It can be a struggle to get children motivated to do chores – but not if you have a tank.
Gary Freeland, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, found a unique way to entice his kids to help him with the weekly food shop, driving them there in his head-turning army tank.
The 35-year-old dad of three to Freddie, 13, Phoebe, nine, and Harrison, one, has been into tanks from a young age as his grandad owned ex-military vehicles, which also sparked him to join the army at 16.
Gary spent £20,000 on the vehicle and uses it in his day-to-day life, attracting the attention of locals as he drives through the fuel station and parks it up in the supermarket car park.
The 400L tank would set Gary back almost £800 to fill it with petrol with today’s rocketing fuel prices.
He said: ‘I keep the tank on my driveway. It’s parked next to our other car. It gets lots of attention from people as they walk past our house as it’s certainly not something you expect to see every day.
‘When I take the tank to do the weekly food shop with the kids, people are always joking with me and asking me why I don’t park it in the parent and child space.’
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There are a number of other benefits to taking an armoured vehicle on errands.
Gary added: ‘The tank is the best way to get the kids to go somewhere. They can’t wait to help me with the shopping when they know I am going in the tank.
‘They think it is great because none of their friends gets driven around in an army tank.
‘The good thing about taking the tank to the supermarkets is that it’s got lots of room for the shopping bags and it will never get dented by a passing trolley.
‘And even though the tank is massive, people still tend to park either side of it which makes it very hard to get out of the parking space.’
Oldest son Freddie helps Gary navigate out of tight spots, with the dad saying she’s a ‘great tank commander’. The 13-year-old is a big fan of travelling in military style too, showing pictures and videos of the tank to his friends.
‘As well as taking it to the shops, we go to the fuel station in it and just general drives,’ said Gary.
‘I’ve even had tank driving birthday parties for my son which he absolutely loved.’
Although Gary’s partner hasn’t yet been in the tank, he says she thinks he’s ‘crazy but she also finds it funny’. He’s hoping to get her on board once she’s brave enough.
Gary, who is still in the army, often goes around different army bases and restores tanks that are being used as gate guards.
He said: ‘Driving the tank is actually quite hard work because you control it using sticks rather than a steering wheel. It involves a lot of pulling and you have to have your wits about you!
‘People are so shocked when they see a tank on the road they seem to lose concentration and drift. The visibility is fairly good, however, you do need someone at the top to check the back of the tank.’
The fastest Gary has been in the tank is around 50mph, but it’s more a novelty than a run-around for the family.
‘The kids love it and always want to get involved,’ he said. ‘They love checking that everything is working okay, just like the way I used to help my grandad.
‘People think it is amazing when they see the tank and the shocked look on people’s faces is always a picture.’
Greg McHugh’s Gary Tank Commander might just have competition.
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