I took Prince Charles' advice to work on a farm during the COVID-19 pandemic. Picking strawberries was a surprisingly therapeutic break from lockdown.

Sophia Ankel,Julian KossoffJun 21, 2020, 20:26 IST

Sophia Ankel/Janet Barr

The British agricultural industry has suffered tremendously during the coronavirus pandemic after many of its usual migrant workers are unable to enter the country.
To solve this, the UK government launched the "Pick for Britain" campaign, which has been backed by Prince Charles and is aimed at getting the British population to take up farming roles.
To see how the campaign is going, I visited a farm in northwest England and spent the day picking strawberries.
Andrew Pimbley, the owner of the farm, usually has a team of Polish workers who help him harvest fruit and vegetables, but this year had to find people from the local area to work for him instead.
The six-man team includes a 22-year-old pilot who just completed his commercial flying license but has been unable to find a job and a freelance photographer who has run out of work.
During my shift, I really saw how beneficial the campaign was not only for the farmer but also for the many workers who would much rather have a job during the pandemic than to do nothing at all.

The British agricultural workforce has borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic after many of its usual migrant workers have been unable to enter the country this year.

As a result, the UK government launched the "Pick for Britain" campaign which is meant to encourage the British population to take up the farming work instead.

The campaign, which was backed by Prince Charles, has been compared to Britain's Land Army, a movement during The Second World War that saw women working on farms to replace men that were called up to fight.

While the initiative has been beneficial to those who are either furloughed or unemployed, many farmers fear that as the lockdown eases, British workers will start leaving their crop-picking jobs.

I decided to work on a farm in northwest England for a day to find out for myself how the "Pick for Britain" campaign is progressing.

A gaping hole has been left in the British agricultural workforce this year after many of its usual migrant workers are unable to enter the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A worker from the UK Seasonal Relief Team working for The Watercress Company crosses the spinach beds as the team harvests spinach on farmland near Dorchester, in southern England on June 5, 2020. Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

A gaping hole has been left in the British agricultural workforce this year after many of its usual migrant workers are unable to enter the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To assist farmers during this time, the UK government launched the official "Pick for Britain" campaign led by Prince Charles. He called on furloughed workers and students to help pick fruits and vegetables for seasonal harvest.

Prince Charles speaks about the Pick for Britain campaign at Clarence House, London, United Kingdom. The Royal Family Channel/YouTube

To assist farmers during this time, the UK government launched the official "Pick for Britain" campaign led by Prince Charles. He called on furloughed workers and students to help pick fruits and vegetables for seasonal harvest.

Prince Charles compared the initiative to Britain's Land Army, a movement during The Second World War that saw women working on farms to replace men that were called up to the military.

A team of Land Army girls rakes down and load for transportation home-grown flax to the factory, a whole 100-ton rick, on August 10, 1942. AP Photo

Prince Charles compared the initiative to Britain's Land Army, a movement during The Second World War that saw women working on farms to replace men that were called up to the military.

After reading about this initiative, I decided to see how the Pick for Britain campaign was progressing for myself. So I traveled 20 minutes from my home on the Wirral, in the northwest of England, to a place called Claremont Farm to work as a farmhand for a day.

A Google Maps depiction of where Claremont farm is located on the Wirral, United Kingdom. Google Maps

After reading about this initiative, I decided to see how the Pick for Britain campaign was progressing for myself. So I traveled 20 minutes from my home on the Wirral, in the northwest of England, to a place called Claremont Farm to work as a farmhand for a day.

Claremont Farm has been run by the Pimbley family since 1906 and includes 250 acres of land...

Sheep in a field at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

...and two very large rescue pigs.

Two pigs in Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

They also harvest crops like strawberries, kale, cabbage, raspberries, asparagus, broccoli, and more.

Claremont Farm's strawberry tents. Sophia Ankel

But that's not all. The farm sells all of the fresh produce in its shop.

The farm shop in Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

Andrew Pimbley, who oversees the farm today, told Insider that he's been trying to adapt to the new circumstances.

The farm usually has a team of Polish workers helping out but as the lockdown loomed, they chose to go home to spend it with their families.

Strawberry tents at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

Pimbley admits that at first, they were overwhelmed with having to find new workers. But when people started to get furloughed, there was "a sudden new pool of labor" that would usually not be available.

When I turned up at 8:30 am on a Monday morning, I was asked if I could help by picking strawberries for the shop that would open to the public at 10 am.

The author standing next to the Claremont Farm entrance. Janet Barr

No time was wasted. Pimbley gave me a quick tour of the farm before showing me the strawberry tents where I would be working.

Strawberry tents at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

After a quick explainer on how to pick strawberries without damaging them (use your nails to break the stem), I got to work.

Picking strawberries at Claremont Farm. Janet Barr

My job was to fill the plastic boxes (seen below) with ripe, juicy strawberries so that they can immediately be sold.

A sanitation box at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

The work was very therapeutic. The long tent I was working in made it easy for me to keep a social distance and with not a lot of people around, I was able to focus on the task at hand.

