During 2018, R.A.B.I paid out more than £1.4m in regular grants to retired, elderly, and disabled farming people.

Around 84% of all the people R.A.B.I helps are no longer working. Many are retired or have stopped farming due to sickness.

Alicia Chivers, CEO, said: “People are sometimes surprised to discover that we support retired farmers as well as working ones. In fact our reach goes a whole lot wider than that to include retired farmworkers, dependants, widows and widowers.

“Our aim is to be there for ‘farming people’ throughout their lives, not just during the days when they’re fit enough to work the land and help put food on our plates.”

Not only does the charity make regular grants to cover living costs, it also offers financial support for elderly and disabled farming people to continue living safely in their own homes. In 2018, R.A.B.I paid around £190k to fund disability equipment, aids, home adaptions and home help.

The charity can also help those who have moved or would like to move into care homes. Last year, around £197k went towards covering the shortfall between individual funding from local authorities and care home fees.

R.A.B.I runs two of its own residential care homes: Beaufort House in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset and Manson House in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Each of the homes can accommodate more than 30 residents, who are often from a farming background.

If you know anyone who is struggling financially, please ask them to call our confidential helpline – 0800 188 4444