Before I joined the ETP, tea did not feature particularly heavily in my life. Nowadays, not only is it the focus of my working hours, but tea-growing countries tend to feature heavily in family holiday destinations.  Also, my friends now know much more than they probably ever expected (wanted?) to about the history of tea and the issues facing the people who produce it.

Tea was the last thing on my mind however on Sunday, when I took my children across to the open air swimming pool in our village.  I was catching up with friends as the kids ducked each other, when a skiffle band arrived to celebrate the last swim of the season – and suddenly I was involved in one of the more hilarious and surreal experiences I have had this year. Swimming in the gorgeous sunshine (unusual in itself in the UK) with a view of the Peak District, as my neighbours in their trunks and bikinis joined in the chorus of the band’s piece de resistance ‘Have a cup of Yorkshire Tea’ as our kids competed to catch the tea bags that were being thrown by the singer.

Fortunately, as Bettys and Taylors, who produce Yorkshire Tea, are committed members of ETP with a highly ambitious sustainability strategy, I could vouch for both the ethics and the quality of the prizes. And perhaps even more fortunately, my off the cuff comment – “where did they find that band, they’re great” was a positive one, as the neighbour I was chatting to replied, “well the guy on the washboard is my ex-husband and the ukulele player is my son!”

The main picture above shows the Yorkshire Tea Band on the bandstand at Hathersage swimming pool. I was particularly impressed with the how the singer had matched her outfit to the exact shade of orange of the Yorkshire Tea packaging!