The author picking strawberries at Claremont Farm. Janet Barr

The work was very therapeutic. The long tent I was working in made it easy for me to keep a social distance and with not a lot of people around, I was able to focus on the task at hand.

In the beginning, I was very slow and careful, knowing that I was picking strawberries that would later be sold at the shop.

The author picking strawberries at Claremont Farm. Janet Barr

But I quickly became an expert, making my way down the line at a surprising speed.

The author picking strawberries at Claremont Farm. Janet Barr

Once a box was filled, I left it on the ground and moved on to the next batch.

A box of freshly-picked strawberries at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

All the while I was guarded by Aggie, the farm dog, who keeps an eye out for squirrels who like to snack on the strawberries.

Aggie, the farm dog at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

I was joined by Dan and Beth, who are part of the six-man team currently working at the farm and had been up at 7 am to pick strawberries.

Dan, 22, and Beth, 24, help with farm work at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

Dan, who just completed his commercial pilot license in March, been unable to find a job in the aviation industry. Having worked on-and-off on the farm since he was 13, he thought it would be a good time to help.

And while some changes had to be made to adjust to this time, Pimbley told me that the farm is still running pretty well.

After speaking to some of the workers, I really understood how rewarding this job can feel. While getting up early to work on a farm might seem unappealing to some, I thought it was a great way to spend my day.

Strawberry picking at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

After speaking to some of the workers, I really understood how rewarding this job can feel. While getting up early to work on a farm might seem unappealing to some, I thought it was a great way to spend my day.

After almost two hours of picking, my hard work paid off. I had produced almost five crates of delicious-looking strawberries.

Crates full of strawberries at Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

At the end of the day, I couldn't resist but to buy some myself some of the strawberries I had picked and I can confirm... they were delicious!

A box of fresh strawberries from Claremont Farm. Sophia Ankel

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I took Prince Charles' advice to work on a farm during the COVID-19 pandemic. Picking strawberries was a surprisingly therapeutic break from lockdown.

A gaping hole has been left in the British agricultural workforce this year after many of its usual migrant workers are unable to enter the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To assist farmers during this time, the UK government launched the official "Pick for Britain" campaign led by Prince Charles. He called on furloughed workers and students to help pick fruits and vegetables for seasonal harvest.

Prince Charles compared the initiative to Britain's Land Army, a movement during The Second World War that saw women working on farms to replace men that were called up to the military.

After reading about this initiative, I decided to see how the Pick for Britain campaign was progressing for myself. So I traveled 20 minutes from my home on the Wirral, in the northwest of England, to a place called Claremont Farm to work as a farmhand for a day.

Claremont Farm has been run by the Pimbley family since 1906 and includes 250 acres of land...

...and two very large rescue pigs.

They also harvest crops like strawberries, kale, cabbage, raspberries, asparagus, broccoli, and more.

But that's not all. The farm sells all of the fresh produce in its shop.

Andrew Pimbley, who oversees the farm today, told Insider that he's been trying to adapt to the new circumstances.

The farm usually has a team of Polish workers helping out but as the lockdown loomed, they chose to go home to spend it with their families.

Pimbley admits that at first, they were overwhelmed with having to find new workers. But when people started to get furloughed, there was "a sudden new pool of labor" that would usually not be available.

When I turned up at 8:30 am on a Monday morning, I was asked if I could help by picking strawberries for the shop that would open to the public at 10 am.

No time was wasted. Pimbley gave me a quick tour of the farm before showing me the strawberry tents where I would be working.

After a quick explainer on how to pick strawberries without damaging them (use your nails to break the stem), I got to work.

My job was to fill the plastic boxes (seen below) with ripe, juicy strawberries so that they can immediately be sold.

The work was very therapeutic. The long tent I was working in made it easy for me to keep a social distance and with not a lot of people around, I was able to focus on the task at hand.

In the beginning, I was very slow and careful, knowing that I was picking strawberries that would later be sold at the shop.

But I quickly became an expert, making my way down the line at a surprising speed.

Once a box was filled, I left it on the ground and moved on to the next batch.

All the while I was guarded by Aggie, the farm dog, who keeps an eye out for squirrels who like to snack on the strawberries.

I was joined by Dan and Beth, who are part of the six-man team currently working at the farm and had been up at 7 am to pick strawberries.

Dan, who just completed his commercial pilot license in March, been unable to find a job in the aviation industry. Having worked on-and-off on the farm since he was 13, he thought it would be a good time to help.

And while some changes had to be made to adjust to this time, Pimbley told me that the farm is still running pretty well.

After speaking to some of the workers, I really understood how rewarding this job can feel. While getting up early to work on a farm might seem unappealing to some, I thought it was a great way to spend my day.

After almost two hours of picking, my hard work paid off. I had produced almost five crates of delicious-looking strawberries.

At the end of the day, I couldn't resist but to buy some myself some of the strawberries I had picked and I can confirm... they were delicious!