McDonald’s and The Prince’s Countryside Fund helping farmers get ‘Ready for Change’

December 12, 2020

McDonald’s UK and Ireland and The Prince’s Countryside Fund (the Fund) successfully launched their joint programme of support for farming families last month.

37 farmers took part in four ‘Ready for Change’ workshops which marked the start of the Fund’s Farm Resilience Alumni Network (FRAN).

The aim of FRAN is to continue the learning and social benefits of The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme and the ‘Ready for Change’ series, supported by McDonald’s will provide vital assistance to farming communities over the next three years. At a time of great uncertainty and transformation in British agriculture, equipping farm businesses with the tools to adapt their activities and make sensible, informed decisions about their businesses is more important than ever. ‘Ready for Change’ is a two-part workshop, delivered by Kite Consultants and took place virtually with farmers from the South West and Northern Ireland.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “As agriculture faces the most significant change in living memory, there could not be a more important time for the partnership between McDonald’s and The Prince’s Countryside Fund to provide farming families with the confidence and ongoing support they need to develop plans for the future of their farming business. We are extremely grateful to McDonald’s for supporting the Fund’s resilience work over the next three years.”

Harriet Wilson, Agriculture Manager at McDonald’s UK & Ireland said: “There is no denying the impact and uncertainty that this year has caused, making it more vital than ever that we continue to support the agriculture industry. We hope these workshops, as part of The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme, enable farming families to make informed decisions to help futureproof their businesses.”

Becki Leach from Kite Consulting said: “It is testament to The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme and all that it delivers to participants that so many want to carry on their learning journey as part of FRAN. The groups were really engaged in the topic of ‘Ready for Change’ and willingly shared their thoughts, ideas and experiences with the group which made for a productive session.

One participating farmer said: “It was a well-run workshop which covered relevant topics and highlighted the need to embrace change. Sincere thanks to the presenters for the professional way they led the meeting yet involved all who attended.”

The Fund will be running future ‘Ready for Change’ workshops across different regions in 2021. For further information on this, please click here.