£700,000 grant for groups helping struggling farmers
© Rex Shutterstock More than £700,000 of grant funding from the Prince’s Countryside Fund is being distributed to groups and charities helping struggling farmers.
Groups receiving money said the funds were needed more than ever following a surge in demand for support services over Christmas, particularly related to the Cumbrian flooding.
See more: Flood action group launched to help washed-out Cumbrian farmers
Seven projects will receive funding to improve rural livelihoods, eight to help develop the next generation of farmers, and eight to help rural communities thrive.
Projects that have been awarded money to provide support to farmers include:
- Tir Dewi (David’s Land) in Wales will offer a bilingual support service to Welsh farmers and their families, including for mental health issues, financial advice and regulatory advice.
- The Farming Life Centre will offer business support.
- Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Rural Support Group will help with business problems, debts and loss of employment.
- Exmoor Hill Farming Network is to provide information sharing and support for hill farmers to make their businesses more viable.
- FarmCornwall will continue to help small farming families in Cornwall affected by high levels of poverty and isolation.
Claire Saunders, director of the Prince’s Countryside Fund, said: “Farming and rural businesses have been hit hard in the past 12 months as a fall in commodity prices and increased administrative burdens have taken their toll, notwithstanding the devastation of storms and subsequent flooding.
“As well as dealing with the immediate pressures, we are committed to helping secure a viable future for vulnerable farms and have commissioned research to be carried out by the University of Exeter and published in the summer to help inform our future funding and activity.
“There are many fantastic groups operating across the UK and the fund is delighted to be able to support such a wide range of innovative projects that will provide a lasting legacy to so many communities.”