four outstanding applicants awarded a leadership bursary
Windsor Leadership Trust Bursaries 2023
The Farmers Club Charitable Trust were joined by representatives from the Windsor Leadership Trust on the 13th September to interview and select bursary recipients. The bursaries are awarded to senior leaders involved in agriculture to enhance and develop their leadership; the aims of the different level programmes are to ‘Equip senior leaders to meet uncertainty with courage, resilience and insight.’
The selection panel comprised of Nick Green (Chair), Vic Croxson (Trustee) and representing the Windsor Leadership Trust were Marion Joys (Client Relationship Manager) and Claire Maloney (Marketing & Business Development Director).
The idea is to take those involved in agriculture away from their everyday lives into an environment completely divorced from farming and food production and be exposed to others’ leadership practices from the military, clergy, charities, business and civil service amongst others. Windsor Leadership has been delivering leadership development for over 25 years. The foundations for Windsor Leadership were laid in 1981 when the ‘Windsor Meetings’ were set up with an aim to tackle the big issues in society. The Patron at Windsor Leadership is Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
The residential programmes are run from Windsor Castle and Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park and involves a Part One programme ranging from two to five days, followed by a Part Two up to six months later, designed to review and reflect on the continued learnings from Part One.
Once the participants have completed their awards they will be invited to continue and support their development with peer-to-peer networking through the FCCT Professional Forums.
Bursaries for 2023 were awarded to:-
Philippa Wiltshire – Red Tractor, Head of Operations (Technical Function)
Chris Guest - LS Plant Breeding (Managing Director)
Sharon Hockley – NFU (Head of Communications)
Tess Howe – The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH)
(Head of Partnerships and Membership)
Nick Green, Chair of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, and chairing the selection panel said, “Such positivity and enthusiasm around leadership in the industry is wonderful to see. The awardees come from a wide range of backgrounds and all four candidates are in a position to benefit greatly from the programmes on offer and will ultimately ensure the sector has leaders who have the potential to shape the future of their own organisations and the industry as a whole.”
Nick also said “The Perry Foundation and the Frank Parkinson Trust have been very generous in their support of the project; the increased funding allocation has maximised the number of agricultural leaders able to take up places on the programmes via the FCCT."
Lisa Turner, the Awards Ambassador for the Farmers Club Charitable Trust said “Following the Bursary recipients’ journey from application, through the various programmes and beyond will be so gratifying to see, I look forward to reporting on progress through the Trust’s website and social media. Lisa explains that, “For those considering this leadership pathway in the future the bursaries are awarded annually in September with applications accepted until the end of July.”
Further information is available from
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATOR AWARDS 2023
FIVE enthusiastic and inspiring agricultural educators selected to receive a share of £24,000 to undertake innovative study tours that encompass - Argentina, USA, Chile, Germany, Canada and Uruguay.
Agricultural Educators are funded by The Farmers Club Charitable Trust (FCCT) to extend and develop their knowledge and expertise across a varied and wide-ranging array of agricultural themes. This year, the selection panel, chaired by Professor Quintin McKellar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, with Farmers Club Chairman Meurig Raymond and FCCT Trustees Meryl Ward, Des Lambert and Vic Croxson agreed to fund five projects.
As the recipients complete their studies, their journeys will be shared on the FCCT social media pages and the final reports published on their website providing a resource bank of shared knowledge.
Dr. Julia Casperd from Harper Adam University who was awarded £5,000 has begun her study and recently visited Habelman Bros. cranberry farm in Tomah, Wisconsin as part of her study on sustainable and wetter farming systems.
Mr. Alexander Gray from the SMB College Group (Stephenson College and Brooksby Melton College) was awarded £5,000 and is planning to explore regenerative farming across the USA.
£5,000 was awarded to Mr Daniel Stamper from Kendal College to expand his knowledge on extensive livestock production systems in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.
Ms. Francis Cook from the College of West Anglia is going to visit USA to investigate and compare winter wheat production.
£4,000 was awarded to Dr. Samson Oyeyinka of the University of Lincoln to study protein characterisation skills for teaching and helping the food industry.
“In such a fast-moving environment, it is absolutely vital to the industry and important to agricultural education that we learn from others and expand our knowledge and understanding” Awards Ambassador Lisa Turner expressed.
The chairman of the Trust Mr. Nick Green said “I am delighted with the results, the importance of educating the next generation to the highest standard cannot be underestimated, and by supporting these studies we are equipping our educators with the latest worldwide innovations and knowledge that they can disseminate to our future agriculturalists.”
