Bedford Girls’ School’s Head Girl Anna Hunt had an eventful commute into Bedford this morning – in an effort to raise awareness of young people and women in agriculture – by coming into school on her tractor.

A passionate farmer – her family own Watergate Farm near Hockliffe, Bedfordshire – and a member of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, Anna made the 19-mile hour-long trip on her Case Tractor.

After negotiating a busy A421, where her tractor was restricted to 40mph, Anna safely arrived at school at 7.45am, parking the vehicle on the front lawn.

“It’s quite unusual to travel that far in a tractor and I had plenty of traffic trying to overtake me on the A421, but I wanted to do something that could spark the girls’ interest in agriculture,” said Anna, who leaves for university this summer.

“Raising awareness of young people and women in agriculture is something I care deeply about. By bringing the tractor in and parking it on the front lawn, I’ve had girls of varying ages ask about agriculture and what I do on my family’s farm.

“It’s important that females are aware that agriculture is a diverse field and a viable career for them. There are many possible paths to take as a farmer, from crop science and finding solutions to the issue of feeding the world's growing population. There’s lots of current affairs linked to agriculture.”

Miss MacKenzie, Bedford Girls’ School Headmistress, added: “The girls should be inspired by the example Anna sets with all the work she does for promoting young farmers; the sight of her tractor on our front lawn certainly made an impression, and something that sparked the girls’ imagination.

“There’s now plenty of career options within agriculture, and we want the girls to realise that there are no gender barriers in any industry.”

To find out more about agricultural and farming careers visit www.agrifj.co.uk