Pick for Britain
We can all do our bit to support our food industry, be it eating vegetables that are currently in season, trying new recipes, or taking on a summer job at a farm.
The UK Government are encouraging those who are fit and healthy to apply for seasonal job opportunities in farms this summer, doing their bit to feed the nation.
‘Pick for Britain’ brings all recruiters into one place for those seeking work. From pickers and packers, to plant husbandry and tractor or forklift drivers, there are a wide range of roles available.
There are summer job opportunities available in farms. The UK government encourage those who are fit, healthy and looking for temporary work to go online, apply for seasonal labour opportunities and support delivering the best quality fruit and veg for everyone to enjoy.
For university students with the summer months stretching ahead of them, this is an opportunity to gain valuable work experience while earning money and meeting new people.
Furloughed workers, whose contracts allow them to, can take up seasonal work while continuing to receive their furloughed wage.
The growing season is only just getting started. From June through to September, bringing in the harvest requires an extraordinary effort from farmers and growers across the country.
Visit the Pick for Britain website for more information: https://pickforbritain.org.uk/
Madeline Owen was a year 12 A levels’ student at Ormiston Rivers academy. She ought to have had her AS’s by now, as they’ve been cancelled, and with plenty of time at her disposal, she decided to make good use of her time by trying something different – farming.
Below are her answers to why she decided to work on a farm.
Where do you live?
I live locally in Burnham with my family, so I have to get mum to take me in every morning which she’s absolutely over the moon about!
What made you decide to come and work on the farm?
My mum has quite a lot of friends in the area and she said Mark [the farmer] was looking and I wanted something to do – I needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning and something to do during the day so I got a job here.
Can you talk me through your everyday tasks?
You get here for 6 in the morning. After picking two fields we have a 15 minute break. When it’s cold and the produce don’t grow so quickly, we do half days, but when it’s sunny we pick fields after lunch as well.
Have you learnt any new skills so far?
Yes definitely, because it’s very different – it’s nothing like I’ve ever done. I’ve worked in restaurants, bars, cafés, all that, but nothing ever like this. Even things like I’ve learnt how to sharpen a pair of secateurs – it took me a while, but I got there in the end!
Also, a lot of social skills that I could apply elsewhere. And things like I had absolutely no clue that this is how real and how close it all is.
What would be your message to someone in a similar situation to you who was thinking of working on a farm?
Definitely do it –100% definitely do it. It’s a great way to get out, I’ve met so many people that have all got stories and different things to tell me that I’ve learnt from and it’s definitely worth it, its good fun.