News.

Charity Manager Abigail Badcock and Rural Support Manager Edward Richardson attended The Royal Countryside Fund’s seventh annual Farm Support Groups Conference in Hampshire at the end of September, joining representatives from 31 farm support organisations from across the UK.

With collaboration at the heart of this year’s conference, the two days provided a fantastic opportunity to meet and learn from organisations doing similar work in farming communities across the country. It was a chance to share experiences, exchange ideas, discuss common challenges and hear about approaches that are working well in other areas.

For Edward, this was his sixth time attending since the Farm Support Groups conferences began. The network has become an important opportunity to build relationships with other organisations supporting farming families and to learn from the wealth of experience that exists across the UK.

Discussions across the two days covered a wide range of topics, including women’s networks in farming, engaging younger generations in rural communities, healthcare and wellbeing, and the challenges currently facing farming families.

Abigail said: “It was incredibly valuable to spend time with organisations from across the UK who are doing such similar work to us. Collaboration was a really fitting theme for the conference; although we’re working in different parts of the country, many of the challenges facing farming families are the same, and there is so much we can learn from sharing our experiences, ideas and approaches. We came away with lots of ideas, new connections and plenty to think about for our own work here in Cornwall.”

The conference was organised by The Royal Countryside Fund, with support from The Dulverton Trust as part of a three-year funding commitment to the Farm Support Groups Network.

A huge thank you to The Royal Countryside Fund for bringing everyone together and continuing to invest in the Farm Support Groups Network. Opportunities like this are a valuable reminder of just how much can be achieved when organisations supporting farming communities work together.