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Your Leicestershire, Northants and Rutland county NFU update

George Bostock

George Bostock

MIDLANDS NETWORK MANAGER

First and foremost, I want to update you on the news that LNR County Adviser Dilwyn Harries has decided to leave the role with immediate effect.

Dilwyn had worked in a variety of roles in the NFU over the last several years, taking on the County Adviser role in September, and LNR Officeholders Joe Stanley and Sarah Bell, on behalf of the county, wish Dilwyn well for the future and thank him for all his work in recent months. 

In other staff news we welcomed Leanne Parker to the Group Secretary role at Melton Mowbray in June and we wish her well.

Activity in the county continues. In recent weeks we have engaged with our new Reform council leaders across the patch, highlighting the importance of farming to the counties. We also continue to meet and lobby various MPs on critical matters such as the Family Farm Tax, environmental schemes and food security. 

NFU President Tom Bradshaw recently met with MP Lee Barron while we have County Chairman Joe Stanley last week meeting with MP Jeevun Sandher. We continue to engage with all LNR MPs and encourage you to do the same. We will be joined by Amanda Hack MP at Ashby Show on 13 July and Sarah Bool MP at Blakesley Show.

One piece of good news is that following good work and engagement with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire fire services, we have purchased a number of adapters to enable linkage of fire service equipment with on-farm water resources and these are now being dispatched across the counties.

Finally, a big shout out to Melton Mowbray Group Secretary Sarah Procter who, for the last five weeks, has been volunteering at the Belvoir Education and Sports Trust. This has seen her engage with 1,500 primary school children about all things farming.

Local news

Anglian Water Event Grant 2025

Anglian Water welcome applications from farmers, land managers and land management/water quality advisers who would like to apply for a grant of up to £1000 toward the cost of facilitating a collaborative farming/land management/water quality related event in the Anglian Water region.   

Events should focus on improving soil health and raw water quality and delivery can be via a specialist speaker or peer to peer knowledge exchange. 

Local news

Anglian Water Training Grant

Anglian Water welcome applications for training that will improve water quality from across the Anglian Water area.

This training grant is available to better the knowledge / skills of those managing and working on farms within the Anglian Water region.

Past successful applications have included BASIS Foundation in crop management, FACTS, Sustainable land management, LANTRA Use of manures and fertilisers, Oxford Farming Conference attendance and independent soil health and "regen ag" workshops.

Local news

Rutland Neigbourhood Mental Health Cafe

Drop in support for when you're struggling to cope, supported by Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland NHS

Times

Thursday - 5.30pm - 8.30pm

Sunday - 4pm - 7pm

Venue

Pepper's - A Safe Place, 2a High Street, Oakham, LE15 6AL

Contacts
Mobile 07955 344126 or email [email protected]

Surveys and questionnaires

Call for Participants: Advancing Fairness in the UK Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Sector – University of Leicester

Are you into fresh fruit and or vegetable cultivation in the UK? University of Leicester are conducting a study on advancing fairness in fresh fruit and vegetable sector and would love to hear from you!

Participation in the study involves farmers who are into the cultivation of fresh fruits and vegetables in the UK and who are suppliers to large retailers in the UK.

All data collected will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and anonymity based on University of Leicester's guideline and used solely for academic purposes.

Start date

23 July 2025 at 10:00am

End date

31 December 2025 at 12:00am

Surveys and questionnaires

Exploring Resilience in UK Livestock Farming

This study is being done by Michael Thupayagale from the University of Leeds. The purpose of this research study is to explore lessons learned from COVID-19 by livestock farmers and will take you approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. 

If you would like to take part, please visit the link (T&Cs and further information can be obtained there)

Start date

23 July 2025 at 1:23pm

End date

12 August 2025 at 12:00am

Local news

Rutland Rural Enterprise Grant

Rutland County Council is pleased to announce the launch of the Rural Enterprise Capital Grant Scheme, a new £100,000 funding programme to support rural business development across the county. 

Funded by the UK Government through the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF, an extension of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund), this scheme is designed to boost growth, create jobs, and stimulate innovation - all while meeting Net Zero requirements. 

The scheme is now open to applications from eligible Rutland small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Businesses can apply for grants ranging between £5,000 and £10,000 and are required to provide 50% match funding to their project. Applications must be in by September 2025 and will support projects completed by 31 January 2026. 

Start date

22 July 2025 at 2:00pm

End date

01 September 2025 at 12:00am