A message from Sarah Dunning, chair of Westmorland Family
As the nation gets moving again, Westmorland Family is really looking forward to greeting our customers old and new. We welcome you with open arms to Tebay Services, Gloucester Services and Cairn Lodge Services and are glad to be part of your British summer holidays.
Our independent family business is firmly rooted in its places. Tebay Services grew out of our family farm in Westmorland when the M6 was built through it nearly 50 years ago. The temporary closure of our Farmshops and Kitchens during the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed just how deeply those roots reach into their local communities.
In our businesses we have 1,300 colleagues, whose jobs depend upon our success. We work with wonderful small producers, more than 400 farmers, growers and makers, whose success depends upon our success because we are often their principal outlet. We contribute to local community causes, last year raising more than £850k, and can only continue to do so when we thrive.
When you visit our places we are sure that you will feel safe and relaxed. We have taken time to reopen carefully and responsibly, so we can give total assurance to our customers and colleagues that we are protecting them with leading-edge hygiene measures. All this, of course, without losing the charm our customers love us for. We’ve taken much of our food outdoors this summer for an English picnic celebration, giving you the chance to enjoy our beautiful rural locations.
Your support means so much to the places we are proud to be a part of. We emerge from lockdown at a time when the UK’s high food and animal welfare standards are in jeopardy. This in turn threatens the survival of the excellent food businesses we work with, including our own family farm, which supplies beef and lamb to our Farmshops and Kitchens. As we restart our business, Westmorland is more determined than ever to stand up for local, sustainable, nourishing food.
We know we are not alone. As a result of Covid-19, many of us are a little bit changed. Lockdown has given us a chance to appreciate what’s on our doorsteps: local produce, local communities and local landscapes. It has reminded us of the things we really value, such as the pleasures of sharing good food with family and friends.
It would be so powerful if we could hold onto those lessons learnt during lockdown and vote with our feet. We must never underestimate the power of our choices. The way we eat, cook, shop and travel makes a difference.
Please join us on The Road Better Travelled. We’re really counting on your support.
Sarah Dunning
