Legacy of Sheila Trafford
Sheila Trafford passed away on 5th January 2015 and probate was granted on 1st February 2016. Sheila’s wish was that the farm should be used “for the support and education of young people in agriculture”.
The farmhouse was unoccupied since Miss Trafford’s death and it was decided to renovate the house and let on the local market from May 2018. Until the Autumn of 2019 the land was farmed under various annual agreements organised by J H Walter. Since October 2019 we have a young tenant occupying and farming the land in a modern and sustainable manner.
It has been necessary to improve the drainage on some of the farm, particularly due to the very wet autumn of 2019, this aspect will need further attention over the coming years. A total of over £180,000 has been spent thus far on bringing the house and farm up to a better standard.
As a result of the letting of both the house and the land, the LAS receives an appreciable rental income, some of which has been put towards the cost of a second Education Officer for the Society and further funds applied to help local young farmers to attend events such as the Oxford Farming Conference and attend courses like the Advanced Course in Agricultural Business Management, run by the Worshipful Company of Farmers. There have been 9 successful candidates for these events so far and we are hopeful of many more applicants in the future.
The Lincolnshire Agricultural Society is proud of its County and hence we are keen to support local residents and organisations with grant funding, the process adopted and indeed and the relevant application documents are available below, please note that the closing date for applications is 31st July each year, we look forward to receiving submissions for all aspects.
Chris Rothery, Chairman, LAST Fund
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