Farm businesses across the UK are set to benefit from over £300,000 of grants in the latest round of funding that has been awarded by The Prince’s Countryside Fund to nine vital new projects.
The fund, established in 2010 by Prince Charles, has announced that it will be supporting 19 new projects overall throughout the UK through its grant giving programme.
The aim of the fund is to improve the prospects of family farm businesses and the quality of rural life, and has donated over £8.5 million to farms and rural communities in the past seven years.
Funding has been awarded to The Farmer Network in Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales, Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services, and Farm Cornwall, all of which provide practical assistance and support a valuable network for farming communities.
Grants have also been given to support the future generation of farmers and farm managers, with funding going to Myerscough College and Bishop Burton College, and to the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs to deliver succession planning workshops.
'Generous support'
Rhonda Thompson, Business Development Manager at Bishop Burton College said: “The Farm Management Development Programme, now in its third year, thanks to the generous support of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, offers young people working in the agricultural industry a chance to learn the vital management skills needed to run a profitable farming business.
Designed by farmers and delivered with industry experts, the course provides a platform not only to up-skill tomorrow’s managers, but also a way to inspire young people, and highlight that they are key in shaping the future of farming.”
Cosmic, a social enterprise and IT company has been given a grant to support digital skills in upland areas of Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Kate Doodson, joint CEO of Cosmic said: “We are delighted to be providing digital support and mentoring for farmers in our most rural locations of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Through our awarded grant, we will be able to transform farmers’ lives, enabling them to better understand the benefits of digital.”
Funding has also been awarded to research the sustainability and resilience of farmer farms, with grants being awarded to the National Sheep Association and the Uplands Alliance.
'Wide diversity'
Phil Stocker, Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association said: “The grant from The Prince’s Countryside Fund will enable progress of an important industry initiative to promote the wide diversity of sheep meat in the UK."
"The work should also help in the survival of four of our most valuable farming assets – the genepool of our 60 or so native sheep breeds, as well as the traditional farming systems, landscapes and communities which produce them.”
Announcing the grant recipients, Claire Saunders, Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “We are thrilled to be able to support so many farming initiatives in this round of funding, alongside the support we offer to rural community based projects."
"Our recent report, Who’d be a farmer today?, highlighted the disconnect that the general public has with farmers and the UK’s rural areas, and our grant programme is providing essential support during what is an uncertain time for people living and working in the countryside.”
New grants awarded to projects to support farming communities:
UK wide: National Sheep Association £14,700
England: Uplands Alliance £13,800
North East of England: Myerscough College £49,520; Bishop Burton College £24,000; The Farmer Network £43,241
North West of England: Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services £30,000
Scotland: Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs £29,850
South West of England: FarmCornwall £49,235; Cosmic £48,312
