Former beautician who now builds dry stone walls in the Peak District stars in new ad campaign for McVitie's biscuits

Lifelong Bakewell resident Tara Whitcher, 30, has a starring role in the 'There Is Only One’ campaign, running across television, cinema and online for the next month for McVitie’s.

The light-hearted concept for the advert is intended to illustrate how the brand is often copied but never equalled. It juxtaposes celebrated cultural icons with their everyday imitators: a goat paling in comparison to Lionel Messi; a hedgehog shuffling behind Sonic; a band of Elvis impersonators in Vegas; and a traditional Derbyshire field boundary against the Great Wall of China.

Namechecked as the character ‘Jill’ in a voiceover by veteran newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald, Tara filmed her segment in High Peak in August and is delighted to be flying the flag for women in a historic craft which has seen more prosperous days.

She said: “I hope my work will last as long as the Great Wall, even if that took a bit longer to build. I did a 40-metre wall in Baslow once, and everyone dubbed it the Great Wall of Tara.

“The filming was a wonderful, eye-opening experience. The location was set up just for me, and I had a make-up artist and an assistant carrying my tools in a suitcase. I felt like a proper VIP. I was a bit overwhelmed and nervous beforehand, and I had to get up at 4am, but everyone on set was so lovely. I loved every minute of it.”

Tara’s usual assistant, a pet chicken called Bhuna who comes to work with her in the summer, was given the day off for filming.

Sir Trevor said: “Armed with a freshly-pressed suit, a cup of tea and a generous supply of Chocolate Digestives, stepping behind the news desk again after fifteen years in many ways felt like coming home.

“I think the people of Britain are going to love the humour of this new ad – and of course the soundtrack. I have to admit I’d not heard of Little Simz, but now very much consider myself a firm fan.”

It is the first time Tara’s career has put her on camera but she is no stranger to a touch of glamour, having started out as a beautician in a local salon.

She met her partner Mark at a time when she was reassessing her future and fell for his profession at the same time.

Tara said: “I didn’t even really think about who built walls back then. I’d had a tough year, took a couple of weeks off work and went up into the fields with Mark and his dog. I just loved being out there. There was no drama, no mither, no people. It was so peaceful.”

For the past seven years the couple have each run their own businesses, building walls for domestic gardens as well as farm clients and commercial projects like the new Bike & Boot Hotel in Hathersage.

Tara, who trades as Stone Waller Girl, said: “It’s sort of a dying craft now that anyone can turn to fence and wire, so I like being part of keeping it alive. Some of these walls have been up for hundreds or thousands of years, it’s nice to be helping them stay there, hopefully for hundreds more.

“The thing I like most is learning from the farmers and all the hard work they put in. I love being around the animals and being able to experience a bit of that farming life.”

The McVitie’s job arose from a casting call on social media for a woman waller, and some of Tara’s friends in the trade encouraged her to submit an audition tape.

She said: “The main reason I said yes was to push myself out of my comfort zone, but I also wanted to showcase dry stone walling. I was amazed they were looking for a genuine professional but I thought it was brilliant. It’s always seen as a very male-orientated job. Stereotypically it’s about being strong and up for hard graft. This is a different way of celebrating that heritage.

“Regardless of gender, I like to think you can do anything if you put your mind to it, and I don’t think women should be put off from what once would have been a very male-dominated job. It’s really good to see more women on social media starting to take an interest in dry stone walling.

“Being a woman in the industry has mostly been a positive, but I do still encounter some stereotypes and people who wonder if I’m really capable – especially when they know what I used to do for a living. I soon prove them wrong and it’s nice to show you can have skills at different ends of a spectrum.”

Tara added: “The most challenging part of the job is not about physical graft, it’s about mindset. I’m self-employed so there’s no push from a boss. When the weather turns and it’s below freezing, you still have to be willing to get up and go out to work all year round.

“You’re up there on the moorlands or in the middle of a field with no facilities – just you and your car, and that’s all you’ve got for the day.”

All that heavy lifting is usually fuelled by a hot flask and McVitie’s classics such as Chocolate HobNobs and Jaffa Cakes – supplies that Tara will not need to restock for the foreseeable future.

She said: “Everyone keeps asking if I got free biscuits, and I did – but I never said I’d share.”

To learn more about Tara’s business, follow @stonewallergirl on Instagram.

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