| SUPPORTER UPDATES / May 2013 |
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| Dear Subscribers,
A huge thank to everyone for the overwhelming response to our Emergency Fund appeal. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to distribute over £500,000 to the Farming Help charities who have provided advice, grants and emergency funding to our farmers who have been affected by the atrocious weather over the last 18 months. We will continue to monitor the situation and raise funds as and when needed. The long awaited summer is nearly upon us though, and the team have been busy pulling together the final plans for National Countryside Week 2013. This year our projects will be opening their doors across the country so keep a look out for next month’s issue for a rundown of the week. |
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| Report into Farmer Networks |
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A report commissioned by the Royal Agricultural Society of England released last month into Farming Networks has identified some interesting findings.
The secret of their success involves getting farmers to build their self confidence and capacity by working together with their peers to tackle common challenges such as the spread of technical good practice, tackling workforce challenges and providing social support to their members. Once up and running, Farmer Networks deliver a significant return on investment to both their members and the public purse. The report focused on five case studies with core common characteristics Exmoor Hill Farm Project, FarmCornwall, The Farmer Network Ltd, UTASS and Warwickshire Rural Hub, three of which are currently supported by the Fund.
To read the report in full please click here.
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| Annual clay shoot at West Wycombe Park |
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On Tuesday 7 May, we held our annual Charity Clay Pigeon at the beautiful West Wycombe Estate, Buckinghamshire. Twenty teams of 4 went head-to-head with over 8,000 clays released. Among those taking part included ambassadors former England rugby union player Phil Vickery, top shot Charlotte Kerwood and celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and supporters of the Fund; Waitrose, Dairy Crest and Samworth Brothers.
During the day, Heston Blumenthal spoke about the importance of supporting British farmers ‘British farming has had a really tough year with bad weather and some major food scandals that have affected confidence in the produce," said Heston, who urged the public to buy British. A culture of cheap food is damaging British farming, he said.
"We need to feel proud of the ingredients we have in this country and that's only going to happen if we back our farmers." My role here is to help this charity grow and give as much support to British farmers as possible because they really need it," he added.
It was a fantastic day and over £50,000 was raised in aid of the Fund.
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| Fresh Start to help new entrants into dairy farming |
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The Fresh Start Dairy Academy in the South West was officially launched last month at the Royal Bath and West Show.
The programme, which is supported by The Prince’s Countryside Fund, aims to help new entrants to dairy farming by offering business training and mentoring, as well as providing a base point for potential ‘match making’ - introducing dairy farmers who wish to retire or step back to those who with ambitions to enter the industry. There are 20 places available to applicants over 18 years of age.
The South West programme, which will be based at Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre, is being launched following a successful pilot initiative at Reaseheath College in Cheshire. To find out more information please visit their website.
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| Visit us at Cereals |
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Former England rugby union captain and ambassador for the Fund, Phil Vickery will be the main attraction at this year’s Cereals event when he presents Case IH's silver edition Magnum to the victorious bidder.
The tractor goes under the hammer on the Case stand (7M-700) at 2pm on Wednesday 12 June. All of the income generated over £87,233- half of the 374hp Magnum 340's list price - is to be donated to The Prince's Countryside Fund's emergency relief fund.
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| How to get involved |
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| Encourage any local projects that you know of to apply for funding when we open again for applications in October 2013.
Make a donation. We are able to accept donations over the counter at the Post Office and online at Virgin Money Giving. You can also TEXT PCF to 70300 and make a £3 donation directly to us from your mobile phone. |
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