Farm safety campaign tractor stops in Ballynacargy

 

After much anticipation, the launch of the ‘Our Drive to Remember’ took place on Sunday August 12 at Tullamore Show.

With the sponsorship of WR Shaw (Tullamore), the tractor began a journey across the 32 counties of Ireland yesterday Monday August 13 and Westmeath was its first destination.

The aim of the drive is to raise awareness for lives lost in farming accidents – 290 over the last 10 years, and for farm safety practice.

After stopping in Ballynacargy on Monday evening (after we went to print) where it was greeted by Vincent Nally, it continued to Longford, Roscommon and Leitrim.

Embrace FARM

Embrace FARM (Farming Accidents Remembered and Missed) was established by Brian Rohan and his wife Norma in 2014. Having experienced the tragic loss of his father Liam in 2012 in a farming accident, Brian with Norma decided after some research to organise an ecumenical remembrance service for farm families who have lost a loved one or suffered serious injury in a farming accident.

 

The vision of Embrace FARM is to be ‘a caring and supporting Agri-community for all those affected by farming accidents’.

At Sunday's launch in Tullamore well-attended opening address was given by Brian Rohan, chairperson and co-founder of Embrace FARM, Billy Shaw of WR Shaw Ltd, Mark from Easytrack GPS Survey, who has installed a GPS tracker on the tractor for people to follow throughout its drive, Macra president James Healy and Mairead McGuinness MEP.

Present were many members of the public who stopped and took the time to ask questions about ‘Our Drive to Remember’, ensuring the awareness for the drive is already growing.