Our volunteers are integral to the work of Tir Dewi. They are able to support you through every difficult situation you may be facing, and if they don’t know the answers, one of our partners certainly will.
Eileen says,
“We walk, listen and extend a hand of direction to support all the farmers throughout Wales. But we could not do this without the tremendous hard work of all the volunteers, and I personally want to thank you for your dedication and commitment in ensuring our farmers are listened to, loved and supported until they can see their own way, and strengthened to face the challenges posed in our agricultural industry.”
Jeni has been volunteering with Tir Dewi for over 5 years, read why she started below.
“I volunteer for Tir Dewi because I’m a smallholder so I’m on the fringe of the farming world. I’ve learned a lot more from the farming families I’ve visited as a volunteer. I’ve helped them by listening a lot, doing some practical things and mostly by being a fresh pair of eyes as they try to unravel the issues they face. I’m not a specialist but I care enough to get stuck in, and try to understand.”
“If not for access to our help and our army of wonderful volunteers, these people would have continued struggling without help.”
Sharon
Sharon
“My work with Tir Dewi is mostly on the Helpline two day a week where we receive a variety of calls where some can be urgent some less so, but I believe every call we receive deserves to be handled with respect and expedience. What might seem trivial to us could be the proverbial straw that ‘broke the camels’ back’ to a farmer dealing with stressful situations day to day. I often find that a client could call with a ‘paperwork problem’ but quickly find that there are multiple other things behind their call for help. If not for access to our help and our army of wonderful volunteers, these people would have continued struggling without help.”
“I believe every call we receive deserves to be handled with respect and expedience.”
Sharon
Mari
“As a recorder I have heard and observed the problems farmers encounter in an increasingly complex world: quotas, BSE, Foot and Mouth, TB, now coronavirus, each one another hammer blow on the fragility of the rock face of agriculture. I see how it is no longer enough for farmers to be good stockmen or women, they need to be businessmen, accountants, engineers, managers (if they’re lucky enough to have staff), negotiators.
So when, a few years back, I saw Eileen Davies on Ffermio talking about Tir Dewi and how very often the best way to help a struggling farmer was to help with the paperwork, I thought: ‘I could do that!’ The next time I saw her, I asked a few questions and signed up to Tir Dewi.
It’s a good feeling when you’ve been able to help someone identify the problem and find a solution. I just wish that we weren’t needed in the first place.”
“At the start of a new case it can feel like buying a jigsaw from a charity shop and not knowing if you’ve got all the pieces.”
Mari