Last November I was lucky enough to join the Worshipful Company of Farmers on their float in the Lord Mayor’s Show.
Walking along the streets of London with my fellow ambassadors was an experience I’ll never forget.
After Covid cancelled the last Lord Mayor’s Show, it was great to finally get out and talk to the public about British farming and to thank those who #BackBritishFarming.
The Lord Mayor’s Show has been running for more than 800 years, showcasing the different trades in and around the City of London.
We were there as part of the float run by the Worshipful Company of Farmers, a livery company formed in 1946 dedicated to advancing the farming industry and people within it. Our float (arguably the best) consisted of a methane powered tractor, a trailer showing support for UK dairy farming and a forage harvester. This year’s float was supported by the NFU, New Holland, Red Tractor and Surrey Docks Farm.
We also got the opportunity to visit Surrey Docks Farm during the time we had in London. Surrey Docks is a community farm and education charity, sharing and teaching food production and farming with people who would otherwise never see how their food gets to their supermarkets, or delivered to their homes.
I thought it was a brilliant project and I met some of their ‘young farmers’ who were really excited about an industry they otherwise wouldn’t have been introduced to.
It was weird to be looking over at Canary Wharf whilst stood next to a muck heap with people talking positively about farming! It was a brilliant experience.
The day after was the parade. Playing an active part was an incredible experience and one I’ll never forget.
Getting together as a group of ambassadors was great after what has been nearly two years of Microsoft Teams calls and social media interaction.
It was also great to meet Stuart Roberts, Deputy President of the NFU, Christine Tacon, Chair of Red Tractor and Karen Mercer, Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers.
I was able to take the opportunity to learn so much about our sector from them. One highlight for me was being interviewed by Mollie King for the BBC’s coverage of the parade. It was great to be a part of spreading the positive #BackBritishFarming message.
Seeing the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the public really put a smile on my face. It was great to see Londoners cheering our float on whilst also chatting to them about what we’re doing as an industry to be part of the climate solution.