Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend Welcomes Fibrus as New Sponsor

Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend, which is led by the Ulster Farmers’ Union, is celebrating being back on farms after a three-year hiatus, by partnering with a new sponsor, telecommunications company Fibrus.

It is hoped this new partnership will give Fibrus an opportunity to connect with the farming community and showcase its broadband infrastructure to support the rural network across Northern Ireland.

This is the first time the 18 working farms participating in this year’s event have been able to host an in-person event since 2019 and they are looking forward to throwing open their gates and welcoming visitors inside to schools on Friday 17 June and the public on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June.

Dominic Kearns, Fibrus CEO said: “Speaking with the team at the Open Farm Weekend, it was clear that we share many of the same values, with community at the heart of everything we do. For that reason, we are delighted to see communities back together with a hybrid event for 2022.

“Fibrus are already making significant strides in addressing the digital imbalance between urban and rural parts of Northern Ireland. With a reliable, hyperfast broadband connection paramount for rural business such as the many farms taking part in Open Farm Weekend, we will continue to rollout the necessary infrastructure needed to enable them to stay connected and operate their businesses on a level playing field to those anywhere else in the region.”

The virtual format adopted over the last few years allowed Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend to still continue throughout the pandemic, and although the in-person interaction with farm families was missed, the event did reach a new online audience. With this in mind, selected farms will be streamed live through Open Farm Weekend’s social media channels on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 June.

Ulster Farmers’ Union President David Brown added: “The virtual aspect of the last few years did bring a new element to Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend, but nothing beats being back on-farm welcoming the public. This makes 2022 an exciting year for Fibrus to launch its sponsorship as both visitors and farm hosts are really keen to maximise their on-farm experience. I would encourage the public to visit one of the 18 farms to support the outstanding contribution our farms and farm families make in producing quality local food and maintaining our local environment.”