Thrashing out cash
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
CANCER charities have a £13,000 windfall to look forward to after a crazy day of car mayhem on a Moray farm.
The Thrash in the Park event saw a record 251 bashed-up old bangers converge on Drum Farm, near Keith.
Kaye Taylor was one of the founders of the day and family and friends went the extra mile this year to make last Saturday a special day in her memory following her death from cancer last December.
Her daughter, Becky, explained that the family worked doubly hard to make this year's event even more special.
Becky, who is a teacher in Elgin, said: "My mum always used to help with all the preparations for Thrash in the Park as well as on the day of the event itself – cooking food and doing other things.
"I know she'd be proud of what we've managed to do.
"We have a lot of friends and family who volunteered. We'd like to thank all of them for all their hard work and support.
"There's no way we could have raised anything like this amount of money without them."
Becky said the very first Thrash in the Park, which involved six old bangers, took place in 2009 to mark the 21st birthday of her brother Kris.
Everyone had such a good time that the family, which includes her dad Ronnie, decided to hold the event on an annual basis.
Kaye had previously suffered from the disease and the family also decided to use it as a way to raise money to battle cancer.
Many cancer-related charities have since benefited as, together, the annual events have raised in excess of £30,000.
Becky said: "The word has really spread and we have hundreds of people coming along to watch and take part. So much organisation is involved."
For safety reasons all the cars have to be fitted with a sturdy metal frame in case they roll over. Head-on collisions are also not allowed.
In addition, the car bonnets are only tied down with a seatbelt so they can be cut open instantly if a fire breaks out within the engine. But apart from that most things go.
Becky added: "Most of the cars that take part are already on their last legs. People love coming along. It's unusual, it's fast and it's fun."
In addition to the £13,000 already counted, the family will dispose of 60 cars which conked out during the event and the cash for scrap metal will also be put towards the total.
