The education branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU Education) has said a £70,000 donation from NFU Mutual Chartiable Trust will boost its initiatives.
NFU Mutual’s Charitable Trust distributed its first round of 2024 donations to UK rural causes today (Tuesday, August13), totaling over £500,000.
This is the first of two rounds of funding which will be delivered across the year. The trust expects overall donations to reach at least £1 million by the end of 2024.
NFU Education said the funding from NFU Mutual Charitable Trust will enable it to enhance existing education programmes as well as grow and develop new materials and educational agricultural experiences for students.
The NFU currently offers a range of live-streamed lessons and webinars, as well as projects for the classroom which allows children to learn about food, business and enterprise, and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.
The Farmers for Schools programme equips farmers and industry professionals to engage with secondary schools directly, aiming to debunk myths spread on social media and provide insights into the agricultural industry.
NFU Education
NFU vice president Rachel Hallos said: “We’d like to thank the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for their generous contribution to our education programme.
“This funding will go towards the fantastic projects that so many students across the country have taken advantage of, significantly supporting our standout programmes like STEMterprise and Farmers for Schools, as well as our highly acclaimed live lessons.
“Since their inception in 2022, our live lessons have reached over a million children. We have trained over 300 Farmers for Schools ambassadors who have brought their knowledge and passion to over 25,000 students across the country.”
Hallos said the mission of NFU Education is to make farming captivating and relatable for young people, so as they get older they can start to appreciate what the countryside and rural communities can offer.
“The vital work of NFU Education is instrumental in inspiring the next generation to understand and value the origins of their food, and the overwhelming success and popularity of our projects show the appetite to learn more.”
NFU Mutual and NFU Mutual Charitable Trust chair, Jim McLaren, said: “We are very proud to support the development of NFU Education through this donation.
“Helping young people to learn about farming is so important, and this is a fantastic initiative working closely with schools to deliver engaging and memorable lessons that complement the STEM curriculum.”
