A FAMILY in a north Cumbrian village had been missing the agriculture show season this year, so they came up with a genius solution that could be done from their home.

The Stobbart family, from near Talkin, are fans of the agriculture shows that dominate the Cumbrian calendar each year but coronavirus has meant it is not possible for them to take part in something they hold dear to their hearts.

So, the family set up its own tractor show in its own back garden.

Derek Stobbart, an agricultural engineer, said: “Everybody will be in the same boat, having children, entertaining them over this period has been challenging.

“We always try and go to some agricultural shows and I show a couple of the tractors if I can.

“I just thought the children like going to the shows so I’ll park them all in the orchard put them in their ages and then just get the pair of them to wander about and see whichever their favourite is.”

As the family has been unable to properly see its friends since lockdown began, it was something akin to what it once knew.

Spending a bright sunny day wandering between tractors and trying to decide which one was its favourite was a brief moment of normality.

“They were pleased, as I say, they like going to the agricultural shows,” said Derek.

“Emily, the older one, takes more notice of it but Grace is only 17 months old.

“They have had a good 10 weeks without seeing their friends, I suppose it has been hard for them.”

Children have been caught in the middle of the virus - unable to see their friends and extended family, or go to school.

“We’re very lucky out here that when it all kicked off it was lambing time so they have had some pet lambs to play with," said Derek.

“They’ve had it lucky really, a lot of people have been a lot worse off.”

Derek’s tractor show was not without realism.

There was an opportunity to put some rosettes on their favourite tractors - there were four in each colour that Derek had won over the years.

“I said, ‘you put them on whichever you think you like’,” he said.

“It filled the afternoon, it was good fun.”

The agricultural shows are a big loss for the farming community in Cumbria as it is also a chance for people to meet up with old friends.

Most of them have been cancelled as a result of the coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown guidelines that were put in place.

Derek said: “We did think that the Gilsland Show, being later in the calendar year, might stand a chance of going ahead but they have announced that they are going to cancel it this year.

“Cumbria itself is quite a big agricultural county, not just from a showing point of view, it’s a big thing on the agricultural calendar but it’s a big social thing for a lot of people.

“You might not see people from year to year and that’s the place where they are going to meet up.”

As it was a lovely summer day, the girls got a treat too.

“They managed to get an ice cream as well, so it was a proper show,” Derek added.