CUFC Lottery buys tractor in unusual times

To explain briefly, the lease on the tractor (used daily by Ian Darler and Mick Brown on the pitch) came to an end after five years. After a month's grace, the tractor and its equipment were removed from the ground.

Due to current financial restraints, the Club was unable to finance another lease and it was paramount that a tractor was available at the Club. Subsequently, Ian Darler, Earnest Doe, Club officials and the Lottery Team literally put their heads together and came up with a plan within 72 hours to resolve the situation. Ian Darler commented: 'The football club has had an Iseki tractor and aerator on a lease for four years via Ernest Doe. The lease came to the end of its life on 30th March and we were due to replace the equipment with a new tractor and aerator, but the Covid 19 virus came along and the finance company stopped the pre-arranged deal from proceeding. This was totally out of our control at the Football Club, and nobody could have foreseen this coming when the lease arrangements were put in place.'

Ian continued: 'I approached the CUFC Lottery to ask if there would be any possibility of a contribution towards the cost of buying the tractor which we had previously had on finance back from Ernest Doe. The support I received from the Lottery committee was simply amazing! I negotiated a really good deal with Ernest Doe on the tractor and the committee accepted and supported what was on the table. It was just 36 hours from the minute I asked for help to the time we received the tractor back at the stadium!'

At £10,000 this was by far the largest sum the CUFC Lottery has ever paid out.