A DOZEN of the UK’s top agricultural photographers have donated images to farming charity The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) to help raise funds for farming people in financial hardship.

The images have been combined into a Farming in Focus calendar for 2018, which was launched at the Royal Cornwall Show on June 9. The calendar – which will be sold at shows and fundraising events throughout the summer – has been supported by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.

The cover image features a Swaledale ewe amongst the heather on a Derbyshire hill farm. It was taken (and donated) by Ashbourne-based photographer and RABI supporter Ruth Downing, who works extensively for the farming press.

Ruth says she spent three years waiting for the right moment to take the moorland image.

Other photographers to feature in the calendar are: John Eveson, Jonathan Page, Kath Birkinshaw, Marcello Garbagnoli, Kevin Milner, Tim Scrivener, Theresa Eveson, Adrian Legge, Anthony Mosley, Gary Naylor and Peter Dean.

Donated photographs portray diverse scenes from the farming year including beef cattle in the Taunton sunset; a beautiful landscape of Askrigg in North Yorkshire; Workers in fields of broccoli in Cornwall; spring lambs in Hampshire and cattle on the Blagdon Estate in Northumberland.

RABI gave out £2.1m to people in financial need from the farming sector last year. In 2017, RABI has given out more than £862k to about 980 individuals and families.

Lindsay Sinclair, NFU Mutual CEO, said: “Financial pressures on farmers can be intense today, particularly for small farms and those in less favoured areas. For this reason, it’s crucial that agriculture continues to support RABI to enable it to continue helping farming families who get into difficulties.

“I’m delighted that NFU Mutual’s Charitable Trust is once again sponsoring the calendar.”

RABI chairman Malcolm Thomas said: “There is a lot of hardship and many difficulties in our rural areas. Calls to the charity are running at the same level as 2016, despite the fact that we’ve not had the flooding problems we had last year in the North. That, to me, shows the work of RABI is growing.”

The calendar can be ordered on 01268 888217. Prices are £7.50 (wall) and £4 (desktop).