The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I) has been backing the Agriculture & Horticulture Development (AHDB) breakfast campaign – promoting the wealth of wonderful breakfast ingredients produced in the UK.
Stephen Noble, head of fundraising and development at R.A.B.I, said: “Our message was simple; host a breakfast and help farming families in financial need. Our regional managers and county committees organised more than 30 breakfast events – serving more than 1,200 meals and raising over £15,000 in the process.”
R.A.B.I is a welfare charity that gives around £2m per year in grants to farming people in financial difficulty. R.A.B.I helps working farmers, farmworkers and their families who rely on farming for their main source of income. Help can also be given to retired farmers, farmworkers and their dependants.
Stephen added: “This campaign was all about saying a great big thank you to British farmers and celebrating British produce – not just eggs, bacon and sausages, but also arable favourites like granola and fresh bread.”
Across the South East, R.A.B.I staff and supporters were particularly busy. A breakfast event at Kent Golf Club in Headcorn raised £500, while a further £311 was raised at Greenfields Shooting School in Canterbury. Around 100 people turned up for breakfast at Bartholomew’s Barn in Kirdford, West Sussex, to help organisers generate £1,100.
Other successful fundraisers were held at Spring Barn Farm in Lewes, East Sussex; Manor Farm Barn in Southfleet, Kent; Plucks Gutter, Kent; Westlands Farm Shop, Shedfield and Hellingly Village Hall in East Sussex. The latter raised more than £2,600 for R.A.B.I.