Alice Kennard from Forde Abbey in Dorset has been awarded the South West regional Farming Fundraising award in recognition of her support of farming charity the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I).

The award goes to the person or people who, in the opinion of the awards panel, deserve special recognition for supporting R.A.B.I.

Alice owns Forde Abbey in Dorset and organises the annual Forde Abbey Summer Fair at her home. The fair attracts around 5,000 visitors each July to a traditional summer event including a dog show, classic car displays, trade stands and main ring displays, all in a stunning setting in front of the abbey.

Pam Wills collected the prize on Alice's behalf from NFU vice-president Stuart Roberts in front of more than 230 guests at R.A.B.I’s AGM / annual conference in Oxfordshire last week.

Joshua Hosier, R.A.B.I deputy chairman, said: “Alice is the driving force of the organising committee for this event. Whilst she has things running beautifully each year, it’s not without an enormous amount of time and effort.

“We are fortunate to have been one of two chosen charities to benefit from proceeds with an incredible £12-15,000 coming to R.A.B.I from each fair over the past few years.”

R.A.B.I is farming’s oldest and largest charity, providing financial support, advice and practical help to farming people of all ages. In 2018 the charity gave out grants of more than £2.2m including over £52,000 in Dorset. The grants help farmers cope with extreme weather, illness, accidents, family breakdown, animal disease, bereavement and cash flow problems amongst other issues.

Find out more about the charity