Forage Aid farmer’s MBE stolen in Land Rover theft

An MBE and farm vehicle have been stolen from a farmer who was awarded the medal in recognition of his charitable work and services to agriculture.

Lincolnshire farmer Andrew Ward was awarded the MBE in 2014 after founding the Forage Aid charity to help livestock producers hit by bad weather.

But the medal and a Land Rover Discovery were stolen from Mr Ward’s farm at Leadenham, between Sleaford and Newark, at 4pm on Thursday (18 August).

See also: Forage Aid founder Andrew Ward collects MBE

The MBE was in its presentation box in the glovebox of the Land Rover after Mr Ward returned from a function.

The vehicle also contained a laptop, cheque books, important paperwork and other material relating to Mr Ward’s Forage Aid charity work.

“The whole lot is gone and I can’t put a value on it. It is causing me great anguish and a massive amount of inconvenience,” he told Farmers Weekly.

“I’m resigned to losing the vehicle but I just hope someone has a bit of decency and returns what was inside.”

Mr Ward said he had nothing but praise for Lincolnshire Police who were doing “all they could and more” to find the vehicle.

“I can’t praise them enough,” he said.

See also: How to prevent your Land Rover from being stolen

The Land Rover – an SE Tech model – is unusual because it is a Kaikoura Stone bronze-brown colour. It had the number plate X4 AWW – although the plate could have since been changed.

Unusually, Andrew Ward’s stolen Land Rover is a rare Kaikoura Stone colour © Andrew Ward

It was last seen on a minor road heading through the village of Brant Broughton towards Lincoln on Thursday (18 August).

Mr Ward founded Forage Aid as an appeal to help fellow farmers who had been hit by severe snowstorms in Cumbria and the north of England during 2013.

During the appeal, the farming community donated thousands of tonnes of hay, silage and straw which was transported free of charge by hauliers to farms in the area.

The stolen Land Rover was last seen heading towards Newark on the A17 © Andrew Ward

Initially intended to be a one-off farmer-led scheme, Forage Aid was again called upon to help livestock farmers hit by the Somerset floods during the winter of 2013-14.

Mr Ward was named 2013 Farmers Weekly Awards Farm Champion and Forage Aid is now a fully fledged charity.

He described receiving his MBE at Buckingham Palace in November 2013 as a day he would remember for the rest of his life.