BY ALLISON LEE
Anna Griffiths is a woman on a mission. Quite simply, she wants to raise awareness and as much money as possible for a charity very close to her heart – Dementia UK.
Anna lives on a smallholding in Ringstead, Northamptonshire with her partner, Andrew, and their two dogs, Rupert and Rodney. She works as a freelance groomer and an animal care assistant at a local veterinary practice, so animals and farm life have always played a big part in her life.
During Covid, Anna spent some time working in an advanced dementia care home and end-of-life care unit and, she says, “It really struck me hard how little support is available for dementia and the families of those facing it.” Whilst Anna’s own grandmother was going through dementia, she came across Dementia UK and she says they were ‘amazing’. This was when she decided she wanted to fundraise for this amazing charity that had given her so much.
Anna found her 1957 Fordson Dexta in a scrap yard and decided, with the help of her partner, to restore it. She paid for the tractor and everything she needed to restore it out of her own pocket, and once it was finished she decided to paint it pink!
Anna has since gone on to raise a whopping £13,557.61 with the use of her ‘Little Pink Tractor’ in aid of Dementia UK, and she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. “I would love to now smash £20K,” she says enthusiastically. “When I first started fundraising I hoped to raise £1,000 for the charity so, now I have raised more than £13,000, it just shows how it pays to keep going,” she adds.
Anna has a lot of shows planned for 2026 and hopes to take her Little Pink Tractor to the Royal Highland Show to raise more money for this incredible cause.
There is no doubt that Anna’s selfless charity work has been worthwhile, having raised an incredible amount of money to date, and she is proud to now have other businesses on board supporting her and helping her to achieve her next target. Tanvic Farm Tyres kindly donated new back tyres for the tractor and refused payment as they wanted to support her cause. Curly Wurly Creations, a small family-run business, have designed a Little Pink Fordson range whereby a percentage of sales goes directly to Dementia UK. Anna is a brand ambassador for FenCowboys, another family-run business, and any commission she makes from sales through that company goes directly to Dementia UK.
Support has also come in other ways, and Anna describes the highlight of her fundraising journey to date as being when Gerald Cooper (in main photo) and Alan Townsend from Clarkson’s Farm agreed to help her fundraise on two separate occasions!
Anna enjoys her fundraising journey. She says she gets to speak to so many people whose lives have been affected by dementia and finds it rewarding to share her own experiences and ability to raise awareness. She is immensely grateful for all the donations she receives and understands how families are affected by this debilitating disease. “Lots of people ask why my tractor isn’t painted in the true Fordson colours, but, once I explain about the charity, they are happy to donate!” Anna says with infectious enthusiasm.
I, for one, am keen to see where Anna’s journey takes her and I will be watching her future fundraising with real interest.
Anna would like to dedicate this interview to her beloved grandparents, Anna Lyons and Bill Griffiths, who she sadly lost to dementia.
If you would like to donate to this incredibly worthwhile cause, please contact Anna through her Instagram page, little_pink_fordson, or through her JustGiving page here.
Allison Lee is a smallholder from North Yorkshire who has written for the Yorkshire Post and other publications. Her website can be accessed here.