TWO South West charities have received donations amounting to more than £30,000. 

Farms for City Children, based in Exeter, and The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, based in Taunton, have received funding from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust. 

The trust has announced its first round of donations for 2023, giving out more than £450,000 to 15 rural causes across the UK. 

This is the first of two rounds of funding which will be delivered across the year. The Trust expects overall donations to reach at least £1m by the end of 2023.

Nick Turner, group chief executive of NFU Mutual, said: "Supporting local communities has always been very important to our members, and so NFU Mutual is committed to making a positive impact through our charitable giving programme.

"These latest donations from the trust will help support members and their communities in many different ways. We are very proud to be championing the work of these great causes."

Farms for City Children is set to recieve £17,000 and £15,000 will be given to the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust. 

Other organisations recieving donations

  • Access to Farms
  • Addington Fund
  • Air Ambulances UK
  • Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Trust
  • Oxford Farming Conference
  • NFU Education
  • The Royal Countryside Fund
  • Royal Highland Education Trust
  • RSABI
  • Samaritans
  • The Farming Community Network
  • Tir Dewi
  • Wales Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs

The Royal Countryside Fund, a charity which empowers family farms and rural communities to survive and thrive, will be using their donation of £60,000 to help Farm Support Groups and ensure they can continue providing a vital service to their local farming communities.

Keith Halstead, executive director at The Royal Countryside Fund, explained how the Trust’s donation will be making a difference: "The Royal Countryside Fund is incredibly grateful for the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust’s continued support of our Farm Support Group Initiative.

"This funding has allowed us to increase capacity across the network, supporting hundreds more farming families each year on a wide range of issues from business advice through to pastoral support, helping to ensure a thriving and diverse agricultural community in the UK.

"As farming families continue to face uncertainty, we are proud to offer them practical assistance when they need it most."