The next round of the awards will be open again in the middle of September, with further information available on the website www.tfcct.co.uk or contact Lisa on 07879 625660
January 2023 - Strategic away day
Trustees First Strategic Day...
January saw Trustees attend their very first ‘Strategic Away Day’ held at Becketts Farm conference centre in the Midlands. The objectives of the day were for Trustees to strategically review and realign the current purpose of the charity, explore and distinguish the core values whilst building on the excellent work of their predecessors.
Trustees were given the opportunity to complete a pre-event questionnaire and this guided the day in terms of discussion themes and action planning. Trustees were able to agree an over-arching direction for this and subsequent years.
Nick Green, chairperson of the Trust said “the day was very thought provoking and provided the opportunity to explore our core purpose and plan our future actions to ensure our charitable purpose is engaging and our strategy moving forward has the desired impact and outcomes”.
The day was enhanced with the engagement of Keith Barriball as the main facilitator and Professor Bryan Watters, Professor of Defence Leadership at Cranfield who presented at the event on ‘Leading through Adaptive Change’
Lisa Turner, Ambassador for the Trust said, “planning and exploring the work of the Trust in an ever-changing environment is critical to its purpose and plans; establishing a rolling review of strategy with scheduled sessions will assist the Trust stay relevant and valid.”
OXFORD FARMING CONFERENCE
Leadership Pathway Event
Meryl Ward and Christine Tacon Trustees, along with Lisa Turner Awards Ambassador represented the Trust at the Oxford Farming Conference.
The event was an excellent opportunity to inform aspiring OFC Scholars, OFC Inspire programme and wider OFC delegates the amazing range of leadership and development programmes available to the industry.
Organisations involved in #AgriLeadershipWeek were represented, providing information on a wide range of development programmes within the industry.
The Trust are represented at the landex conference 2022
LANDEX 2022
The Trust were represented by Lisa Turner and Vic Croxson at the LANDEX annual conference.
The event provided an opportunity for the Trust to not only have a stand with all of our current information on hand, but also Lisa and Vic presented a Keynote session to the conference on the work and benefits the Trust could provide to LANDEX members.
WELCOME TO A NEW CHAIRPERSON AND A FOND FAREWELL TO STEPHEN.
NEW TRUST CHAIRPERSON - MR. NICK GREEN
After 16 years as a Trustee, most recently as Chairman, Stephen Fletcher has ‘set sail’ into the sunset, retiring from the Trust’s board of trustees at the September AGM. His passion for sailing was reflected in gifts of an engraved compass and a pair of binoculars.
Taking over the helm is Nick Green, a Trustee since 2018 and Farm Operations Director for farmers and cheesemakers Alvis Bros in North Somerset. Nick is also a trustee of education charity FarmLink, founder chair of the FCCT / Windsor Leadership Trust alumni and a member of the English Panel for the Royal Agricultural Societies, and an active member of North Somerset Agricultural Society.
INDUSTRY LUNCH - SEPTEMBER 2022
Industry lunch
Key industry figures were invited to a special lunch to discuss the Trust’s charitable activities and seek input on the development of its awards and industry collaboration. Chaired by Trustee Vic Croxson the guests included, Tim Jackson, retired Principal, Sparsholt College, David Fursdon, Board Chair, The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), Alan Laidlaw, CEO, Royal Highland Agricultural Show Society, Mrs Alex Payne, CEO, LANDEX, and Professor Ken Sloan, Vice-Chancellor, Harper Adams University. The ‘big ideas’ debate was considered a great success.
WELCOME TO A NEW TRUSTEE
After an extensive selection process the FCCT has appointed Dr.Jenna Ross OBE as a new trustee. A past recipient of an FCCT Agricultural Educator Award and a Windsor Leadership Trust bursary, Jenna is International Business Development Manager for the UK Government funded AgriTech centre Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) and chair of Nuffield Scotland.
The Professional Forum activites during September and november
Lady Byford - The Challenge of Eliminating Food and Fuel Poverty in the UK
The story of Westmorland Ltd - Jane Lane and Sarah Dunning.
Valued Peer to Peer Mentoring
A visIt to the House of Lords...
Farmers Club Charitable Trust Professional Forum
Trustee News...
New Trustee
Agricultural Educator Awards 2021
Five inspiring individuals...
