The Country Trust

Capital Grants applications are OPEN!

The timeframe for applications is expected to be short, and funding is limited. Once the money is gone, it's gone!

To help farmers make the most of this opportunity, we've created A Farmer’s Guide to VED1 Educational Access Grants, available next week.

VED1 payments enable farmers to open their farms for hands-on school visits, directly supporting children in their confidence, curiosity and connection to the land that sustains us all.

Tag farmers that need to see this...

Download the guide: https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/farmers/payments-and-grants/

With wildfires, conflict and extreme weather pushing up food prices, the fragility of the UK food system is increasingly obvious.

Diet-related disease is at a record high and healthy food is unaffordable for too many families.

This broken food system is working against us.

That’s why we’ve signed a letter alongside 100+ food system leaders, calling on the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham  to make food a national priority, alongside energy and defence.

Join us in calling for a Good Food Bill to lock in long-term change.

Read the letter on The Food Foundation website:

 https://foodfoundation.org.uk/publication/business-leaders-and-health-professionals-urge-prime-minister-back-good-food-bill

 

Alliance

⚠️ Important VED1 / Capital Grants update

On 28th July, we met with senior Defra officials responsible for Capital Grants to raise concerns arising from the inclusion of Educational Access (VED1) in the Capital Grants programme.

Farmers whose current Countryside Stewardship agreements end between the closure of this coming Capital Grants window and the start of the next are not able to apply for a new agreement until summer 2027.

The Defra team stress that they are actively working on other ways of bringing forward the ability to apply for VED1 to minimise the gap and have committed to meeting with us again when they have Ministerial agreement for a proposed workaround - we will keep you updated.

More on our website - https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/news/ved1-capital-grants

⏰ 5 days left

Help lead the next phase of income growth at The Country Trust, helping transform children’s futures through food, farming and the countryside.

We’re looking for an experienced fundraising leader with a strong track record of securing substantial income across multiple fundraising streams, who can developing and deliver fundraising strategies that drive sustainable growth.

✔️ Salary: £45,000–£47,000 FTE (depending on experience)
✔️ Hours: 30–35 per week
✔️ Location: Hybrid/home-based (ideally near Chelmsford/London)
✔️ Senior leadership role with travel across England

📌 Closing date: 12pm, 3rd August 2026

Apply now: https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/

⏰ 7 days left

Help lead the next phase of income growth at The Country Trust, helping transform children’s futures through food, farming and the countryside.

We’re looking for an experienced fundraising leader with a strong track record of securing substantial income across multiple fundraising streams, who can developing and deliver fundraising strategies that drive sustainable growth.

✔️ Salary: £45,000–£47,000 FTE (depending on experience)
✔️ Hours: 30–35 per week
✔️ Location: Hybrid/home-based (ideally near Chelmsford/London)
✔️ Senior leadership role with travel across England

📌 Closing date: 12pm, 3rd August 2026

Apply now: https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/

URGENT: Farms at immediate risk of loosing up to a years funding for educational farm visits.
 
Right now, farms whose Countryside Stewardship agreements end after this round of Capital Grants is likely to close, are being told they can’t apply for a new educational access agreement under the Capital Grants Scheme until summer 2027. For farms delivering Educational Access (VED1/ED1) visits, that means that they risk up to a year with no funding to support hosting school children on their land.
 
Our own survey data shows why that matters:
→ 47% of teachers tell us that none, or very few, of their pupils have ever been to the countryside before a farm visit
→ 42% say the same about knowing where and how their food grows
→ When we asked current claimants if they’d keep hosting visits without the payment, 63% said they were unlikely to, or weren’t sure
 
Farmers that we have spoken to are deeply concerned
“Without funding, these visits can’t happen. My CSS/ED1 ends Dec 2026 and the window for applying for capital Grant: educational visit funding is July. Visits are best done Summer term (prior to July) so I will lose a whole year’s worth of funding and visits will stop.” Farmer response to our 2026 Farmer Survey
 
Our food system can’t afford to disconnect itself from the next generation, at a moment when there’s more at stake than ever.
 
We are writing to Defra to highlight a temporary fix: let farms facing the end of their agreement apply now, while holding off on new claims until their current agreement ends. This isn’t the only issue relating to Educational Access but it will provide a sticking plaster whilst we seek wider conversations.
 
If you work with farmers delivering educational access, or you’re one yourself, we’d like to hear from you about the impact that this oversight will have on you. We also encourage you to write to your local MP to highlight the issue. 
 
 

💚 Over £13,000 raised 👏

Since we last celebrated the Tesco Produce Team’s incredible National Three Peaks Challenge, their fundraising total has continued to grow and has now reached an amazing £13,580.

A huge thank you to everyone at Tesco, as well as their supplier partners, colleagues, friends and families, who have donated and supported the team so far.

Their fundraising journey is not over yet. The Produce Team is aiming to raise £25,000 for The Country Trust, helping more children facing disadvantage connect with food, farming, and the land that sustains us.

On 17th September, Tesco will bring supplier partners and colleagues together for a Produce Sports Day filled with fun, teamwork, and even more fundraising.

Thank you once again to the Tesco Produce Team and everyone supporting this brilliant effort. We cannot wait to see what September brings! 🌱

👉 You can support by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tesco-fundraiser-2026

🪨 Get ahead for the autumn term and download our free Rocks and Soils Curriculum Pack

At The Country Trust, we are providing teachers at eligible schools with free resources to make their lessons more engaging, hands-on, and easy to deliver.

Designed to support the National Curriculum, we are encouraging pupils to explore rocks and soils beyond the classroom.

Our ready-to-use online resource includes:
📚 6 fully planned lessons
✔ Whiteboard-ready supplementary resources, printable worksheets and word banks
🏫 Clear curriculum links and a glossary of key terms
🎥 Engaging films and supporting resources to bring learning to life

Know a KS2 teacher who’d find this useful? Please feel free to share this with them 🌱

Eligible schools (above 26.3% Free School Meals EVER6) can register here 👉 https://civicrm.countrytrust.org.uk/rocks-soils-pack

More information on eligibility 👉 https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/teachers/eligibility/

Looking to bring learning beyond the classroom?

We’ve put together a list of organisations offering grants, funding, and equipment to help schools make outdoor learning and educational visits more accessible.

Find out what’s available here: https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/news/list-of-funds-available-to-support-educational-visits

Tag a school, teacher, or educator who would love to discover these opportunities and help more young people experience learning outdoors.