County Update

RABI Quiz

The third annual RABI quiz took place on Thursday. Once again, the YFC room at Shires Farm was full as members from every Worcestershire NFU branch (and further afield) pitched their wits against each other to see who would be crowned champion. Master of Ceremonies, Clive Davies entertained us throughout the evening while quiz teams grappled with agricultural bygones, famous quotes, different hedge laying styles, Worcestershire villages and identifying Mr. Men! Huge thanks to everyone for attending and making the evening such a success. Special thanks to Georgie Hyde and Archie Wilding for their help and to Jack Ballard who kept the scores. Total amount raised will be well over £1000 which will all be donated to RABI. Many congratulations to the Surman family who were victorious and won a bag full of Worcestershire apple juice and cider and some NFU goodies.

Farm Safety Events – Dates for your Diary

Worcestershire NFU is organising 2 farm safety events in May. Details and final line up of speakers to be confirmed. Members will hear from experts on how they can stay safe and secure on their farms and hopefully pick up some tips to help their businesses thrive. BASIS and NRoSO points have been applied for and all attendees will receive a certificate of attendance which can help show due diligence with HSE and Farm Assurance inspections. A free cup of tea and a bacon butty will be available to all attendees on arrival, so make a note of the dates and look out for details of how to register to attend.

These are the dates and the venues:

8.30 – 11 am on 8^th May at  Ryelands Farm, Elmley Lovett, Droitwich WR9 0PT.

8.30 – 11 am on 22^nd May at Little Harbours Farm, Moorgate Road, Stoke Prior, B60 4AP

Worcestershire Health & Safety Event

NFU Worcestershire is holding a Health & Safety event for members and employees

Date

8 May 2025

Venue & Timings

8.30am until 11.30am at Ryelands Farm, Elmley Lovett, Droitwich, WR9 0PT

Booking

For more information and to register please click here

Do you want financial support to upskill your staff?

SkillsBoost Worcestershire Grant

Last year, there was a training and upskilling grant available for businesses based in Worcestershire. This grant supported employers with the costs of upskilling employees. The maximum grant available was £6,000 per business on a 50/50 match-funded basis (so training costs of £12,000 or more could qualify a business for the full grant). The maximum grant any single employee could claim was £1,500 on a 50/50 match-funded basis (so £3,000 or more training costs could qualify the employee for the full grant). We are awaiting confirmation of funding for this grant in 2025/26, but we are anticipating that it will be available again.

For example, if 3x Worcestershire-resident employees undertook the NFU Negotiation Skills Workshop at £300 (+VAT), this grant could pay £150 of this cost for each employee (as the grant will not fund the VAT element).

Wychavon Growth Grant

There is also a very small Growth Grant of £1,000 available through Wychavon District Council currently which you could apply for if you have any capital expenditure plans that could be supported by this. Full details can be found here: https://form.jotform.com/233115202599049

Skills

Worcestershire Growth Hub work closely with local skills providers to help support businesses. This includes introducing businesses to Worcestershire Apprenticeships to support recruitment and upskilling via apprenticeship standards (and supporting with any associated grants/bursaries), introducing businesses to national skills providers like Serco who can help businesses recruit individuals who are out of work but actively looking for and willing to enter employment, and more.

• Homepage: https://worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk/
• Events: https://worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk/events/
• Newsletter sign up: https://us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=974e8aecc9ad79f7b91a0b5d6&id=8d5a9d191a
• Latest news: https://worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk/latest-news-articles/
• Wychavon District Council’s business newsletter: https://securelinks2.cmadvantage.co.uk/linkapp/cmasubs.aspx?LinkID=pageid986790jkkzrq9@f@f@qxnt@z@f@qxnt@f@f

Farm for the Future – Royal Countryside Fund

Do you want help navigating agricultural policy changes including help with understanding ELMs and SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive)?

If you’re an owner-occupied or tenant farm in England that received BPS, The Royal Countryside Fund’s Farm for the Future programme is in its final year, offering a last chance for free support which includes a 1-2-1 session with a consultant to talk about your farm.

Its online workshops can be joined from the comfort of your own home via Zoom to help you and your farm business navigate policy changes and become more resilient and sustainable.

To find out more and sign up to the online group, contact Christina Hutchings via email [email protected] or call 07715 353 546 or visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmforthefuture

Be vigilant of scam callers

If you receive a call that looks like it is from NFU Headquarters and are unsure then please hang up, do not pass on any personal details.

You can contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458 to check if we are doing any calls or promotions.

Read our advice on how to deal with scam callers.

