Red Tractor Recruits get inspired

It seems like ages ago I wrote a post about what the Red Tractor meant to me, but the work of the Red Tractor has continued and last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a launch event for the Red Tractor Recruits.  In keeping with the topic it was obviously held on a farm, that of Alex James who is the Red Tractor Ambassador.  As the OH was having some calving problems that day, I took along my sister in law and N’s youngest cousin to meet the other recruits, Red Tractor representatives and just generally get a feeling for the place.

With the farm only half an hour away, it wasn’t too late for the children to be out, so there were plenty of other children there with their parents.  Immediately we spotted the cool Produce World tractor, and the children wanted to have a sit on and try and drive the potato tractor.

It was a really chilled evening.   A brilliant’ hillbilly’ style band playing up on the mezzanine floor, Red Tractor cocktails (including dry ice) as well as non-alcoholic, and some delicious apple and raspberry soft drinks that I was drinking as driver.

The best draw for the children was initially the colouring corner, and I was surprised at how long N sat and coloured in his tractor picture for.  Of course though, bales mean lots of climbing and jumping, so there was plenty of fun and exercise for them as well.

We had the chance to chat to other recruits and find out what they’d been up to in their communities, as well as writing down our ideas in the inspiration area to share what Red Tractor meant to us, and what values it encapsulates.  I think my writing was all over the sheets as I did keep thinking of different words and ideas.  My words on paper might have been more coherent than the ones I rambled out in my recruit vox pop.  The first time I’ve been on camera, and after the experience, I think I was definitely right to tell my manager that I wasn’t sure I should be the type of person being put forward for media training!

Of course there was amazing food as well, cooked by Bare Bones.  We chose the amazingly delicious pulled pork rolls.  I couldn’t believe that N demolished all of his (well, all the meat, and much of the roll as well).

The team at Red Tractor were really warm and welcoming and obviously feel passionately about British food and what Red Tractor does.  The organisation really does cover a massive spectrum across the UK as you can see in the infographic below.

Having had the bonfire earlier and wonderful fireworks to end the evening, it was a lovely event, and great to spark ideas about how I can share the word about Red Tractor in my area (and in the blogging world).

If you want to find out more about the Red Tractor, then do check out the website.  Those with children, there’s some great activity pages available to download, as well as resources from the agricultural bodies who support Red Tractor.