Four Final AGRICULTURAL EDUCATORS TO RECEIVE AWARDS IN 2021
#AGRILEADERSHIPWEEK
New social media campaign to raise awareness of leadership training
A new cross-organisation campaign is to take place in the month of May, with the aim of raising awareness of pan-industry leadership training across the agricultural career spectrum.
Taking place between 17-21 May 2021, #AgriLeadershipWeek is a joint scheme by AHDB, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, Institute for Agricultural Management (IAgrM), Worshipful Company of Farmers (WCF) and The Farmers Club Charitable Trust (FCCT).
For information about the campaign, including ways of getting involved and details of the different leadership skills training on offer, visit https://www.ahdb.org.uk/agrileadership-week
#AgriLeadershipWeek is to target current and aspiring leaders within agriculture who are unaware of or are yet to make use of any leadership training. Through the campaign, it is hoped people will become more aware of training that can not only improve them as a person but as an employee in charge of others.
The campaign also wants to tackle the lack of formal agricultural qualifications in the UK, when compared to its international partners. Only one-in-three agricultural workers in Britain have completed any form of proper training and schooling, compared with seven-in-ten in both the Netherlands and Germany.
Amie Burke, Skills Development Manager at AHDB, said: “Strong leadership within the sector has never been more important. The agricultural industry is both large and complex and is moving into a period of rapid change driven by political and policy changes. We’re thrilled to be working with our industry partners on such a key initiative.
Chris Graf Grote, Chairman at Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, said: “This initiative is an important step towards making agriculture more aware of the needs for good leadership and the comprehensive training that is already available. We hope this scheme helps develop and inspire current and future generations of industry leaders.”
Karen Mercer of the WCF said: “The Worshipful Company of Farmers is delighted to be part of this important initiative. These courses have the potential to change your life, career and business in so many positive ways.”
Victoria Bywater of IAgrM said: “The Institute of Agricultural Management are very pleased to be part of this important work where an integrated view of leadership training for the agricultural sector can be assessed and utilised.
Stephen Fletcher, Chair of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, said: “Investing in the future by developing our current and future agricultural leaders has never been so imperative. In a game changing collaboration, leading providers are coming together to provide a platform for the sharing of opportunities and pathways to support rural and agricultural leadership. The initiative will enable an individual to identify the most appropriate ‘leader journey’ to suit their own needs at any given time during their career.”
Throughout the third week of May each year, there will be social media support from each partner involved in the scheme showcasing the great experiences of leadership training and signposting ways to get involved and further develop yourself.
You can share your story, watch our specially created leadership videos and enter the skills-based competitions we’ve laid on throughout the week by tweeting #AgriLeadershipWeek
MAY 2021
Taking place between 17-21 May 2021, #AgriLeadershipWeek is a joint scheme by AHDB, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, Institute for Agricultural Management (IAgrM), Worshipful Company of Farmers (WCF) and The Farmers Club Charitable Trust (FCCT).
THE FCCT HOST A WINDSOR LEADERSHIP PROFESSIONAL FORUM
'WHAT COVID HAS TAUGHT ME...'
Prominent agricultural leaders were able to meet online in what was the first of a new forum for the FCCT Windsor Leadership Trust alumni. The virtual forum was an outstanding success with the programme focussing on ‘what covid-19 has taught me’ and ‘managing change in my organisation’. This was led by guest speaker Sir Clive Johnstone KBE CB a retired Royal Navy officer who had a naval career spanning nearly 34 years ending as a Vice Admiral, Royal Navy and in command of NATO's Maritime Forces.
The impact of Covid-19 on leaders who were taking part has been significant, according to one participant it has ‘been a massive wake up call on how fragile life is, and how fragile business is’. Leaders say they are dealing with whole team impact rather than one or two individuals. The emotional and psychological impact on those leading organisations came through as a particular challenge. The benefits seen by the group moving forward is the ability to share the worry, seek support from each other and utilise the ‘collective leadership wisdom amongst the group’.
“The ability to understand the unique issues and challenges facing us, our role in making good decisions at difficult times and our capacity to demonstrate strong leadership has never been more important” reflected Nick Green one of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust’s trustees and WLT alumnus himself. Nick added, “The groups depth of wisdom, insight and experience, allied to Sir Clive’s address gave us the opportunity to step back, consider our situation and decide what we need to do amongst a group of like-minded and trusted people.”
The Trust Ambassador Lisa Turner was delighted to have organised the event and is looking forward to supporting the group with the next session planned for February.
