Deceased farmer Martin Kemp’s family is to donate the proceeds from the sale of a bale trailer at their farm dispersal auction next week to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in his memory.
Mr Kemp, whose family farmed at Burnhill Green Farm, Burnhill Green, near Wolverhampton for four generations over 115 years, died from lung cancer in June, 2015.
His widow, Judi, has continued to run the 800-acre arable farm but has now decided to relinquish the agricultural tenancy because her sons, Tom and Sam, both of whom are professionals working in London, were unable to fulfil succession to the tenancy given the sudden nature of their father’s death.
The family’s range of modern farm machinery and implements will be sold at a farm auction on Friday, September 22. The lots include a Salop bale trailer, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
The charity has a mission to defeat lung cancer through research, support and prevention.
In addition to the bale trailer, which is lot 411, there will be a separate lot for a four-day stay in a five-bedroomed home on the Isle of Wight, directly overlooking the Solent.
The holiday has been donated by the family in memory of Martin. The date of the stay will be subject to availability.
'Very well known'
The auction is being conducted by Peter Willcock, chairman of Shrewsbury-based auctioneers Halls, a personal friend of Martin and his family. Halls have agreed to waive sale commission on the trailer to support the charity.
“Martin and the Kemp family had farmed here for four generations and were very well known in the area,” said Mrs Kemp. “As a family, we didn’t want it all to disappear without putting something back.
“We decided that if we could do something for a charity that had some relative connection to Martin, then we would be happy to sell an implement in his name.
“We chose the Roy Castle Cancer Foundation because Martin died from lung cancer and it seemed appropriate. The charity needs investment to save more lives and to help families of those affected by the disease.”
The auction also includes a Massey Ferguson 7282AL Centora combine harvester with a 25-foot header, three tractors, a JCB tracked digger, an Agri Buggy self-propelled sprayer, 10 trailers and a range of cultivation, harvesting and fertilising implements.
In addition, a collection of tools, agricultural spares, livestock sundries and general farm supplies will go under the hammer.
