National Lottery Community Fund strengthens Farmstrong Scotland’s response to recent survey results with new series of events.

Farmstrong Scotland is delighted to announce that it has been awarded £20,000 of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

The award will be used to expand our social wellbeing activities across the farming and crofting communities of Scotland, including holding more of the popular Walk & Talk events. These informal days are held on a farm or croft with interesting speakers, great food and offer the opportunity for attendees to connect with others in the industry.

Activities directly funded by this lottery award are already being planned, with a Walk & Talk confirmed for Bridgelands Farm in Selkirk on the 20 May, where the Dickie family will host an afternoon visit followed by a social BBQ. 

Since they were launched last year, the Walk & Talks have taken place in Morayshire, The Highlands, The Isle of Bute, Dumfriesshire, and Angus, with all ages of the farming community attending to take part in activities such as fitness tutorials, farm tours, and wild swimming. More are planned for May, June and July in Fife, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire.

Programme Director for Farmstrong, Alix Ritchie explained how important funding awards like this are for Scotland’s farmers and crofters, and the future of the industry overall:

“This funding will enable Farmstrong to expand its community engagement activities, something that is a core priority this year. From our evidence-based approach, Scottish farmers and crofters have consistently told us that having opportunities to get off farm and connect with others is one of the most effective ways of improving their wellbeing.”

“Our latest survey results, published just last month, revealed that 26% of those surveyed - 569 Scottish farmers and crofters - were specifically looking for further support in taking time off the farm or croft, and 36% reported that their balance between work and leisure had got worse over the previous 12 months.

“This timely support will strengthen our capacity to respond to the results of our survey, where there is clearly a demand for these types of social events.”

The National Lottery Community Fund is designed to support social connections and community activities which it believes are “at the heart of creating healthier, happier lives and a flourishing society.”

“Farmstrong Scotland is a brilliant example of a peer-to-peer led action, designed by and for the people it supports – farmers and crofters,” said The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still. “At The National Lottery Community Fund, we’re proud to back projects like this that empower people to take positive steps towards improving health and wellbeing in their communities."

The award will be match-funded by Movember, as part of their commitment to double all funds raised by and for Farmstrong during 2025 up to the value of £350,000, thus increasing the impact and wellbeing opportunities for farmers and crofters in Scotland. 

The upcoming Farmstrong events can all be found at www.farmstrongscotland.org.uk/events

If you are interested in hosting an event for Farmstrong, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Clare Dickson, Community Engagement Specialist, at hello@farmstrongscotland.org.uk.