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The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution
NEWS RELEASE
Date: April 28, 2016
ROYAL VIP TOURS CUMBRIAN FARM DEVASTATED BY ‘DESMOND’
His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GVCO visited a Cumbrian farm devastated by flooding, to see for himself how the community is recovering from the terrible storms that struck the region at the turn of the year.
HRH was met by Lord-Lieutenant Claire Hensman at Low Bridge End Farm, St John’s-in-the-Vale, Keswick on April 27 – home to Graham and Sarah Chaplin-Brice and their four children. Mr and Mrs Chaplin-Brice led HRH and other invited guests on a tour of their livestock farm, so they could see the after-effects of Storm Desmond more than four months on.
The Chaplin-Brice family farm is downstream of Thirlmere Reservoir. They keep sheep, chickens, geese and a small goat herd, also running a tea room for walkers during the warmer months and renting out a camping barn to holiday-makers. They have an on-farm classroom for educational trips. On December 5, Storm Desmond left no part of their land untouched, causing an estimated £200k worth of damage. They managed to let the sheep out onto the hillside, but lost poultry. In addition, a main access bridge was destroyed, 1.5km of fence flattened or washed away and 100m of stone walling collapsed. Around 400m of river bank eroded, with land waterlogged and large silage bales washed onto land from upstream. More than 6,000 tonnes of gravel was dumped across 20 acres of grassland. They were forced to cancel bookings for the camping barn.
Joining HRH on the farm tour were David Hall (Regional NFU Director), Jenny Willis (County Advisor for the NFU) and representatives from the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I), Chris Riddle (Chairman), Malcolm Thomas (Vice-Chairman) and Georgina Lamb (Regional Manager for the North West).
R.A.B.I is a welfare charity that helps farming people in financial need and HRH The Duke of Gloucester was visiting Keswick in his capacity as R.A.B.I president. R.A.B.I has been extremely
proactive in Cumbria during the past five months, paying out emergency grants of £88,000 to farming victims of flooding and storm damage.
Following the farm visit, HRH moved on to the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, where he was introduced to Keswick Mayor and Chairman of the Museum and Gallery, Paul Titley and Curator Sue Mackay. He met further representatives of R.A.B.I, including Patricia Turnbull (Chairman of the Cumbrian Committee), and Jackie Clegg (Regional Welfare Officer). Also present were Reverend Chris Blackshaw and representatives of the Cumbrian Young Farmers Club, the Cumbria Farmer Networks, Farm Community Network, Westmorland Agricultural Society and Barclays Bank.
The royal party spent around half-an-hour learning more about the museum and art gallery and its vital role within the heart of the Keswick community.
R.A.B.I North West Regional Manager Georgina Lamb said: “HRH The Duke of Gloucester takes a genuine interest in farming and we were able to provide him with a rounded view of the issues farming people in Cumbria are facing. The floods might have subsided, but the problems have not gone away. There are many ongoing challenges and it’s only now that people can get back onto the land to assess how they begin the long road to recovery.”
Notes for Editors:
1. R.A.B.I – the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution – is a welfare charity which helps farming people in financial difficulty. In 2015, R.A.B.I gave out grants of around £1.9 million to 1,340 individuals and families, including £156k to working farmers.
2. Support is offered in confidence to people of all ages and includes one-off, emergency or regular payments, as well as the provision of essential household items and disability equipment. For retired and/or disabled people we can also pay towards care home and home-help costs. We run two residential homes of our own, Manson House in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and Beaufort House in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.
3. Our work is funded by voluntary donations, money raised at events arranged by county volunteer committees, businesses and community groups, our fundraising staff and investment income.
4. To find out more visit www.rabi.org.uk or call R.A.B.I’s confidential helpline 0808 281 9490.
For more information about this release contact:
Rob Harris, R.A.B.I Communications Manager
Telephone: 01865 811600
Email:
The royal agricultural charity providing financial support to the farming community past, present and future
Patron: HM THE QUEEN President: HRH THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER Chairman: CHRISTOPHER RIDDLE
Registered Charity No. 208858