£10,000 boost for future of farming in Dorset

The Dorset Fresh Start Academy has received a grant of £10,000 from the Daniel Symonds and Mary Ann Pope Charitable Trust to continue its work equipping young farmers and new entrants to farming with the skills and the knowledge to run a farming business in the 21st Century.

Fresh Start is a ground-breaking industry-led initiative supported by Defra to encourage new entrants into farming and help established farmers to diversify their businesses.

The Dorset Fresh Start Academy was launched in April 2007 and has brought together Kingston Maurward College, Dorset County Farms Estate and Dorset Agricultural Advisory Service (DAAS) to deliver a programme of meetings that will help young farmers and new entrants make more informed business decisions.

The Charitable Trust was established in 1987 by Alec Symonds, the great grandson of Mary Ann Pope, to encourage business enterprise in young people by providing appropriate training to benefit his great grandmother's home community and the county of Dorset.

Katherine Sealy, Dorset Fresh Start co-ordinator said: "As a member of the Young Farmers and through my work with Dorset Agricultural Advisory Service, I am all too aware of the pressures affecting young people and their ability to both get a job and progress their careers within our industry. I am extremely grateful for this generous donation. It will make a vital contribution to the Dorset Fresh Start Academy's opening year".