Our Yorkshire Farm

[sniffingthewax]

Have watched this family for years and read her books. Age is really catching up on Clive, he can hardly bend over now, it is very apparent in this new series. I don't like how the programme is becoming more contrived, it's obvious a lot of it is staged for the camera.

Whilst they are charming enough as family, I think the health and safety stuff is a relevant and real concern. Farming accidents and deaths are still alarmingly common and are very much preventable (HSE). Add that in to the fact that farms are often family run and have children around, things become even more terrifying. Again, the HSE guidance states that under 18’s are regularly killed or seriously injured on farms, either whilst working or playing. Health and safety regulations exist for a reason and in extremely high risk workplace environments like farms, they should be respected by everyone in order to protect everyone, particularly the most vulnerable.

I'm guessing when she was writing at least the 1st book things were harder/ they were poorer, now with royalties and filming fees things are easier but their values are still the same op

What has been shown that you think is dangerous Dog?

I second what anothernamereally says in that when she wrote the first book things were likely very tight. That's maybe not the case now and on the show they don't go on about money that much.
I grew up in a very similar way. Due to the farm, machinery, livestock etc you can't claim benefits. We lived in poverty, beautiful and idilic but still my fiends who lived in council houses had more than we did. I'm sure my mum went without food. We managed without central heating, shared baths etc. That was the 80s and 90s. I didn't care as I didn't know anything else but I remember being cold most of my childhood.
Unless you've lived it I doubt it's a lifestyle most people would understand.

Though having being a teenage girl on a farm I having tried to climb a gate in a mini skirt and I don't believe that's something you'd do twice without another motive. Her clothes are for the camera.

MissPelligrino, young children in trailers not designed for humans, let alone kids, being pulled by quads ridden by people with no helmet. There is one scene where the the quad trailer is full of young children and they (the kids), tip it up.

Kids with no formal training driving large, dangerous farm machinery.

There is a scene in the first series where the father is manoeuvring a large hay bale around with a machine, inside a barn and the young teen son is stood next to the hay bale pushing it/adjusting the position, just a foot or so away from his father sat in the machine with the pointy bits aimed at him and the bale. He could easily be crushed by either the machine or the bale if it rolled.

These are series 1 and the list goes on, tbh. They aren’t hard to see and they contravene basic farm safety rules. Children are killed and seriously injured on farms all too often, sometimes as a result of their own parents’ actions. It isn’t a joke or ‘health and safety gone mad’.

www.yellowwellies.org/child-safety-on-farms-2/

www.yellowwellies.org/child-safety-on-farms-2/

We see a lot of the ‘no’ list on the yellow wellies link in the Yorkshire Farm footage. Young kids in tractor cabs. Kids playing/climbing in hay barns. Under 16’s driving quads. No helmets or visible safety restraints on anyone.

Sorry, that second link is meant to be the HSE leaflet www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/pdf/childsafetyae.pdf

Dog I agree completely about quad riding, although I think I must have missed that in the programme. Dh goes on and on about irresponsible use of quad bikes and how the majority of accidents/deaths are caused by people it riding them properly and without helmets.

As cute as it was the pony in the boot of the Land Rover gave me serious anxiety. If it reared (or attempted to rear) it could have easily come down on the children's heads with it's front legs.. The drive was nearly two hours I think they said, that was a seriously stupid and very dangerous move. This was a strange pony and they had no idea about it's temperament or how well it travelled.

Yeah,I'm surprised she was so keen to let the girls lift its legs into the car, now you mention it that made me very jittery too in case it kicked!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor looking at the website it's £175 per night for the whole place, which is six bedrooms. Works out as less than £30 per night per room which would be a lot less than even the cheapest hotel for large families/walking groups etc. which is clearly what it's aimed at.

I notice that some of the children feature a lot less than others. E.g. they focus on Reuben and Sidney a lot, but hardly ever show the middle boy (Miles). Same with Raven, who doesn't feature much considering she's the oldest. I wonder whether it's down to the children's own preference or if the producers pick the ones they think are more interesting/cute/lively?

I was at the pony in the back of the car though!

I was shock at the pony in the back of the car though!

Me too, not at all safe.

looking at the website it's £175 per night for the whole place, which is six bedrooms. Works out as less than £30 per night per room which would be a lot less than even the cheapest hotel for large families/walking groups etc. which is clearly what it's aimed at

Yes I know. I still don't think it's worth the money. We stay in lots of very nice cottages for the same money.

I loved this week's episode when cloves was teasing Raven about secretly wanting to be a hill farmer 😂 He reminds me so much of my late FIL, makes me sad every time he's on.

**Clive

LOL@ Michelle the ginormous snail

I also loved Michelle the ginormous snail!

SAying they don,t do extra activities isn,t quie right they do play in a band. I think the opportunities they have are amazing. How many 15 year olds do you know that can weld and fix tractors?

How many 15 year olds do you know that can weld and fix tractors?

Not many, but the value of that is somewhat limited unless it is what he wants to do as a job?

As a teenager I learnt how to identify and catch lame sheep, how to shear and how to put them through a sheep dip as well as driving tractors, none of that is of any use to me now because it wasn't the career I chose. I expect that's the case for most of the teenagers growing up in similar situations.

But it apparently is what he wants to do and apparently there are a few companies which are happy to take him on. (I think he is more into bikes then tractors but skills are transverable.)

I actually thought the three children playing in the band was for the camera. The younger two can barely play beyond basic notes and that was an experienced brass ensemble. Even the girl said she was just pretending! The conductor/tutor seemed fed up with them and said it they practised they would make progress.

It was mentioned in one of the books a few years ago that the two boys played in a band so they at least have been doing it for a while.

I was shock at the pony in the back of the car though!

I was more shocked that the pony appeared to know exactly how to jump into a landrover. It had clearly done it more than once!

As a teenager I learnt how to identify and catch lame sheep, how to shear and how to put them through a sheep dip as well as driving tractors, none of that is of any use to me now because it wasn't the career I chose. I expect that's the case for most of the teenagers growing up in similar situations

The same could be said about half the stuff kids learn in school! What's important is that they are learning skills such as working in a team.
Personally I think those kids are having a brilliant childhood. They are outside learning about life not sat disconnected from the world in fort of a computer screen shooting things!

Personally I think those kids are having a brilliant childhood. They are outside learning about life not sat disconnected from the world in fort of a computer screen shooting things!

Agreed.