The Earl of Wessex yesterday gave the royal seal approval to a £1.2million "life-changing" project in Cornwall to provide affordable work and living space for farming families.
Unveiling an official plaque, Prince Edward praised the work of everyone behind the Ruthvoes Barn initiative, which has seen redundant buildings on a once council-owned farm near Indian Queens in mid-Cornwall completely regenerated.
The project, led by farming charity the Addington Fund, has resulted in a modern facility comprising four work-and-live affordable units, designed to provide accommodation and a work place for farmers either wishing to leave their current jobs or get started in the industry.
The scheme was funded by a £422,000 EU grant and by donations to the Addington Fund, and has already let out two of the workspaces to families, once involved in the farming or horticultural sector, one of which described the rare opportunity as "life-changing".
Ian Bell, director of the Addington Fund, showed Prince Edward around the new facility, introducing him to several of the charity's sponsors, as well as the two new tenants.
He said the project was vitally important at a crucial time for the industry.
He said: "Farming in the next three or four years is going to go through some major structural changes.
"It's becoming increasingly difficult for the small tenant farmers. What they have are huge skills, huge pride and huge ability and this scheme is an opportunity to give them a second life if you like."
Mark Franks, one of the two new tenants, spoke to the Earl of Wessex about his new cottage and his hopes for his new furniture restoration business which he is running out of adjacent workshops.
He said: "It just seemed like a great opportunity. It's life- changing and a huge opportunity to do what we are currently doing. It is just wonderful and in a lovely location. Just to have a workshop is extremely rare. The Addington Fund is there to support farmers who have fallen on hard times and the industry is struggling terribly at the moment. Getting an opportunity like this is few and far between so this is wonderful."
Dee Anne McCoull, a textile artist, also took on a tenancy, with her former horticulturalist husband Mel. She said: "It's just amazing, especially at our age to have this opportunity, it's something we wanted years ago."
The Addington Fund was founded in response to agricultural hardship following the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001, and has a similar scheme at Trevorva, near Truro.
