A community effort makes Horncastle man’s dream come true, one last time

A palliative care patient had the honour of sitting on his favourite Massey Ferguson vintage tractor, for what will be the last time, thanks to the wonderful staff at Butterfly Hospice and the local agricultural community.

81-year-old Colin is receiving care at Butterfly Hospice after a cancer diagnosis. As staff got to know Colin, his love of vintage tractors became very clear and the team quickly began working on making Colin’s dream to sit on a Massey Ferguson once more, come true.

Working in partnership, the staff from Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and the Butterfly Hospice Trust, made arrangements with the local agricultural community for a troupe of seven vintage tractors to visit the hospice on Saturday 14 October.

Colin, who lives in Edlington, just outside Horncastle, has worked in agriculture his whole life. He enthusiastically shared with staff details of his absolute favourite tractor, the Massey Ferguson, which he had the privilege of driving years previously at the Lincolnshire Show Steam Rally – an event he attended every year without fail.

Holly Watson, LCHS Clinical Team Lead at Butterfly Hospice, said: “We told Colin what we had planned and he made sure that he was appropriately suited and booted for the occasion.

“Naturally, he found it quite overwhelming and was very heart warmed that the team had made this happen for him.

“We have the most incredible team at the hospice who go above and beyond to make every patient’s journey personal to them and we’re very lucky to work so closely with the Butterfly Hospice Trust team who support us to make these types of things happen.”

Hospice staff invited family and friends, and welcomed Colin’s family too, to make an occasion of the visit. They shared tea and cakes as they looked on with appreciation at the machines that had brought so much joy to Colin throughout his life.