AN annual ploughing competition brought farmers, families and visitors from across the region to enjoy a thousand-year-old tradition in Bolton.

More than 20 tractors from across the decades took part in the Haigh, Aspull and Blackrod Ploughing contest on Sunday.

Early morning rain failed to put off the ploughing for its eighth year, with blue skies and sunshine making for good event for organisers at Brinsop Hall Farm.

Competitors came from far and wide to take part, including three generations from the Farrington family.

Blackrod town councillor and former farmer, Graham Farrington, revived the competition following a 50-year break and now supervises his grandson Callum, aged 20, and Kieran, aged 19, as they take to the field.

The 77-year-old said: "It's a still a popular competition, people come all over, we have three from Wales this year as well as a British National Ploughing Champion, Gordon Monaghan.

"You have to make it nice and straight and clean, no land in the middle not unturned.

"Three generations of us take part. It is something I've done all my life, my father was a ploughman and taught me how to plough with horses. My grandchildren are doing it very well."

Kieran added: "I've been ploughing since I was young and done quite a few competitions with my brother but usually we don't go head to head.

"It's nice to have a match at home against each other."

The competition is judged in a number of different categories including trailer ploughs, vintage hydraulic class, under-20s and novices.

Last year the event raised £600 for the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team with money raised on the day going to the service.

Judge Ian Thompson, aged 56 from Cumbria, started ploughing at the age of seven and is a former winner of the competition.

He said: "The competition goes back hundreds of years to when they were ploughing with horses. There's always people from the farming background getting involved and we now have novice categories for tractor enthusiast who want to learn to use the machines.

"Without all this there's nothing to go in your stomach!"

An unusual activity to observe, the competition did attract a few newcomers including Paul and Alison Wadsworth, aged 59 and 53 from Anderton, Preston.

Mr Wadsworth said: "We just saw the sign for it on the road side and thought that's different, let's go and have a look.

"She's found it so interesting she's going to read up about it."

One of the youngest observers was Monty Hewitt, aged two.

Mum Tracey, aged 33, said: "He is a bit obsessed with tractors! We've never been here before but have always been meaning to come, we didn't realise it would all be vintage tractors, it's wonderful."