Rural Support Takes Home Two Farming Life Awards
The Rural Support team were absolutely delighted to win two awards at the recent Farming Life Awards in the La Mon hotel.
The charity won the Lantra sponsored ‘Commitment to Training’ award which recognises an individual or company that demonstrates their understanding of the importance of training and the subsequent impact of this on their job/work force.
The second award was for their Head of Farm Support, Gillian Reid from Glarryford, who lifted the Farming Life sponsored Woman of Excellence in Agriculture award for 2021. Speaking after accepting the Commitment to Training award, Veronica Morris, Chief Executive said:
“I am very happy that Rural Support has won this award as we have really focused hard over the past almost two years on making sure our whole team – staff, mentors and volunteers – have, firstly, been given recognition for their expertise as well as the right support, coaching and training to help them deliver at the level of excellence our farmers and farming families need as situations in the agri-community reach new levels of complexity – both in the farm enterprise and within families relating to health.
“The team has fully risen to the challenge and committed to new learning in coaching, trauma-informed and bereavement care and mental health awareness. The work we do at Rural Support is not easy and there are hard days, but knowing we are making a difference on the ground is why we do it.
“Getting recognition from the sector is the icing on the cake and we will continue to shine a light on the importance of training both for our teams and for our farmers and farming families as we roll out our proactive three-year plan”.
Veronica continued: “We were also thrilled that Gillian won the Woman of Excellence in Agriculture for 2021.
“Gillian is well known in the agricultural community and lives and breathes farming and the farming sector in working with her husband Carl in their dairy, sheep and arable farm, and in her role at Rural Support where she has responsibility for delivery of our farm support services and programmes.
“She is also actively involved in voluntary work in Glarryford where she is deeply embedded in the community through its Farmers’ Hall which she helped secure funding for. We are just delighted to have her part of our team and that she had been given the recognition from the sector that she deserves”.
Speaking after hearing her name announced as the winner Gillian said:
“I can’t believe I was even shortlisted as a finalist, and to win is just so humbling and I am very grateful. I commit my time to the agri-community because I love it. It is a massive part of my life and that of my family and to be recognized in this way is just lovely”.
If you would like to find out more about the services and programmes available at Rural Support, go to the NI Farm Support hub at www.ruralsupport.org.uk or telephone the Support Line on 0800 168 1678 available Mon-Fri 9am-9pm and other options available at all other times.
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