Articles Tagged with: Inspiring Support

International Day of Charity

We’d like you to take a moment to think about what you love about the countryside. 

The countryside, what it does, what it produces and what it offers affects us all. Since being founded in 2010, The Royal Countryside Fund has worked to empower small family farms and rural communities by investing in projects across the UK which improve service provision in rural areas, support farming businesses and rural enterprises, and provide training opportunities for young people. 

Our work isn’t possible without the support of our Friends and funders. We thank them for helping us reach those most in need and today, we ask you to join us too as we work together towards a more resilient, thriving countryside for everyone. 

Becoming a Friend of the Countryside is an opportunity to make a real difference. Your support will enable us to: 

  • Offer more family farms access to immediate, local and practical support and a path to a sustainable future. 
  • Help rural communities become more resilient by powering community-led solutions to transport, jobs, housing, shops and community spaces. 
  • Support young farmers and new entrants in overcoming challenges preventing them from succeeding in agriculture. 

Become a Friend of the Countryside
today and help us build a real future
for rural Britain!

Sign up here

NFU Mutual Charitable Trust donates £60,000 to The Royal Countryside Fund 

James Kittow (RCF farmer), Edward Richardson (Farm Cornwall), Allan Wilkinson (RCF Trustee), Keith Halstead (RCF) and Nick Turner (NFU Mutual) at the Royal Cornwall Show.

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust is one of the main ways leading rural insurer NFU Mutual provides charitable donations, and its work forms part of NFU Mutual’s £3.25m charitable giving pledge to support its members and their communities during 2023. 

This latest round of funding will help to deliver a range of initiatives, including rural poverty relief, helping small farming businesses to thrive, educating and mentoring young people, and supporting the UK’s air ambulance network.  

The Royal Countryside Fund is very grateful to have received £60,000 to help Farm Support Groups and ensure that we can continue providing vital services to local farming communities. Other organisations set to benefit from the donations include Addington Fund, RSABI, The Farming Community Network and Tir Dewi  

Nick Turner, Group Chief Executive of NFU Mutual, said: “Supporting our communities has always been at the very heart of our approach, and NFU Mutual is committed to making a positive impact through its charitable giving programme. These latest donations from the Trust will help support our members and their communities in many different ways, and we’re very proud to be championing the work of these great causes.”   

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, explained how the Trust’s donation will be making a difference: “The Royal Countryside Fund is incredibly grateful for the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust’s continued support of our Farm Support Group Initiative. This funding has allowed us to increase capacity across the network, supporting hundreds more farming families each year on a wide range of issues from business advice through to pastoral support, helping to ensure a thriving and diverse agricultural community in the UK. As farming families continue to face uncertainty, we are proud to offer them practical assistance when they need it most.” 

Learn more about our funders