Cookstown-based charity, Rural Support is in urgent need of a significant injection of cash if it is to continue normal operations into the next financial year, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.

Sources maintain that the organisation, originally formed in 2002, continues to see high demand for its services but has been unable to bring in enough money through fundraising activities to keep up with operational costs.

The charity is also currently without a permanent CEO, after the previous incumbent, Kevin Doherty left at the end of 2025 “to pursue new exciting opportunities”. Doherty had only been in post since October 2023.

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Last Tuesday Rural Support launched a fundraising challenge, ‘Spring Forward to Give Back’ which is taking place on Saturday 7 March and is targeted at individuals, community groups and businesses across NI.

The target is for 100 people or businesses to each raise £1,000 by the likes of tractor runs, sponsored walks, coffee mornings or auctions.

Free services

Rural Support offers a number of free services for farm families and people in rural areas, including confidential counselling, specialist mentoring and training.

It receives funding from the likes of DAERA for its Social Farming support initiative and in November 2024 was awarded a contract by the department to deliver a pilot Farming for the Generations scheme. The funding for that pilot is due to conclude at the end of March 2026 and it is understood that the five staff involved have been told that their contracts won’t be renewed.

Trustees

The board of Rural Support is made up of a number of prominent individuals within the local farming industry and is chaired by the CEO of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, Derek Lough. None of the trustees receive any remuneration for their time.

Lough told the Irish Farmers Journal that the current situation is no different to previous years, as a “big event” is required every year or 18 months, to ensure there are sufficient reserves in place. “We are seeing unprecedented demand. The challenge we have is that we deliver contracts on behalf of DAERA and then we do a retrospective claim – that could take another 2 months. We could be out that money for 5 months,” he said.

He also acknowledged that a move out of free office space at CAFRE’s Loughry campus into offices in the centre of Cookstown, has eaten into cash reserves. “We would happily still be in Loughry if we had been allowed to stay,” he said.