A trip to London, anybody fancies it? Quality family time I thought, making memories I thought. My eldest daughter works as a Vet Tech at our local vets and is in the throes of learning to be a TB tester and had an already full timetable that day. Daughter No2 is a trainee land agent and works for a local firm who seems as busy as ever dealing with selling farms for retired farmers, both I fear, are a sad reflection of our times. Our third child was a son who came home to the farm on leaving school, a keen stockman and in the midst of tupping time he felt his priorities laid at home. My husband made a visit down to London in our courting days and now 25 years later he has said he had seen enough then and didn’t relish another trip to our capital. Daisy, our youngest at 13, was keen from the offset, perhaps on the back of a recent parents evening where a teacher suggested she suffered from a mild case of ‘can’t be bothered-itus’. Daisy has always keen on animals and the outdoors, a keen tractor lady, hen keeper and general good all rounder, her heart lies in the farm. How could I dissuade her, donning her elder sister’s charmois wellies and Ridge Line jacket we were ready for action.
Outside parliament
L-R Cathy Hodgson, Linda Allan, Valerie Gornall, Daisy Allan, Jonathan Hodgson
We were accompanied on our quest by Valerie Gornall, Hawes Branch Nemsa Secretary and farmer from Dent, Cumbria and also the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan and Cathy Hodgson, Nemsa Chair and Lake District farmer. This wasn’t a Nemsa Trip, we all felt we needed to stand up for our community, to do what we could to make a difference, Nemsa mules were our common agenda. The 7.30am train from Oxenholme was our starting point and as we stood on the platform where fellow farmers joined us. The NFU contingent, The Ulverston crew, Kirkby Stephen, Mallerstang, many areas represented. It felt like we were headed to a football match, all supporting the same team.
Oxenholme Railway Station
I had got some placards printed, not wanting to miss an opportunity to spread the Nemsa Mule Word, Daisy’s homemade Placard was more poignant – homemade and simply read ‘I WANT A FUTURE IN FARMING’. But why, the stark realities of a farming life are quite apparent, long hours in all weather conditions, few holidays and a close relationship with the bank manager! My sister married a builder and together they have built up a successful business reflected in several annual holidays and many outings with ladies who lunch. But at 13, its our life that our daughter aspires to, our success will be measured in the quality of our sheep and cows, the state of the land, the boundary fences, our success is measured in making money so we can buy land ultimately more sheep and cows. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey, the people we meet along the way, the tups you buy that leave a great stamp on the flock, improving soil health, planting trees for our next generation – leaving the farm and land in a better position than we got it.
On the tube, we could spot a fellow farmer a mile off, perhaps it was the flat cap, the barber jacket, many were wearing wellies. Our placards were helping break the ice with the general public, many asked what we are doing and were we were going, and conversations were often sparked up. Everyone who we spoke to was very positive, but all were unaware that the demonstration was going on. We followed the crowds off the tube at Embankment and made out way to Parliament Square. We had come across two local young farmer celebrities, Hector Meanwell who was hot off winning Young Farmer of the year and his girlfriend, Georgia Hunter, Cumbria YFC district chair. Hectors mop of blond hair proved a good symbol to follow, and we meandered through the crowds to an area where we could see and hear more. As we stood shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other farmers Hector showed me a BBC Facebook post of an empty street with the headline ‘Farmers protest in London’.
There wasn’t much involvement with the average Londoner/tourist , as we were herded into the square the police riot vans surrounded our exits and reduced the risk of contamination either way. Unfortunately, the disconnect between the farming community and the general public, particulary in cities, is quite evident. Education is required on both sides.
Parliament Square
The speakers were very good on the whole, the conservative leader, the Lim Democrat leader, a flurry of YouTube influencers and some successful business people. All said what we wanted to hear. The original plan I Gathered was to march to Parliament but there were so many farmers there backed up the street that much that they almost reached Parliament, marching became out of the question. Both Jonathan and Valerie had attended the countryside march nearly 20 years ago and they both said how empowering the march was. I did feel a little robbed, we were told to deposit our food bank donations and leave in as many directions as we could so not to create a stampede.
The placards came into their own more here, we proudly raised or messages above our heads and paraded to streets. I felt we were photographed a lot, and particularly Daisy. She is our future and I’m sure she will make a difference in the future, some media students from Scotland interviewed her and I was very proud of how she coped with the attention. She, like me, don’t really understand the political connotations of the Inheritance tax bill but we know that this is yet another nail in the coffin of our way of life – we cannot afford to lose any more people from our countryside. My companions suggested that there was nearly half a million came together in the countryside march of 2002 and that didn’t make a difference so now with very much decreased ‘countryside people’ in the country what hope are we going to have We need to roar like a beast and make our voice heard, we are stronger together. We need to stand together.
We were enticed into a restaurant which advertised steak and chips for £15, sat on the banks of the River Thames in a beautiful restaurant, looking onto the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in the warmth we thought we had cracked it, Hector and Georgia got their drinks bill for a pint of lager and Gin and Tonic, those two drinks alone came to £32. I thought the similarities to the government were poignant, entice us in, make us warm and comfortable and then rob us blind. I now realised what my husband meant.
We met many people we knew, During conversation to one I asked after her husband and she said he was as the local Auction mart selling lambs – I asked if he had not heard the plea not to sell stock this week, to try and make the our food a shortage, but he hadn’t heard and perhaps like many other farmers it seemed they had chosen not to listen. I fear that although Parliament square was full of farmers, perhaps the real farmers which are more representative of our community were busy queuing and trying the get an extra few pounds for our lambs when there is a national shortage, we need better communication, we need to stand together.
We were back in Oxenholme by 8.30pm – Job Done, had we made a difference? Yes Daisy had got her day off school and I had had a little adventure, but did it help? The family at home had been following the protest avidly on television and thankfully there was a lot of coverage. The food bank donation thing was great, and we all made sure that we didn’t leave litter and leave our mark on the Capital. The few non- farmers that we spoke to were very positive to our cause and more integration into the lives of normal people would be good for the future. Daisy and I both saw our agricultural heroes, Daisy was chuffed to bits to be photographed with Farmer Will from ‘Love Island’ and I was equally as chuffed to catch a glimpse of James Rebanks and his wife Helen on the train, I will work up to getting a photograph with them in the future!
Prior to the event i put a post of facebook which asked for slogan idea for an old mule banner, The most popular suggested was from Joanne Walton-
"Custodians of the hills
Destroyed by government bills"
Downing Street
Another facebook comment from a young farmer recited poetry to get his point across:
"There once was a young British farmer,
Worked the family farm like their father,
But with the inheritance tax,
They were out on their backs,
A lifetimes work wiped out by Keir Starmer!"
Zac Baines, A Young farmer from Dent, Cumbria
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