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 six regions each under the guidance of a Regional Director with each local group having its own officers, led by a Co-ordinator 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 over 30 volunteer groups, covering 35 counties throughout England and Wales. We also work closely with other rural support organisations:
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. Find out more and access the directory here: https://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/farm-support/directory
Regional Directors
Co-ordinators
North:
Cumbria – Emily Postlethwaite
Lancashire – Marian Rigby
Northumberland – Martyn Johnson
Yorkshire – Lisa Cardy
Midlands:
Cheshire – Sharon Mayer
Derbyshire – Alison Rickett
Leicestershire & Rutland – Andrea Beddows (PCF Project Facilitator)
Nottinghamshire – Peter Hardy (taking referrals)
Staffordshire – Peter Hardy (taking referrals)
East:
Essex – Philip Wilson (taking referrals)
Norfolk & Suffolk – Philip Miles
Hertfordshire – Brian Burgess
Northamptonshire – Mark Betson
Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire – Brian Burgess
Warwickshire – Nicholas Bond
Worcestershire – Margaret Herbert
South East:
Berkshire, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire (BOB) – Joy O’Neill (Regional Support Officer)
Hampshire & Wiltshire – 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 – Suzie Wilkinson
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