AN inaugural War of the Roses wagon run which took place over the weekend of September 24 and 25 and saw a stream of wagons and lorries from all over Yorkshire, Lancashire and beyond set off in convoy from Coniston Cold to Blackpool has raised over £1,300 for Air Ambulance charities.

The road run from the Coniston Hotel and Spa, at Coniston Cold, involved around 40 lorries and wagons on route which in went through the Trough of Bowland, with a brief stop at Forton services, before continuing on to Cleveleys.

From there the convoy headed for the promenade at Blackpool seafront where they were cheered and waved at by the holiday makers.

After Blackpool they continued to Wareings buildings at Wrea green where they were made most welcome with cake and coffee and given a tour around their heritage centre which is full of classic and vintage commercial vehicles which the company owned and used.

The group had an overnight hotel stay and enjoyed a three-course meal and raffle with a good selection of donated prizes which raised just over £1,000.

A run to Leyburn was completed the following day taking the vehicles across the Lancashire/Yorkshire border for a second time.

A DVD has been made from the photographs from various photographers who took some stunning photos of the vehicles which raised £300. The total amount raised so far has reached £1,336.30, but more is expected to come in following further sales of the DVD to those who took part.

The cash will be handed over to the air ambulance at a later date.

One of those who took part, Robert Wellock, said it was a very good first event over that route.

"There was a bit of grid-lock in Slaidburn for a few minutes when we struggled to get past a car, but it was all sorted out," he said.

Another problem for one of the marshals at Coniston Cold is shown on the video attached to the story on the website which shows an impatient motorists trying to get past the marshal while the lorries are turning onto the road. He manages to keep it at bay for a while until another vehicles comes along.

The event is likely be an annual fundraiser with a different route taken each year.

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