Agricultural Educator Awards 2020
Four extremely capable individuals to benefit from the FCCT Awards
Four extremely capable individuals will benefit from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust’s 2020 Agricultural Educator Awards. Charles Abel reports.
FOUR enthusiastic farming educators have been selected to receive special support from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, undertaking innovative studies in Brazil, New Zealand, Denmark, USA and The Netherlands.
Over nearly four decades the Trust has provided close to £700,000 of funding to help agricultural educators develop their knowledge and expertise, to support a broad range of UK farming activities.
This year’s successful candidates plan to take a closer look at agri-tech, fish farming, integrated pest management and remote apprenticeship training – as soon as is practicable.
The awards have been made despite the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the trustees feeling it was important to maintain such an important initiative. Even so, the selection panel was delayed, taking place in September rather than the more normal early Spring date.
“We nearly ran the panel in March, but at the very last-minute lockdown just prevented us from doing so,” reflected Trust Ambassador Lisa Turner. “So, we were really pleased to go ahead in the Club in London in September, with candidates travelling from as far afield as Northern Ireland. – it is such an important award designed to help those employed in agricultural education to widen and develop their own technical expertise through study activities either in the UK or abroad. This round of awards has seen the trust distribute £23,300.”
Chair of the selection panel was Prof Quintin McKellar CBE, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, Non-Executive Director of CIEL, and Chair of the University Vocational Awards Council, Pirbright Institute Board of Trustees, and the National Centre for Universities and Business Food Economy Task Force. He was accompanied by 2020 Farmers Club Chairman Allan Stevenson and FCCT Trustees Vic Croxson and Des Lambert OBE.
“It was wonderful to be able to gather in the Club, safely, to meet such inspiring young people, all looking to drive our industry forwards,” noted Farmers Club Chairman Allan Stevenson. “I was delighted by the high standard of applicant and really look forward to hearing how they get on with their travels in due course.”
This year’s successful candidates
Dr Jenna Ross
Dr Jenna Ross
Dr Jenna Ross
Dr Jenna Ross, Crop Health Protection (CHAP), Sand Hutton, York – visiting major agri-tech summits in the USA and Brazil on-line, ahead of follow-up visits once covid permits. Learning from innovative farmers, research institutes, innovation networks, advisors, start-ups, accelerators and incubators will improve understanding of agri-tech’s challenges and build collaborations to support the science and innovation UK farming will need post-Brexit.Anticipated visits include Metos Brasil, a leading agri-tech company connecting farmers with innovation hubs, and the FAPESP Pump-Priming Awards linking UK and Brazilian scientists; plus in the USA the Western Growers Innovation and Technology Centre, FARM 2050, Royse AgTech Innovation Network and BlueRiver Tech.
John Fegan
Dr Jenna Ross
Dr Jenna Ross
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Antrim, Northern Ireland – visiting Denmark and The Netherlands to see how technology can support remote learning for apprenticeships and work-based learning. The focus will be on training existing agricultural workers as well as those entering the industry. Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands and Germany have all reformed their Vocational Educational Training so learners can address individual competence needs by acquiring qualifications flexibly through programmes in educational institutions, workplaces and digital learning environments. The study will seek ideas to help train Northern Ireland’s intensive farming sector, with its high demand for a specialised workforce.
Dr Kerry Perkins
Dr Kirsty McInnes
Dr Kirsty McInnes
University Centre Sparsholt, Winchester – visiting New Zealand and The Netherlands to examine aquaculture for mussels and Kingfish (large mackerel) using land-based recirculating water systems. Visits will consider how each sector has developed in each country, and the educational deliverability of their innovative approaches. With mussel aquaculture production in its infancy in the UK, and Kingfish a new fish species for production in Europe, it is hoped that teaching undergraduate students current production techniques will help support the industry’s development, and help students understand technology advancements, as well as appreciate the benefits and drawbacks of bringing a new product to market.
Dr Kirsty McInnes
Dr Kirsty McInnes
Dr Kirsty McInnes
Newcastle University, Newcastle – comparing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategies in the UK and New Zealand, by discussing with farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry what IPM strategies are commonly used, what impacts are being recorded, and just how they are measured. Can IPM help address farming’s big challenges, such as carbon capture? Is extra support needed from science, industry and governments, and how can IPM be better communicated to farmers? Learnings will be applied to student IPM projects on University farm ‘test-beds’, with sensor-based monitoring, providing hands-on experience of new and existing IPM strategies to develop easy-to-use innovations to help accelerate uptake.