Our 2025 Christmas Message

Our new Trustees have settled in during the year, blending well with those more established and playing important roles in helping the organisation extend its activities to bring in new entrants into farming, simultaneously maintaining and refreshing the high standard established and contributing to the retention of the essential flow of young people coming into the industry. We also acknowledge the recent passing of former Trustee and another great leader, David Richardson. Some three years ago in 2022, we took our leave of Lord Plumb who lent his name to The Henry Plumb Foundation, and David Richardson was a similarly highly thought of individual. Both men had given huge parts of their lives to the world of farming and agriculture and would always be remembered as contemporaries. Baroness Batters, Minette spoke at both their Memorial services and drew attention to their matching but different talents, both used for transmitting clear messages to the politicians of the day. It is only now with the passing of both men that it could be said with clarity that those of us who worked with them had taken advantage of standing on the shoulders of these two giants in the field.

Christmas is a good time to draw attention to the fact that we have established a stable and sound financial base and found a number of young people who’ve come to us for help, while some of our previous scholars have opened their  businesses to help inspire other new entrants.

Reflecting on the hugely diverse nature of land-based business we are delighted to feature a new entrant with bee keeping (our third apiarist in our frame) and see this as contributing to a positive and natural approach to environmental activities at a fundamental and important level. Lewis Gidney, our latest bee farmer came to us with a plan to grow his business and with a request for help in business control. Accordingly Mark Suthern accepted our invitation to become his mentor and it seems clear that the duo have become good friends and have a good business relationship. Mark has held many senior positions in the general world of agriculture including heading up the agricultural division of Barclays Bank. Like several other individuals who’ve become well known in agriculture, Mark is very much a good friend of the Henry Plumb Foundation and is one who is frequently consulted when we require a good independent overview.  We frequently ask him and others to provide help for our scholars when required and this help enables our reputation to grow in a steady, accurate and consistent way. Also featured is George Lammie (a new entrant sheep farmer) together with his wife Casey, and Hamish Waugh (his HPF sheep farming mentor) and his partner Fiona Dickinson.

We take this annual opportunity to thank all our supporters for the help they provide. As a registered Charity it would be fair to say we couldn’t operate at the high level we’ve  become accustomed to without you, so thank you all for leading us and supporting us, your support is truly invaluable and the dream of our founding fathers to create a structure to enable young people who feel they wish to enter farming could not achieve even the first step on the ladder without it.

It is my heartfelt privilege to thank you all on behalf of the Foundation for all your support and hope that you have a merry and contented Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

John Thorley, Chairman, HPF