HRH The Prince of Wale’s Countryside Fund celebrates Farmer Networks this National Countryside Week

• Adam Henson proud to support The Prince’s Countryside Fund in video message - watch here.
• The Fund launches national directory of farm and rural support groups during National Countryside Week
• Announces funding for 12 farmer networks

The Prince’s Countryside Fund is celebrating National Countryside Week from 20th to 26thJuly, and the work of UK farm support groups.

In a video message of support, Fund Ambassador Adam Henson has launched the directory. The video can be seen at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/directory.

Adam Henson told us: “I’m very proud to be an ambassador for The Prince’s Countryside Fund. Tragically, one farmer a week takes their own life, so I'm pleased to be helping launch and support the National Directory for Farm and Rural Support Groups. This pocket-sized directory means that if you come across people in the countryside who are struggling and need support, you can point them in the right direction.”

Originally created by YANA, a farming mental health charity working across Norfolk, Suffolk, and Worcestershire, the directory has been updated to include 21 new support groups.

The Fund is also awarding emergency funding to 12 farmer networks across the UK, to support them in helping farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of £46,143, made available thanks to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, is being distributed to:

Exmoor Hill Farm Network, Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, Tir Dewi, Herefordshire Rural Hub, The Gamekeepers Welfare Trust, The Farmer Network Ltd, Yorkshire Rural Support Network, Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy, FarmCornwall, The Farming Life Centre, Derbyshire Rural Chaplaincy, Field Nurse.

Gareth from Tir Dewi told us: “As a charity, we rely in part on donations to enable us to deliver our service and we have had to cancel all of our fundraising events. The Prince’s Countryside Fund and NFU Mutual Charitable Trust have stepped in and taken that problem away. We can now concentrate our efforts on supporting farmers and their families who still need help. A big thank you from me, Gareth Davies, and the team at Tir Dewi.”

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “We are proud to be able to support UK farm support groups, both financially through our grant programme, and by highlighting the importance of their work in our National Directory of Farm and Rural Support Groups.

“Over the past year, through the work of our Farm Support Coordinator Diane Spark, we have been supporting these networks to share best practice, communicate more easily with each other, and advocate on their behalf to government and other bodies. Our aim for the future is to make these networks more sustainable and help them to grow, ensuring that all UK farmers can receive local help when desired.

“Thank you to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for supporting our grant making during the pandemic, and to our corporate partners for their backing of the National Directory of Farm and Rural Support Groups.”

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Prince’s Countryside Fund has released nearly £170,000 to 75 projects across the UK, to support rural and farming communities cope with the impact of the pandemic.

If you would like to find out more about the Fund’s grant making activity, please visit www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk

If you would like to be included in the next edition of the National Farm and Rural Support Directory, please email farmsupport@countrysidefund.org.uk

The Prince’s Countryside Fund would like to thank of all their partners for their support with the Farm Support initiative and National Countryside Week 2020. The work of the Fund is supported by a number of brands including Waitrose and Partners, Duchy Originals, Booths, Aldi, Saputo Dairy UK, New Holland UK, McDonald’s UK and Ireland, Marks and Spencer, Forest Holidays, Gregory Distribution, Jordans Cereals, Morrisons, New Holland, and Weetabix.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The Prince’s Countryside Fund was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2010 and aims to enhance the prospects of family farm businesses and the quality of rural life. We believe that the British countryside is our most valuable natural asset and its contribution to our everyday life cannot be underestimated.

Over the past decade, The Prince’s Countryside Fund has given away over £10 million to more than 350 projects working across the UK which improve service provision in rural areas, support farming businesses and rural enterprises, and provide training opportunities for young people. In short, we look after the people who look after the countryside.

To help support and secure the future of the countryside, we work in a number of ways:

•By providing more than £1m in grant and initiative funding every year to projects across the UK that help to provide a secure future for the countryside.

•Leading initiatives, such as The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme which offers free business skills training to family farms across the UK.

•Commissioning research into issues affecting farming families and rural communities.

•Being an advocate for the countryside by bringing together individuals and businesses to help tackle current challenges.

•Working with partners to provide exciting schemes for those from rural areas.

•Helping communities in crisis through our Emergency Fund.

To find out more, visit the Fund’s website at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk