What 20 Years in a Farming PR Marquee Taught Me About Service

Last week I spent two days volunteering at the NFU Let’s Talk Farming marquee at the Royal Cheshire County Show—something I have proudly been involved with for more than 20 years.

Although I am no longer directly involved in agriculture, having left Red House Farm in 2019, farming remains a huge part of who I am and where many of my values were formed.

Each year, I choose to give up two days of my time to be part of this incredible initiative, because I firmly believe agriculture has an important story to tell.

For many people—particularly children—the modern farming world is something they rarely see up close. Food appears on supermarket shelves, but the journey behind it is often misunderstood.

That is why the NFU PR marquee matters.

Over two days, the Royal Cheshire County Show welcomes around 80,000 visitors, with perhaps 16,000–18,000 people passing through our marquee alone. School groups, families, farmers, journalists, policymakers, MPs and dignitaries all come through, each bringing different levels of understanding and curiosity.

This year we were pleased to welcome Robbie Moore, the Shadow Agriculture Minister, and it was encouraging to speak with someone whose political role is grounded in real farming experience.

But the moment that stayed with me most was not political.

It was personal.

Part of my role involves demonstrating freshly pressed apple juice using an apple press, its visual and very interactive and something especially meaningful to me because it connects directly to my family’s farming heritage.

During one session, a school group came through and among them was a blind pupil called Erin.

That moment stopped me.

A busy marquee can be overwhelming at the best of times—animals, machinery, noise, voices, smells, constant movement. Yet what struck me was how inclusive the experience became when time was taken to slow down and help her engage with it.

I was able to guide her through the apple pressing process—helping her feel the apples, understand the mechanism, hear the sounds, and experience the process in a way that worked for her.

It reminded me of something I increasingly value in both life and work.

True service is not simply about doing tasks efficiently.

It is about awareness.

It is about noticing.

It is about understanding what someone needs—even when they do not articulate it themselves.

That, in many ways, is also the foundation of what I do with 21st Century Butler.

People often assume modern butler work is about organising diaries, managing properties, coordinating trades, or handling logistics.

Those things matter.

But the real value lies elsewhere.

It lies in creating calm in busy lives. It lies in reducing friction. It lies in quietly solving problems. And above all, it lies in making people feel supported, understood, and cared for.

Whether I am helping a family in Hale, coordinating an event in London, supporting elderly parents through trusted keyholder visits, or standing in a farming marquee with schoolchildren, the principle remains the same.

Good service is rarely loud.

Often, it is almost invisible.

But its impact is profound.

After more than 20 years with the NFU marquee, I still leave feeling proud—not just of farming, but of what can happen when people give their time, skills and energy to something bigger than themselves.

And perhaps that is the biggest lesson of all.

No matter how modern our world becomes, people still value the same things they always have:

Trust.

Reliability.

Kindness.

And genuine human connection.

Those qualities never go out of date.

And if there comes a point in life when an extra pair of trusted hands would make all the difference, that is exactly why 21st Century Butler exists.

Quietly, professionally, and always with care.

For many people—particularly children—the modern farming world is something they rarely see up close. Food appears on supermarket shelves, but the journey behind it is often misunderstood.

That is why the NFU PR marquee matters.

Over two days, the Royal Cheshire County Show welcomes around 80,000 visitors, with perhaps 14,000–15,000 people passing through our marquee alone. School groups, families, farmers, policymakers, MPs and dignitaries all come through, each bringing different levels of understanding and curiosity.

This year we were pleased to welcome Robbie Moore, the Shadow Agriculture Minister, and it was encouraging to speak with someone whose political role is grounded in real farming experience.

But the moment that stayed with me most was not political.

It was personal.

Part of my role involved demonstrating freshly pressed apple juice using an apple press—something especially meaningful to me because it connects directly to my family’s farming heritage.

During one session, a school group came through and among them was a blind girl called Erin.

That moment stopped me.

A busy marquee can be overwhelming at the best of times—animals, machinery, noise, voices, smells, constant movement. Yet what struck me was how inclusive the experience became when time was taken to slow down and help her engage with it.

