Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland have a new county adviser, Marie Charles, fellow CA Johanna Musson has returned from maternity leave, Caroline Jackson has joined the admin team and graduate trainee Lydia Ballamy will be working on regional projects for the next few months.
Marie Charles
Marie, pictured above on the left, is the new LNR CA, taking over from Dilwyn Harries.
She has previously worked for Strutt & Parker at their Stamford office as a farm and research consultant and qualified as a CAAV agricultural valuer before working for a market research agency.
"This role is so multi-faceted; no two days are bound to be the same and it requires us to be proactive as well as reactive," she said.
"It is a true privilege being part of the NFU as the lobbying work we do as an organisation for our members is crucial. Without our members' back-up we couldn’t do it, so it is really a two-way relationship."
Here for all members
"I am very excited to be back with boots on the ground to support our farming members!"
Marie Charles
"As County Adviser, I am here for all our LNR members, to support them in any way possible and to engage with key stakeholders across the three counties.
"I will engage with MPs, county councils, police forces, fire brigades and many more to represent our members' interests and advocate for any changes required or actions to be taken to ensure the farming industry can thrive.
"I will always be at the end of the phone or visit farms for farmers looking for advice or guidance."
Marie, whose partner's family are beef farmers near Market Harborough in Leicestershire, grew up in France but now "cannot imagine living anywhere else other than the British countryside." She spends her spare time out and about with her dog Pimm’s, training at the local gym, cooking in the evenings and reading a good book.
"I would like to make a difference and support the British agricultural industry and I feel like, in this new role, I will be able to give it my best shot!"
Johanna Musson
Jo, pictured above in the middle, returns to the regional team after taking maternity leave, but in a new role.
She was originally Holland (Lincs) County Adviser, having been an award-winning group secretary before then. Gabriella Gregory was appointed to carry out the role in her absence as cover and has now taken up the CA reins full-time in south Lincs, as well as performing her duties as Nottinghamshire CA.
Jo will jointly cover Lincolnshire as County Adviser, alongside the established CA Rhonda Thompson.
Lydia Ballamy
Lydia, pictured above on the right, has been working at the NFU since September 2024, having joined after graduating in the summer with a Politics and International Studies degree from the University of Warwick.
She joins the Midlands team as part of the NFU’s two-year policy graduate scheme.
Throughout the first year, she rotated between different teams in the policy department based at Stoneleigh – spending time in the climate change, livestock and international trade teams as well as NFU Sugar.
Throughout the second year of the scheme, policy graduates move into regional roles to help better their understanding of the NFU’s regional structure, to see how policy is shaped locally and to engage closely with our grassroots members.
“During this placement, I’ll be working with colleagues across the region on various projects to raise awareness of policy changes, support members, and engage with stakeholders.”
Lydia Ballamy
"I’ve got lots to learn but I’m excited to get stuck in and help wherever I can. If you see me at an event, please don’t hesitate to say hello, or if you’ve got any general queries, please reach out and I’m sure myself or one of the team will be able to help you."
Caroline Jackson
Caroline has taken up a place in the Midlands administration team, replacing Katie Hewett who left last month. We will update this section with more information about Caroline in due course.