By John Prince
More than 100 tractors and their owners took to the roads of East Yorkshire to raise money for a little boy who is living with a life-limiting condition.
Two-year-old Charlie Dodds from Catwick has PolG, which is a disease that affects the mitochondria – the body’s energy-producing cells.
A faulty PolG gene – which stands for polymerase gamma – prevents mitochondrial DNA from reproducing correctly, leading to symptoms such as seizures, muscle fatigue and progressive damage to major organs such as the liver and brain.
Charlie, who was diagnosed when he was one, has delayed motor skills, tires easily and is unable to walk by himself although he has recently started sitting independently.
The early onset of the condition means that he is not expected to live beyond childhood, as young children have not had sufficient time to build up their mitochondrial DNA reserves.
It’s thought that one in 10,000 children and adults in the UK are affected by the condition, and there is currently no cure.
However, mum Ellie, 35, says that following Charlie’s diagnosis (above centre, with brother Wilson, left) she and husband Harrison learned that clinical trials and dedicated research were under way into PolG, which has given them a glimmer of hope.
It has motivated them to focus their energy on raising awareness and funds for the PolG Foundation to support everyone affected by the disease.
On Sunday, September 13 organisers of the annual Leven Tractor Run set off to raise money for the charity. Every year they pick a different cause to support.
Ellie Dodds said: “The PolG Foundation has done fantastic things, investing into research and into natural history studies and they’re really out there striving to find a cure or treatment.
“The diagnosis was basically early onset and it’s fatal. It’s symptom management now. There’s no cure, no treatments, so we make the most of the time we’ve got.
“It could be months, it might be a couple of years, so that’s what we were left with as a family.”
She added: “My husband, he was out there contacting clinicians, researchers and foundations within the first 48 hours.
“He’s doing an Ironman in Wales today and his brother’s doing the Great North Run for Charlie so we’re all over the country.
“We’re out here today trying to raise awareness. We had never heard of it when this all set out and actually there’s thousands of mitochondrial diseases so it’s not as rare as you think, but PolG is.
“When you get older, your life expectancy is a little bit longer, so this is why we’re trying to find something for pediatrics. It’s so complex.
“I think the more people know, the better.”
Setting off on the 33-mile route from Leven around 14 villages and off-road, the Tractor Run stopped off at Wassand Hall near Hornsea for a break before finishing at Bert’s pizzeria at Dacre Lakeside Park in Brandesburton which is owned by the Dodds family.
People had come from West Yorkshire, Scunthorpe and even Scotland to take part. As well as the £20 entry fee, charity donations were collected in person along the route, and at the start and finish.
Organiser Paul Wildbore, who is part of the team who puts the tractor run on every year, said: “This is our 16th year. We’ve got about 110 tractors starting for PolG and Charlie so we’re hoping to raise a bit of cash for them.
“We’re going through Leven, Brandesburton, Catfoss, Nunkeeling, Bewholme, Sigglesthorne and Seaton. They’re all doing a great job for us.
“We’ve got tractors from the 1930s up to a 2026 model this year, and we are getting known. But the most important thing is the charity and the social side for everyone in the villages.”
Paul later confirmed that the running total raised on the day was about £6,500, with donations still coming in.
To donate go to justgiving.com/page/harrison-dodds.
For more information on PolG go to polgfoundation.org.