RABI attended the Great Yorkshire Show between 8-13 July, with spirits remaining high throughout the week despite the not so favourable weather.
The first day began with a panel discussion on the subject of ‘mental health in rural areas’, where RABI Chief Executive Alicia Chivers was joined by representatives of organisations in the industry, including NFU and FCN. Together, they spoke on the current state of mental health in the farming community and the important work that each organisation is doing to improve mental wellbeing. Alicia highlighted the necessity of breaking down barriers to help rural communities feel more comfortable opening up about their mental health. She also underscored the importance of collaborating with other organisations and the power of having a collective voice, particularly when engaging in conversations with the Government.
Later in the afternoon RABI held a networking reception, hosted by CLA. Among those in attendance were members of H&H, Krone and YAS.
The first day of the show came to a close at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Farming Awards Ceremony, where the RABI Award is presented annually to an outstanding individual. This year, William Lamb was selected as the worthy recipient for his tireless efforts in raising awareness for the charity and his significant contributions to Yorkshire’s rural community. He was joined by his proud family as he received the honour.
On day two of the show, RABI welcomed Steve Reed, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, and Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner to our stand. The ministers spoke with RABI volunteers and staff about the charity’s vital work supporting the farming community (read more about this story here)
Finally, the Great Yorkshire Show also managed to raise over £8,500 for RABI through its annual cheese auction. Each year, the Show selects an organisation to receive the auction proceeds and 2024 was the turn of RABI. The impressive total was the highest amount ever raised for a charity by the auction and RABI is extremely grateful to be the recipients of the donation.
