H
RH was met by Lord-Lieutenant Claire Hensman at Low Bridge End Farm , St John ’ s-inthe-Vale , Keswick on April 27 – home to Graham and Sarah Chaplin-Brice and their four children . Mr and Mrs Chaplin-Brice led HRH and other invited guests on a tour of their livestock farm , so they could see the after-effects of Storm Desmond more than four months on .
The Chaplin-Brice family farm is downstream of Thirlmere Reservoir . They keep sheep , chickens , geese and a small goat herd , also running a tea room for walkers during the warmer months and renting out a camping barn to holiday-makers . They have an onfarm classroom for educational trips . On December 5 , Storm Desmond left no part of their land untouched , causing an estimated £ 200k worth of damage . They managed to let the sheep out onto the hillside , but lost poultry . In
www . farmingmonthly . co . uk addition , a main access bridge was destroyed , 1.5km of fence flattened or washed away and 100m of stone walling collapsed . Around 400m of river bank eroded , with land waterlogged and large silage bales washed onto land from upstream . More than 6,000 tonnes of gravel was dumped across 20 acres of grassland . They were forced to cancel bookings for the camping barn .
Joining HRH on the farm tour were David Hall ( Regional NFU Director ), Jenny Willis ( County Advisor for the NFU ) and representatives from the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution ( R . A . B . I ), Chris Riddle ( Chairman ), Malcolm Thomas ( Vice-Chairman ) and Georgina Lamb ( Regional Manager for the North West ).
R . A . B . I is a welfare charity that
| News
Royal VIP tours Cumbrian farm devastated by ‘ Desmond ’
His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GVCO visited a Cumbrian farm devastated by flooding , to see for himself how the community is recovering from the terrible storms that struck the region at the turn of the year .
helps farming people in financial need and HRH The Duke of Gloucester was visiting Keswick in his capacity as R . A . B . I president . R . A . B . I has been extremely proactive in Cumbria during the past five months , paying out emergency grants of £ 88,000 to farming victims of flooding and storm damage .
“ HRH The Duke of Gloucester takes a genuine interest in farming ”
Following the farm visit , HRH moved on to the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery , where he was introduced to Keswick Mayor and Chairman of the Museum and Gallery , Paul Titley and Curator Sue Mackay . He met further representatives of R . A . B . I , including Patricia Turnbull ( Chairman of the Cumbrian Committee ), Laura Wilson ( Vice- Chairman of the Cumbrian Committee ) and Jackie Clegg ( Regional Welfare Officer ). Also present were Reverend Chris Blackshaw and representatives of the Cumbria Farmers Network and Barclays Bank .
The royal party spent around half-an-hour learning more about the museum and art gallery and its vital role within the heart of the Keswick community .
R . A . B . I North West Regional Manager Georgina Lamb said : “ HRH The Duke of Gloucester takes a genuine interest in farming and we were able to provide him with a rounded view of the issues farming people in Cumbria are facing . The floods might have subsided , but the problems have not gone away . There are many ongoing challenges and it ’ s only now that people can get back onto the land to assess how they begin the long road to recovery .”
May 2016 | Farming Monthly | 09
UPCOMING EVENTS
| Dates for your diary
Scotgrass 2016
18th May 2016
The event sponsored by Volac gives farmers and contractors an opportunity to see new technology at work and gives them the platform to think of different ways of making more from grass this coming season . www . scotgrass . co . uk
Cereals 2016
15th-16th June 2016
The technical event for the arable industry , join over 25,000 farmers , agronomists and industry professionals at Crishall Grange , Cambridgeshire . www . cerealsevent . co . uk
AD & Biogas 2016
6th-7th July 2016
Building on its extraordinary success to date , UK AD & Biogas is now expanding the tradeshow to cover not just the exceptional opportunities in the UK AD market , but also around the world as the global AD industry starts to take off . Showcasing the very best AD technology for sewage treatment , food waste , farm and small-scale plants as well as community and micro-scale AD plants , alongside the latest innovations , gas upgrading and biomethane vehicle technology . adbioresources . org / uk-ad-biogas-2016
Royal Welsh 2016
18th-21st July 2016
The role of the modern Royal Welsh Show is a rounded one . As well as its principal function of showcasing the cream of Welsh livestock and the high quality food and drink produced in Wales , it encompasses the wider spectrum of farming and rural life and successfully bridges the gap between town and country . It provides something to interest everyone through its kaleidoscopic range of activities including forestry , horticulture , crafts , countryside sports , Sports Village and a 12 hour programme of exciting entertainment that continues throughout each of the four days of the event . www . rwas . wales / royal-welsh-show /