New rounds of funding secured for Worcestershire

I am really pleased to announce we have finally received confirmation of a further £33 million, 1-year extension of the Rural England Prosperity Fund. Wychavon and Malvern Hills District Councils will get a proportion of this.

The REPF will continue to provide capital funding to: 

• support new and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams.  
• support new and improved community infrastructure that provide essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy. 

While we have been campaigning for a longer-term round of the REPF, the announcement today is still very welcome, as it does seem to be a single year top-up, and Defra have made it clear that they intend any future rounds from this point to be 3–4-year rounds, which is in line with our asks. We’re told this is a top-up to provide as much stability as possible in advance of wider local funding reforms announced in the Autumn Statement.  Read the full Gov press release here Government funding for rural communities set out - GOV.UK

FiPL Programme Extended

There will be a further round of Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) funding which will be available for members farming in and around the Malvern Hills National Landscape, formerly the AONB. You can read more here: Farming in Protected Landscapes programme extended until 2026 – Farming

Cyber Crime

The Midlands NFU held an online member meeting with WMRCCU in autumn 2023, the opportunity to register with them is still available, this is aimed to improve your business’s cyber security.

With membership at the WMRCCU, you will receive regular tips and guidance on how to firm up your business’s cyber security. 

Register to become a member (for free) today at www.wmcrc.co.uk/membership

Securing water for your businesses, resilience planning for the future meeting

Water Resources West (WRW) are planning for the future and would like to work with the sector to ensure water is available for agricultural use. WRW are keen to promote the development of Water Abstraction Groups, bringing agricultural abstractors together to navigate local water challenges.

Over 30 members attended the meeting to hear about the work of WRW and the support available for farmers interested in forming Water Abstraction Groups in Worcestershire. All were keen to get involved to help influence the agricultural elements of regional water resources planning into the future. It has been decided that we will form an WAG – a Water Abstraction Group for the Middle Severn and the Avon in Worcestershire so that members can collaborate to ensure a continued supply of water for their businesses in the future. If you were unable to attend, but would be interested in joining the Worcestershire WAG, please let County Adviser Emma Hamer know [email protected] or 07469 084691

Access Business Support to help your business

Worcestershire farmers and growers are being encouraged to engage with the Worcestershire Growth Hub to find out more about the support available for organisations. There is a variety of new business support, funding and grants available to help organisations across Worcestershire.

Local businesses are being encouraged to contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team to find out how their growth could be supported. There is support available for businesses looking to upskill or train their staff, businesses looking to access specialist expert advice, funding for growth ambitions and much more.

Alongside this, organisations can also find out about all of the upcoming business support events via the Worcestershire Growth Hub’s events calendar. This events page pulls all of the available business support events being delivered in Worcestershire together into one place, regardless of the organiser, location or style of event. To contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team: Call – 01905 677888 or email [email protected]

Farming Community Drop-In

Come and meet your Malvern Hills District Council rural farming community builder

Following the success of the collaboration with the NFU and Clive's Fruit Farm at the first of the farming engagement breakfasts in January, Community Builder Linda will be at Clive’s Fruit Farm.

This will be an opportunity to pop in and say hello and find out what a Community Builder does; buy a cuppa at the counter if wished or just pull up a chair and have a chat! It will all be very informal. We hope that the drop ins will be an opportunity to meet with other members of the farming community and find out what we can do to support. We understand the joys and challenges of the farming way of life. Your NFU County Adviser Emma Hamer will also try to be there.

We can help with information, networking, clubs and events and available grants and connect to local services. Or perhaps you have an idea for a course, activity or event that you'd like to talk through. We may even be able to support you in getting an idea off the ground or assist in finding a venue and looking into funding options.  Perhaps you'd like to develop a rural community history project, a farm walk, a discussion group or a lunch club. Or perhaps you would like to expand an existing activity and engage with farming/nonfarming neighbours. Or something else! We are here to support you in talking through that idea or to just provide a listening ear. Do pop in and say hello or feel free to contact Linda by email: [email protected] or telephone: 01684 862165

Date

9 April (then every second Wednesday of the month)

Venue & Timings

2-3pm at The Cafe, Clive's Fruit Farm, Nr Upton Upon Severn, WR8 OSA.

King’s Awards for Enterprise

Members are encouraged to apply for the King’s Award for Enterprise which recognises and encourages the outstanding achievements of UK businesses in the fields of:

• innovation
• international trade
• sustainable development
• promoting opportunity (through social mobility)

The application process opens in May, and while it is quite a task to apply – you will need to evidence why you should win with a lot of data – I am sure it will be well worth it – not least you get a trip to Buckingham Palace to collect the award! Winning an Award offers multiple benefits including global recognition for your company, boosting staff morale and increasing growth.

