Exmoor Hill Farming Network is delighted to be one of seven rural projects awarded funding by The Princes Countryside Fund.

In the latest round of funding, over £232,000 has been awarded to seven rural projects in the South West which will be delivered by the Exmoor Hill Farming Network, Farm Cornwall CIC (two projects), FWAG SW, Duchy College, Cornwall Federation of Young Farmer’s Clubs, Urban Biodiversity CiC.

Katherine Williams, Network Officer from the Exmoor Hill Farming Network said, “The Prince’s Countryside Fund has provided support to our network activities to help address low farming incomes and rural isolation through its networking and training activities.

"We are a farmer-led network bringing information, training, demonstrations, grants and opportunities to upland farmers across Exmoor. The new grant enables us to offer crucial support to over 430 members and (growing) across Exmoor. We have engaged with 226 farm businesses and provided locally delivered training in many topics including grassland management, condition scoring , succession planning, first aid, spraying and post mortems. We act as a vital hub being the ‘go to’ point situated in the middle of the moor marrying up farmer’s needs, provisions and enabling sharing ideas through knowledge exchange and transfer. We have been overwhelmed by the support the network has received and the level of participation by all members of the farming family.

“Looking to the future, our focus will include engaging the next generation of young Exmoor farmers and helping them to secure a viable living in the region. We need to capture the imaginations of our young farmers, continue our existing successful activities and provide support to improve the viability, efficiency and sustainability of Exmoor farming. We are also cheered to see a great upsurge in the numbers of women involved in farming engaging through the network. We will continue to facilitate peer support groups, events, meetings and communications to keep the network vibrant, responsive and relevant to local needs.”

Claire Saunders, Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, said “The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s grant programme provides an essential lifeline to people living and working in the countryside and is needed now more than ever. 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.