Air Ambulance and REVIVE ICU – was organised by Conor’s friends, Gary Short, Peter Lynch, Brian Quinn, Dicky Harpur, Ciaran Byrne, Peter McGlynn, John Spence and Gavin Cassidy.

After the run, an auction was held, which raised over £32,000. There was also a charity raffle with the exact figure raised unknown as yet. However, organisers estimate that well in excess of £70,000 has been raised.

Conor’s friend Peter Lynch, who helped to organise the event, said the run exceeded all their expectations.

“It was an amazing success and it was great to see how many people turned out to take part in the run. It just shows goes to show what can happen when people come together to support charities, and it also shows how much people thought of Conor,” said Peter.

“I want to thank everyone who donated, no matter how large or small the amount was. The extent of the money raised and the amount of people that turned out to support the run was well in excess of anything we thought it would be.

“We’re hoping this is just the beginning and that next year’s event will be even bigger and better than this one.”

Conor Browne died at the age of 28 after he was attacked in the early hours of Saturday, September 2, last year outside a bar in Castlederg. He was brought to the Intensive Care Unit at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Two people are currently awaiting trial after being charged with murder and other offences related to the incident. Meanwhile, two other individuals who were arrested for affray were released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.