I was able to guide her through the apple pressing process—helping her feel the apples, understand the mechanism, hear the sounds, and experience the process in a way that worked for her.

It reminded me of something I increasingly value in both life and work.

True service is not simply about doing tasks efficiently.

It is about awareness.

It is about noticing.

It is about understanding what someone needs—even when they do not articulate it themselves.

That, in many ways, is also the foundation of what I do with 21st Century Butler.

People often assume modern butler work is about organising diaries, managing properties, coordinating trades, or handling logistics.

Those things matter.

But the real value lies elsewhere.

It lies in creating calm in busy lives.It lies in reducing friction.It lies in quietly solving problems.And above all, it lies in making people feel supported, understood, and cared for.

Whether I am helping a family in Hale, coordinating an event in London, supporting elderly parents through trusted keyholder visits, or standing in a farming marquee with schoolchildren, the principle remains the same.

Good service is rarely loud.

Often, it is almost invisible.

But its impact is profound.

After more than 20 years with the NFU marquee, I still leave feeling proud—not just of farming, but of what can happen when people give their time, skills and energy to something bigger than themselves.

And perhaps that is the biggest lesson of all.

No matter how modern our world becomes, people still value the same things they always have:

Trust.Reliability.Kindness.And genuine human connection.

Those qualities never go out of date.week I spent two days volunteering at the NFU Let’s Talk Farming marquee at the Royal Cheshire County Show—something I have proudly been involved with for more than 20 years.

Although I am no longer directly involved in agriculture, having left Red House Farm in 2019, farming remains a huge part of who I am and where many of my values were formed.

Each year, I choose to give up two days of my time to be part of this incredible initiative, because I firmly believe agriculture has an important story to tell.

For many people—particularly children—the modern farming world is something they rarely see up close. Food appears on supermarket shelves, but the journey behind it is often misunderstood.

That is why the NFU PR marquee matters.

Over two days, the Royal Cheshire County Show welcomes around 80,000 visitors, with perhaps 14,000–15,000 people passing through our marquee alone. School groups, families, farmers, policymakers, MPs and dignitaries all come through, each bringing different levels of understanding and curiosity.

This year we were pleased to welcome Robbie Moore, the Shadow Agriculture Minister, and it was encouraging to speak with someone whose political role is grounded in real farming experience.

But the moment that stayed with me most was not political.

It was personal.

Part of my role involved demonstrating freshly pressed apple juice using an apple press—something especially meaningful to me because it connects directly to my family’s farming heritage.

During one session, a school group came through and among them was a blind girl called Erin.

That moment stopped me.

A busy marquee can be overwhelming at the best of times—animals, machinery, noise, voices, smells, constant movement. Yet what struck me was how inclusive the experience became when time was taken to slow down and help her engage with it.

I was able to guide her through the apple pressing process—helping her feel the apples, understand the mechanism, hear the sounds, and experience the process in a way that worked for her.

It reminded me of something I increasingly value in both life and work.

True service is not simply about doing tasks efficiently.

It is about awareness.

It is about noticing.

It is about understanding what someone needs—even when they do not articulate it themselves.

That, in many ways, is also the foundation of what I do with 21st Century Butler.

People often assume modern butler work is about organising diaries, managing properties, coordinating trades, or handling logistics.

Those things matter.

But the real value lies elsewhere.

It lies in creating calm in busy lives.It lies in reducing friction.It lies in quietly solving problems.And above all, it lies in making people feel supported, understood, and cared for.

Whether I am helping a family in Hale, coordinating an event in London, supporting elderly parents through trusted keyholder visits, or standing in a farming marquee with schoolchildren, the principle remains the same.

Good service is rarely loud.

Often, it is almost invisible.

But its impact is profound.

After more than 20 years with the NFU marquee, I still leave feeling proud—not just of farming, but of what can happen when people give their time, skills and energy to something bigger than themselves.

And perhaps that is the biggest lesson of all.

No matter how modern our world becomes, people still value the same things they always have:

Trust.Reliability.Kindness.And genuine human connection.

Those qualities never go out of date.