THE Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) has announced £15,000 of funding for farming charity, Rural Support.

This is part of a funding pot totalling £170,000 of new support for nine farming groups in Northern Ireland, England and Scotland. 

These farm support groups, which includes Rural Support, are trusted partners of the RCF and are embedded in the rural communities they serve. 

Rural Support provides impartial guidance for farmers and farm family members in support of their farm business and personal wellbeing.

It is hoped that the new funding will support a range of sustainable projects to help create a successful future for farming families.

This RCF funding will allow Rural Support to provide more support for family farms across Northern Ireland, to help them weather economic difficulties and combat the rural mental health crisis.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “This funding is about powering-up family farms and giving them the support they need to survive and thrive. 

"Our aim is to support rural communities across the United Kingdom, helping to sustain a living landscape of working family farms and prosperous rural life. 

"Farming can be so different across the United Kingdom, so it’s important to us that we support locally-run farm support groups who are embedded in the communities they serve and therefore know what will make the biggest difference in their local area.

“Farmers are currently facing a whole raft of challenges, and we know it’s a difficult time for so many families, so it’s vital our funding goes to where it will make the most impact.

"The farm support groups we’ve chosen to fund are truly innovative and collaborative organisations that are working with their local communities to find new and sustainable ways to build a better future.

"These are all community-led support groups which can help farmers find the right opportunities, look after their health and wellbeing, and promote sustainable, economic, social and community development," he added.