More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
An 87-year-old woman is still able to run her sheep farm thanks to her two off-road mobility scooters.
Marion Pont, from Bethersden near Ashford, has lived on her family farm for over 70 years but would not be able to continue tending to her flock, mend fences or carry feed without her trusty set of wheels.
First owned by her parents, the 70-acre holding has reared milking cows, grown crops and now breeds sheep and, with the help of her sister-in-law and nephew, Marion tends to 80 lambing sheep using her mobility scooters.
One of the scooters, built more than two decades ago, is a rugged motorcycle-style Supersport from TGA Mobility, which is based in Suffolk.
The other is a TGA Breeze GT - which Marion recently bought - and, together, they are her only means of remaining mobile around the farm.
Marion said: "I call my Supersport my tractor and my new Breeze my Rolls Royce. I couldn’t farm without them.
"For years now, my Supersport has helped me transport tons of stuff including feed, tools and logs. I can get around the house but walking further is impossible.
"I call my Supersport my tractor and my new Breeze my Rolls Royce. I couldn’t farm without them."
"When you’ve worked on a farm all your life, doing heavy work, your muscles get worn out. It’s tricky standing up straight these days, which means I can’t see the beautiful countryside when I walk. Not on my Supersport, I can sit upright and see it all."
She added: "I go out on my scooter three times a day to keep things in order.
"I haven’t been away from the farm in three months due to the virus, so having two scooters at home has kept my freedom intact."
TGA Mobility said the Supersport scooter was a "popular model of choice" with members of the Disabled Ramblers Association through its off-road capabilities and range.
"It has large wheels, which can tackle mud, grass and rocky tracks with consistent traction and excellent manoeuvrability," a company spokesman said. "These features mean Marion is able to access all of her farm throughout the year and regularly drives several miles a day."
