Three ways to help this fund do its quiet work.

Give your time or expertise.

As a volunteer-led charity, almost everything we do is made possible by people giving a few hours here and there — trustees reading applications, fundraisers rattling buckets at the county show, referrers keeping us informed. Here are the main ways you can help.

• TrusteeOur board of trustees meets quarterly. We are always interested in hearing from people with farming, accounting, legal, rural health or fundraising backgrounds who could give us a few days a year.
• Grants committee memberRead and confidentially review hardship applications alongside our trustees. Discretion, experience of farming and an even temperament required.
• Local referrerIf you are a rural vet, FCN volunteer, minister, auctioneer, land agent or community worker in Devon, we would like to be on your referral list.
• Local fundraiserHelp at fundraising events, collect at agricultural shows, or organise a community-level fundraiser in your parish or YFC.
• Skilled pro-bono supportWe occasionally need help with design, accounting, legal advice or digital work. If you could give a few hours a year, please get in touch.

Fund the grants — no middlemen.

We have no paid staff, no office rent and no marketing budget. Nearly every pound you give goes directly out again as a hardship grant, an education grant or a research grant — staying within Devon.

Regular giving is especially useful to us. Even a small amount each month — £5, £10, £25 — lets us plan our hardship grant-making with confidence. One-off gifts, legacies and gifts in memoriam are all gratefully received.

You can also donate by cheque payable to "The Devon Farmers' Benevolent Fund", posted to our registered office. For legacies and gifts in memoriam, please contact treasurer@devonfarmersbenevolent.org.uk in confidence.

Organisational partnerships.

Some of our best work comes from partnering with other Devon-based organisations — agricultural colleges, farmer cluster groups, veterinary practices, local NFU branches, churches and rural charities. If your organisation would like to discuss a partnership — whether for a funding round, a research project, a referral scheme or a joint event — we would be very pleased to hear from you.

• Agricultural colleges & training providersPartner with us on student bursaries, skills bursaries and farm-visit programmes. We work with Bicton College, Duchy College and other Devon providers.
• Farmer cluster groups & NFUJoint knowledge-exchange events, research co-funding, and referral partnerships for hardship grants.
• Veterinary practicesFormal referrer status for hardship cases identified through farm visits.
• Local businessesMatch-giving, payroll-giving schemes and sponsorship of specific grant rounds.
• Trusts & foundationsRestricted grants co-funding research projects, or unrestricted grants building the fund's grant-making capacity.