The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust donated over £1million to support UK charities during 2020.

With one in ten UK charities facing bankruptcy last year, the charity sector has been one of the worst hit by the pandemic.

The Trust made donations worth a total of £1,092,500 during 2020, with 20 organisations receiving funding over the year. The increased donations were made possible by an additional £750,000 pledge from rural insurer NFU Mutual, aiming to help charities maintain resilience during the pandemic.

Lindsay Sinclair, group chief executive of NFU Mutual, said: “In The Charitable Trust’s biggest year for donations since it was established in 1998, NFU Mutual is proud to have supported causes across all corners of the UK which are changing lives and giving hope for a better future.

“While many fundraising events have had to be side-lined this year, the demand for these charities’ services has grown. We want to help them meet that need and build resilience for the future, maintaining practical and emotional support for our communities at a time which is proving especially difficult.”

READ NEXT: David Peckham! Chickens given footballs during bird flu lockdown

South West Farmer:

LEAF Education work supported by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust

So far the funding has helped to support a range of initiatives, including projects that tackle isolation, support mental health and wellbeing and enrich young lives through agricultural education and innovation.

The impacts of these initiatives have included support for 523 households from RSABI, support provided over one million times by Samaritans via phone, email and letters, and 16,309 hours of continual professional development for teachers delivered by LEAF Education.

The charities set to benefit from the most recent donations by the Trust are Addington Fund, LEAF Education, NFYFC, Open Farm weekend NI, Prince’s Countryside Fund, R.A.B.I, RSABI, Rural Support, Samaritans and YFCU.

The donations have already been made available, allowing the charities to continue to provide crucial support services after the difficult year which has seen many of their usual fundraising activities cancelled.