THE UK Forwarder Driving Championships will return to the APF Exhibition in a major boost for the forestry fair.
Organisers have confirmed the event will take place during September's three-day show after Richard Court Engineering and Coombes Forestry agreed to oversee it.
It's the first time in a number of years the championships will be held at the UK's largest woodland exhibition, which is being hosted at Warwickshire's Ragley Estate between September 19 and 21.
Writing exclusively for Forestry Journal in May's APF Diary, the show's exhibition secretary confirmed the news.
"As I suggested last month, we can now confirm that the UK Forwarder Driving Championships will be returning this year," Ian Millward wrote. "Many thanks to Richard Court Engineering and Coombe Forestry for agreeing to take on the role of organisers.
"At previous events the competition has been confined to a relatively small 40 x 30 m arena. This year they have a 90 x 60 m arena to work with, which is on a slope so you can look forward to a challenging and exciting course and great spectator visibility."
There has been an appetite for more working forestry machinery to be on show at APF for a number of years, with Ian having previously issued a call to arms for someone to step up and oversee the championship's return.
In March's APF Diary, he wrote: "We want to ensure our visitors can see these machines at work and are very keen to stage the UK Forwarder Driving Championships again.
"We have set aside a large arena with great visibility for the competition. All we need now is someone to run it for us and provide a machine or two.
"It is an ideal opportunity for a company to both run the competition and have their stand next to it to promote their equipment. It doesn’t even have to be one of the big manufacturers, but someone who uses or has access to machines.
"If you think you might be able to help us out, please give me a ring to chat about the details. We will do everything we can to get you along."
More details on the UK Forwarder Driving Championships will be confirmed in due course. Ian's full Diary from May can be read in the magazine and will be online during the course of this month.
As the official media partner of the UK's largest forestry event, Forestry Journal is the place to keep up-to-date with the latest on 2024's APF.
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