A Message at Christmas

First our Board of Trustees has now been refreshed and while it stayed largely the same for the last few years we have several notable additions. These include, Dr Catherine Baxter the former secretary to the Harper Adams Board. James Spears a farmer from Ulster formerly President of the the Ulster YFC also a former Scholar of the HPF. Finally, Heather Wildeman MD of Saviour Associate’s who is also on the Board of RHAS and heavily involved with the Scottish Association of YFCs. We were sad to lose George Lyons who had been a member of the Board since its inception and has gone on to fresh pastures.

Another piece of good news is that we have received financial support from NFU Mutual during the year. This together with the regular funding from the Elizabeth Creek Foundation will be a great help to consolidate the financial position of the foundation.

Situated at the cusp of the old and new year  with the promise of yet more political and practical upheaval in the offing, it seems a very long time since we started to build the living legacy to the namesake of the organisation. We are in the second decade of its existence and facing a period when the task of introducing new farmers into the important world of being the providers of food for the nation is becoming evermore important. 

The HPF was something I applied for at the very beginning of my journey into the industry. The feedback I got from everyone involved in the Foundation set me on the right track and has been invaluable as I expanded and developed my business. I feel honoured to be a Scholar

The reasons for this are well known particularly to the Friends of The Henry Plumb Foundation who are nearly all well versed in the essential need for food. The issue of climate change continues to have a role to play and with it the un-erring arrows of the folk who emphasize the importance of the environment and consistently appear to argue against the need for a stable and viable agriculture. Confusion reigns and it is against this background that I offer the thoughts of a number of our scholars who’ve been able to take advantage of The Henry Plumb Foundation offering. 

My experience with The Henry Plumb Foundation was entirely positive. Communication has been regular and everyone supportive. Every call to my Mentor has been timely and well structured, I’ve learned the benefit of taking a written note of our meetings with action points to complete before our next chat. Discipline has been a key learning from talking to my Mentor with ‘Thinking time’ an essential part of the equation

During 2023 a great deal of energy has gone into making sure that the next decade of The Henry Plumb Foundation will build on the pattern established with the help and foresight of Henry Plumb himself. As well as providing some important insight into the part played by the Foundation in helping young people gain a foothold in the business we’ve also taken a good look at the role of ourselves as Trustees of the Foundation in order to ensure that we make the most of the opportunities available. 

After 7 years it is the mentoring that impacted us the most. It was a real boost for us, I think the mentoring was far more significant for our business than the financial support. Meeting was also most helpful. The cohort of businesses moving forward due to the support of an organisation created by such a brilliant man is a tremendous legacy

One of the matters which Henry was anxious to ensure was that his foundation remained  relevant for the task to which it is committed and often spoke of the benefit of having people on the board who represented areas of difference around the UK. Whereas Henry was responsible for bringing in the original Trustees, the new intake of Trustees has been introduced by the existing Board and include Dr Catherine Baxter former secretary to the Harper Adams University Board, James Speers a farmer from Northern Ireland and former President of The Ulster Young Farmers Club and Heather Wildman MD of Saviour’s Associates Ltd who leads the Scottish Association of YFC “Cultivating leaders Group.”

Very positive all round - from asking questions about the application process right to the end. Everyone seemed approachable and had a real drive to help me to succeed

In wishing all our friends and supporters the Compliments of the Festive season, we also thank everyone for being prepared to help whenever there is an opportunity.