Festive magic confirmed by Chester House Estate - Mowerman

This festive highlight, back after wowing the crowds last year, will see the decorated tractors travel around and through the Estate on Sunday, 17th December.

The tractors, which will arrive at Chester House Estate between 10am and 2pm, will spend several hours revving up a Christmas spirit at the Irchester estate, and then set off on a route around nearby towns and villages, dropping off parcels of food for Irthlingborough Food Bank on route.

The tractors are expected back at Chester House Estate for around 7.30pm.

This year’s tractor run is raising funds for two good causes: the Special Care Baby Unit at Kettering General Hospital and the Frank Bruno Foundation, which was set up by former professional boxer Frank Bruno, MBE to provide a safe environment for young people with mental health issues. Frank will be at the Estate throughout the day, meeting and greeting visitors, chatting about his charity and signing copies of his memoir ‘Frank Bruno: 60 Years A Fighter’.

Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “Seeing scores of tractors travel on mass to our estate is a truly spectacular sight to behold. It’s hard to describe the magic of this event, you really have to see it for yourself.

“After seeing it for the first-time last year, it really feels like Mowerman at Chester House Estate is the final ‘must have’ on anyone’s festive wish list.

“For Christmas this year, our growing, talented team have planned a truly unique offering – taking all of the organising in-house for the first time. This means we have been able to be more creative than ever before. Most tickets for our Santa grotto and this year’s festive programme were snapped up within days of being announced. But. don’t let that stop you from visiting Chester House Estate – Christmas magic is around every corner here and this Mowerman tractor run is the perfect opportunity for families from across the region to experience this for themselves.”

Frank Bruno MBE will be cutting a red ribbon at around 4pm on the day and inviting local families to join him in officially sending the tractors on their way.

Last year 36 tractors took part, but this year there will be up to 70.

Stewart Garrett-Harvey, owner of Mowerman Garden Machinery, a Wellingborough based business which is organising this event in partnership with Chester House Estate, said: “We are really proud of this event and want to raise as much as possible for charity. That’s why we are appealing to local organisations to sponsor a tractor. For £500 they can have their logo put on to the side of one of our many tractors. Great publicity, great fun and a superb way to spread Christmas cheer this year.”

There will donation pots dotted around the estate and accompanying the tractors on their travels. All funds raised will go to the two charities.

Parking is free all day and there will be plenty of Christmas activities for the whole family to enjoy, as well as festive food and drink to tuck into. Chester House Estate will be transformed into a magical winter wonderland for Christmas.

Claudius Way is the estate’s main visitor car park and is accessed through the Prologis Park Wellingborough. Visitors are advised to use the NN8 2DH postcode to find this entrance.

Visitors are advised to access the site via this main car park. The Lime Avenue A45 entrance will strictly be for blue badge holders only.

Chester House Estate is overseen by North Northamptonshire Council and opened to the public in October 2021, following an extensive £17m Nationally Lottery Heritage Funded restoration project.

To find out more about Christmas Magic and other festive events at Chester House Estate visit https://chesterhouseestate.org/events/upcoming-events/

To find out more about sponsoring a tractor for this Mowerman event email [email protected]