Winter Life-Savers

When the rain is driving down and it’s dark at 4pm, you may wonder why you’re still competing in the depths of winter. But these stoic characters offer a glimmer of hope, says Catherine Austen

- Catherine Austen

THE BURGER VAN MULTI-TASKER

JEAN runs Freezing Farm EC’s burger van on autopilot. She can flip a fried egg, make a flat white and cut a piece of carrot cake simultaneously while calculating your change. This does mean that she always gives you onions, despite you shouting NO ONIONS in answer to her question every time. But the traditional onion scrape-off is a Freezing Farm tradition and well worth it. Jean’s portions of cheesy chips are massive, she’ll do the egg in your breakfast bap as runny or hard as you like, the sausages actually contain meat and the brownies are amazing. She’s the only person at Freezing Farm wearing a T-shirt in January; it’s pretty hot in that van.

THE SHOWJUMPING WARM-UP QUEEN

IN the seventh circle of hell, otherwise known as an indoor showjumping warm-up, Lisa is queen. She has been a showjumping groom for 15 years, and no one is faster with a flat cup. She can put a fence up or down in a fraction of a second; anyone fumbling in a panicky way and dropping the cup earns a cold, condescending stare. No one dares cut in front of her rider into the practice fence; she’ll probably deck their groom. She’s got four horses here — the three her rider isn’t currently sitting on are standing patiently in the corner being held by Lisa’s five-year-old daughter. They won’t put a foot out of line — Lisa has eyes in the back of her head and doesn’t brook bad behaviour.

THE SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND