Who's Who at Farm Cornwall

Trustees

Richard Thomas

Chair

Richard is Chair of Trustees of Farm Cornwall and has been involved with the charity for 25 years. He is a strong advocate for the organisation and the invaluable support it provides to people within the rural community. Farm Cornwall is unique within the farming support network and continues to receive national recognition for its work.

Alongside his role with the charity, Richard runs a mixed farming operation including dairy, beef, cereals, and a potato growing and packing enterprise. He also holds leadership roles in a number of other farming-related organisations.

Richard is committed to ensuring the charity continues to evolve, with the current restructuring helping to create an organisation that is fit for the future and better equipped to respond to the ongoing challenges faced by those living and working in rural communities.

Jenny Olds

Vice Chair

Jenny is a chartered surveyor and agricultural valuer with many years’ experience in rural property management. As well as surveying, she also works in partnership with her husband’s family running their free-range egg and arable farming business which sells direct to the local market.

She has a particular interest in the natural environment and how that is increasingly interacting in modern day farming businesses, and also education in farming and hosts a number of school visits every year.

Chris Knowles

Trustee

After leaving Seale Hayne Agricultural College in 1992, Chris became involved in the family farm, managing a dairy herd of 280 cows and assisting his wife, Rachel, with bottling and retailing some of their milk.

Chris brings a wide range of experience from other organisations to the Trustees Board, having been involved with many local groups. These include Young Farmers, where he served as South West Area Chairman. He was also a governor at Nancledra Primary School, later becoming Chair, and served as Chair of Towednack Parish Council.

He has been involved with Farm Cornwall for over 20 years.

Wendy Nicholas

Trustee

Wendy is a farmer’s daughter and comes from a strong family farming background. She now works on her fifth-generation beef farm with her husband. Based near Land’s End, they also run a busy campsite.

Wendy joined the Trustees at the end of 2023 and has since enjoyed supporting the development of the Cornish Ladies in Wellies and Next Generation community groups. Both groups have grown significantly and are helping to build new friendships, reduce isolation and encourage people to share experiences and support one another.

James Kittow

Trustee

James is the fifth generation of his family to carry on the trade of butchery and farming. He runs a small herd of Devon suckler cattle that graze extensively, alongside the family butchery cutting plant where they supply high-quality meat.

James is also involved in educational events that share the farm-to-fork journey and has a strong interest in sustainable farming practices, including soil health, water quality and conservation.

He is honoured to serve as a trustee of Farm Cornwall, having benefited from some of the charity’s work, including workshops such as the Future Farming Programme. As the only Cornish agricultural charity, Farm Cornwall plays an increasingly important role in supporting farmers across the county as they face growing challenges, not only in running their businesses but also in protecting their physical and mental wellbeing.

Clare Green

Trustee

Tom Sneddon

Consultant

For over 20 years, Tom has supported a wide range of organisations across the South West in consultancy and interim leadership roles. Many of his clients have been charities working in some of the more challenging sectors, including substance misuse, housing, domestic violence, and organisations supporting people with care needs and learning difficulties.

Although he does not come from a farming background, Tom has worked closely with Farm Cornwall for the past two years as a consultant to the Trustees. During this time, he carried out a major review which set out a vibrant and important future for the charity, recommending that it build on its well-recognised confidential support for farmers by focusing on growth and raising the charity’s profile. The development of the new website is one example of this work.

Rural Support Team

Edward Richardson

Rural Support Manager

Edward is well known to the farming community across Cornwall having held the position of Rural Support Manager for 16 years.

He brings a lifetime of experiences in all types of farm management up to 1500 acres, farm education and most especially a love of farming that started when he was 12 years old. Like many others, he has enjoyed the highs of success in farming by developing an organic vegetable box scheme and also growing an organic pig herd. These successes are tempered by set-backs to foot and mouth and BSE.

Many,many farming families have not only benefited from his experiential skills but also have been supported by Edward’s empathetic and confidential approach. Edward complements his agricultural knowledge with an MBA in Business Administration so is well qualified to take an objective perspective when supporting those farmers in difficulty.

He was awarded the Trelawney Plate in 2024 in recognition of his engagement in the Cornish Agricultural community.

Louise Davis

Farm Adviser and Outreach Worker

Louise is from a beef and sheep farm on the edge of Dartmoor. Having spent some time working in New Zealand and in Wales, Louise returned to Devon and has spent the last 20 years working with farmers in an advisory capacity, which has included work as a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer in North Devon, and a training and events role at Dartmoor Hill Farm Project.

Louise has worked on agri-environment schemes for many years and enjoys working with farms to develop schemes that are suitable, practical and achievable.

Louse’s experiences are backed up by a 1^st Degree in Environmental Science and she has been FACTS qualified since 2015.

Charlie Penna

Farm Advisor and Outreach Worker

Charlie runs his family farm just outside of Redruth. He has a closed commercial beef herd, grows cereals and has been on environmental schemes including the Sustainable Farming Incentive Pilot scheme.

He has also spent over a decade as a farm auditor for Red Tractor covering beef and lamb (Fabbl), combinable crops and livestock haulage. This role has made him a familiar face within the farming community and has allowed him to gain a good understanding of farming needs across Cornwall.

Charlie has a Diploma in Agriculture from Duchy College and has more recently attended the Farm Resilience Programme. As result of these seminars he has ventured into some diversification projects on his own farm to assist in the long term viability of his farm.

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Office Team

Debbie Evans

PA to the Charity Trustees

Debbie has worked with Farm Cornwall and the Penwith Farming Forum, as the group was originally named, since 2007 providing administrative, accounting and fundraising support. She is a member of the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries and works with a number of rural businesses in West Cornwall. She has previously managed a care farm for adults with learning disabilities and worked in the tourism sector both in Cornwall and Wiltshire.

Outside of work her passion is gardening and she is a previous Show Director for the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show and now helps to stage the annual West Cornwall Flower Show in Marazion.

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Abigail Badcock

Charity Manager

Abigail has spent her career working within charitable and community-focused organisations, with experience in operations, communications, programme development, and team management. She has held roles across the arts, non-profits, CICs, and start-up environments, where she has delivered strategic projects and built communities both online and in person.

Although not from a farming background herself, Abigail has family connections to agriculture and a strong commitment to supporting rural communities. She brings a people-focused approach, a passion for clear and effective communication, and a track record of strengthening organisational systems to enhance impact and reach.

In her role as Charity Manager, Abigail leads on stakeholder engagement, digital communications, and the continued evolution of Farm Cornwall’s website and outreach. She is committed to helping the charity grow its profile, expand its support networks, and evidence its vital impact on farming families across Cornwall.

Outside of work, Abigail enjoys spending time with her family, running, gardening, exploring Cornwall’s coastline, and playing netball.