Natural England

Giving Cumbrian Farmers a Break - 30 April 2001

The scheme will make contributions to help relieve immediate hardship due to loss of income and around 250 farming families, who can leave their properties without risk of spreading infection, will be able to take a free three day midweek break at certain hotels and guest houses in the county. 

Margaret Clark, a Countryside Agency director, said: "People living in those parts of the country which have been worst hit by foot and mouth desperately need some kind of respite from their daily worries. This is an innovative scheme which will not only benefit the Cumbrian farming community but, as the funds are being spent within the county, will also help the wider local economy.

"Voluntary organisations around the country are rising to the challenge of helping to relieve the distress of rural families and communities. The public have been generous with their support and the matching funds from government will enable these organisations to do more to help. Over the next few weeks we expect to be providing around £5 million of match-funding across England as part of this measure to help alleviate the problems caused by this dreadful disease."

Michael Hope, secretary of the Hadfield Trust, added: "In many cases fell farmers were already existing on very low incomes and now face major financial disaster with the destruction of the flocks and herds they had built up over generations. In addition, once culling has been completed and the quarantine period on the farm served the usual dawn-to-dusk workload ceases and tensions among families undoubtedly increase. 

Farmers whose animals have not been infected are also suffering - in some cases they have not left their properties since late February. The scheme will allow these farming families to take a valuable break from it all as well."

Families who wish to apply to the scheme should contact Andrew Humphries at Voluntary Action Cumbria on 01768 242 130 or The Old Stables, Redhills, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0DT. The Countryside Agency's scheme match-funds public donations made to voluntary and charitable organisations for the relief of distress caused by foot and mouth disease - any such organisation wishing to apply for match funding should contact Stuart Mead on 020 7340 2922.

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Notes to editors

To apply for match funding from the Countryside Agency organisations will need to have raised over £25,000 in public donations specifically for the relief of distress caused by foot and mouth disease. Applications should be channelled through appropriate national voluntary organisations and in Devon and Cumbria through registered regional or county-based organisations. 

The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising government and taking action on issues relating to the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside.

The Hadfield Trust is a charitable trust established in 1998 to give cash grants to charitable organisations in Cumbria. The Trust works particularly to provide help for charitable projects working in the fields of social needs, youth and employment, help for older people, the arts and the environment.