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Making space for farmworkers
Thirsty farmworkers have been given the opportunity to park up at the pub after a landlord installed “the world’s first tractor only” parking bay.
The Anchor Inn at Tideswell in the Derbyshire Peak District had the new addition to its car park put in at the request of landlord Rick Ellison during a refurbishment at the rural pub.
Rick said, “The pub is in the middle of a farming community so I thought we should acknowledge that by providing a space big enough for a tractor.”
Rick said he came up with the idea of creating a farm vehicle bay soon after taking over the popular pub and saw a tractor with a muck spreader parked up. He felt it “was the most bizarre thing I’d seen in a pub car park. It took up three spaces, and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be good if you had a space that could fit a tractor and a muck spreader?’”
Rick added that when he first asked the brewery they weren’t convinced and said he thought that “the general consensus must have been that I was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.”
The tractor bay takes three times the space needed by a car but has been very popular and used a lot. “It has now become a talking point with some people taking photos of their tractors parked there.”
Rural isolation and the pressures of farm work is an increasingly important issue for many in the countryside, so anything that makes an effort to show support for farmers and rural workers is a good thing. The pub often farmers often pop in for dinner and a chat with fellow farmers.
Stehan Clarje has farmed locally for decades and, speaking to the local news, said, “Farming is a very isolated industry, you work a lot of hours on your own, and its nice to come in and meet up. If you see somebody’s tractor there you might call in and have a chin wag.”
Unite chair of farmworkers’ group, Steve Leniec, believes it’s a good idea. He said, “This is something that recognises farmworkers, which is nice.
“During the lockdown everyone in the food chain, both farmworkers and food producers, were thanked for what they did. But this was soon forgotten – so anything that recognises the role we play and takes the time to make a difference, even a dedicated parking bay, is positive.”
Massey Ferguson parked in the tractor parking space outside the Anchor Inn 6 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2024
Summing up the popularity of the pub tractor space Rick said, “If it supports the farming community that’s brilliant for me.
Anchor Inn Facebook
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