To find out more and to nominate a business please visit the GOV.UK website. Alternatively, contact the Lieutenancy office for advice. The King’s Awards for Enterprise | Worcestershire County Council

Do you manage a Local Wildlife Site?

Help with carrying out surveys, looking at SFI options, and providing support with evidence for enhanced stewardship options could be available.

Your County Adviser, Emma Hamer met with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust this week to try to find a way for them to work more closely with farmers. Many of our members will have a local wildlife site on their farms -there around 537 sites covering 9,274ha in the County. This is 5% of Worcestershire and represents a significant proportion of the county’s best natural habitats.

Local Wildlife Sites could be owned and managed by anyone including private individuals, businesses, organisations and public bodies. In addition to Local Wildlife Site status being an acknowledgement of the positive long-term management of a site and its substantive value for wildlife, having a site listed as a Local Wildlife Site can also provide landowners with:

• Access to professional support for botanical survey and habitat management advice
• Enhanced access to environmental grants and green finance options
• Opportunities to diversify farming enterprises

It is also worth noting that a Local Wildlife Site listing does not grant any right of public access to land, does not justify a statutory designation and does not directly impose legal obligations on a landowner or directly affect current agricultural activity.

If you think you may own or manage a Local Wildlife Site then we would love to hear from you and see how we may help. You can reach the Worcestershire Local Wildlife Sites Partnership by sending them an email at [email protected]

Have Your Say on Mobile Connectivity in Worcestershire

Is your mobile signal letting your business down? Over 800 people have voiced their concerns already, but we need more feedback, especially from businesses. Despite Ofcom data suggesting strong outdoor coverage, many report disruptions to calls, maps, banking, and more.
Some even note a decline in service over the past year.

We’re collaborating with mobile operators to address problem areas, and your input is vital. Share your experiences by taking our short survey to help us target improvements where they’re needed most: Mobile Connectivity Problems

Bromsgrove MP Bradley Thomas launches an IHT survey

Bradley Thomas, MP for Bromsgrove and the villages is keen to conduct a survey of farmers in the constituency so he can make the Government, and constituents, aware of the true impact of the Family Farm Tax. He’ll use the results gathered in Parliament as well as on social media and in the press. He wants to be able to say:

X number of farmers have been impacted by the Government’s changes

X farmers are selling their farm/land as a result

X farmers can’t afford the inheritance tax bill

Please complete the survey here: https://www.bradleythomas.org.uk/farming-survey.

Calling all business leaders

Are you ready to tackle your business challenges head-on and take your business to the next level?

Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Growth Hub would like to create a programme of free training for Worcestershire businesses. In order to do this, we need your help. Share your insights on your top training needs, how you'd like training be delivered and how you would like to receive support updates.

Your feedback is crucial in shaping a programme which truly benefits you!

Complete our feedback form to help shape a brighter future for your business!

Worcestershire Working with Water -Natural Flood Management (NFM) in the Body Brook

Worcestershire Working with Water project is a Natural Flood Management project. The project is managed by Worcestershire County Council, in partnership with the Environment Agency. It is a six-year grant in aid funded scheme, where we are aiming to hold back and slow the flow of water within Worcestershire County, with the overall aim of reducing flooding for downstream communities.

One of the projects they are currently working on is in partnership with the Canal & Rivers Trust and Natural England, looking at the catchment of the Body Brook in Droitwich, which is a tributary of the River Salwarpe, discharging into the canal just upstream of Droitwich town centre.

The aim of the project is to look at the Body Brook catchment as a whole and use a combination of natural flood management techniques combined with enhanced land management options to help slow and store water in the upper catchment. This will not only help to alleviate the flooding downstream but will also have the additional benefits of increasing biodiversity, creating habitat and also improving water quality.

An example of some natural flood management interventions might include leaky dams across small tributaries to help slow and store water, buffer strips on fields, ponds and attenuation areas, planting of hedgerows and aeration of the land to name just a few. Each intervention on its own is small scale, but cumulatively, these measures can have a significant impact on the volume of water stored upstream and the time it takes flood water to reach vulnerable communities.

The overall issue is the fact that there is a huge amount of silt ending in the canal coming from the Body Brook catchment. This is costing the Canals and Trust ~£100k/year to remove.

The message from Worcester County Council is that lots of small interventions collectively make a big difference! Get in touch with them for an initial discussion email: [email protected] or call 01905 843735