New entrants to farming and young people have been encouraged to join the virtual workshop by The Royal Countryside Fund
A charity founded by King Charles III has announced its ‘Opening the Gate' programme has officially opened to help provide young people and new entrants the skills they need to succeed in agriculture.
The Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) - established in 2010 by King Charles to 'empower' farmers - and Aldi UK have confirmed the virtual workshop has now started taking registrations to ‘break down the barriers and challenges' people face either working or gaining experience in the agricultural sector.
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Becca Wilson and Lizzie McLaughlin from the Boots and Heels podcast, as well as The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture, have also been confirmed as guests for the event.
Research from the RCF and Aldi has found access to finance and land came out as the 'greatest barriers' to young people and new entrants - with knowledge exchange and development opportunities ‘sparse'.
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Half of the respondents from the study said they were ‘unaware how or where' to access support.
Liz Fox, national sustainability director at Aldi, said she was delighted to partner with RCF in a programme which hopes to ‘inspire talent and promote' agricultural career pathways.
We are incredibly proud to announce that as of today, we will be known as The Royal Countryside Fund. pic.twitter.com/RrSsLAqznJ
— The Royal Countryside Fund (@countrysidefund) July 14, 2023
Keith Halstead, executive director of RCF, reaffirmed his commitment to help support young people and new entrants to ‘successfully navigate' a period of agricultural transition.
Opening the Gate will take place on Monday (October 9) at 7pm and you can sign-up here.
See also: King's coronation special: Voice of rural communities and small family farms
