At present, FCN operates in 35 counties throughout England and Wales. Wherever you live in England or Wales, our Helpline staff can put you in touch with an FCN volunteer or other local farming support group.
For operational purposes, local volunteer groups are separated into five regions each under the guidance of a Regional Lead and Regional Support Officers. Groups are led by a Group Coordinator for day to day activities. Please see below for where FCN groups operate.
Local volunteers ‘walk with’ people as they make their way through problems and difficulties so that they don’t have to face them on their own. FCN does not provide advice but can help to guide people as they resolve their problems; with links to sources of professional advice, appropriate help can be brought in when required.
FCN has 30 volunteer groups, covering 35 counties throughout England and Wales. We also work closely with other rural support organisations, such as Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, Shropshire Rural Support Network, Borderlands Rural Chaplaincy and others.
In July 2020, The Prince’s Countryside Fund launched its National Directory of Farm and Rural Support Groups. The directory lists 69 regional, national, and membership organisations who can provide support, advice, and guidance to farming and rural communities.
Regional Leads / Regional Support Officers
- North: Georgina Lamb, Lisa Cardy, Richard Betton (FCN Mentor and Advocate)
- Midlands: Peter Hardy, Graham Ashford, Andrea Beddows
- South East: Mark Thomas and Philip Wilson, Joy O’Neill and Sally Field
- South West: Stephen Dennis, Colin Smallacombe, Sue Gillbard, Charmain Dascombe
- Wales: David Williams, Rachael Aka, Hefin Jones
Group coordinators
North:
Cumbria – Emily Postlethwaite
Lancashire – Marian Rigby
Northumberland – Martyn Johnson
Yorkshire – Julia Vierzen
Cheshire – Sharon Mayer
Midlands:
Derbyshire – Alison Rickett
Leicestershire & Rutland – Lorna Philips Gray
Nottinghamshire – Peter Hardy (taking referrals)
Staffordshire – Peter Hardy (taking referrals)
Worcestershire – Margaret Herbert
Northamptonshire – Andrea Beddows (taking referrals)
Warwickshire – Krys Pietrecki
South East:
Essex – Philip Wilson (taking referrals)
Norfolk – Joy O’Neill (taking referrals)
Suffolk – Graham Miles
Hertfordshire – Brian Burgess
Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire – Brian Burgess
Berkshire, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire (BOB) – Joy O’Neill (Regional Support Officer)
Hampshire – Anthony Matthew
Kent – Joy O’Neill (Regional Support Officer)
Surrey / Sussex – John Simpson
South West
Cornwall – Sue Gillbard
Devon – Colin Smallacombe
Dorset – Nick Viney
Somerset – Charmain Dascombe (taking referrals)
Wiltshire – Anthony Matthew
Wales:
Ceredigion & West Wales – Revd Dr Ian Morris
Mid Wales – Patricia Borland
Monmouthshire – David Williams (taking referrals)
North Wales –Richard Hughes
Other Local Groups
FCN also works in partnership with the following local rural support organisations:
Gloucestershire – Gloucestershire Farming Friends
Lincolnshire – Lincolnshire Rural Support Network
Shropshire – Shropshire Rural Support
Scotland – Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI)
Northern Ireland – Rural Support