Coronavirus: Farmer ploughs giant NHS in Glympton Estate field

A farmer has ploughed the letters NHS into a field along with a heart to pay tribute to staff tackling coronavirus.

In about half an hour, Ben Wilson created the 50m (164ft) markings in the field being used to grow spring oats in Glympton, Oxfordshire.

He said NHS staff were doing an "amazing job" by keeping the service running during the pandemic, which has resulted in 2,352 deaths in the UK.

He said the reaction on social media had been "surprising and overwhelming".

Mr Wilson, who manages the village's Glympton Estate, said: "We've got friends in the NHS.

"My Dad's currently being treated for cancer at the John Radcliffe Hospital [in Oxford] at the moment and they are doing an amazing job keeping things going as well as dealing with this coronavirus situation."

Mr Wilson said he was a "novice" at using Twitter, where he had originally posted the picture of the ploughed field.

But said he had found positive response from people "quite exciting, surprising and overwhelming".

Mr Wilson added: "The farm work is carrying on. We're lambing, we're calving cows as well.

"So hopefully when the nicer, warmer weather comes we can send them out into some nice British countryside to produce nice British lamb and beef to celebrate when this is all over."