NFU Mutual are once again supporting Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend which is taking place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June 2016. The insurance company has been a sponsor since the first Open Farm Weekend initiative took place in 2012.
Twenty-three farms have signed up to participate in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend 2016. The majority of the farms participating insure their businesses with NFU Mutual including the Buchanan family, based outside Strabane in County Tyrone, who are opening their farm for the first time this summer.
The farm is run by Leslie Buchanan, his wife Ruth and children Joanne, Jonathan and Judith and will be open on Saturday 18th from 11am to 6pm and Sunday 19th June from 2pm to 6pm. The farm has approximately 250 head of cattle including cows, calves, and store cattle, and has approximately 850 sheep including, ewes, lambs and rams.
There will be a variety of activities for adults and children alike to enjoy over the weekend including a sheep shearing demonstration, wool spinning demonstration, butchery stands and quizzes. To celebrate the Year of Food and Drink 2016, each farm participating in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend will also raffle off a hamper filled with local food produce for one lucky winner to take home.
“Open Farm Weekend is a great opportunity to showcase our fantastic farmers and the food they produce,” said Martin Malone, NFU Mutual’s Regional Manager for Northern Ireland. “As the insurer of most of Northern Ireland’s farms we’re delighted to be supporting Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend once again.”
Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend Chairman and UFU President Barclay Bell added, “We are very grateful to NFU Mutual for their continued support ever since the very start of Open Farm Weekend. Not only are they a sponsor of the event but in our efforts to widen the geographical spread of farms, some of our group offices have been particularly helpful in finding farms that will really help tell the farm to fork journey.”
Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend is delivered by Ulster Farmers’ Union and is sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK and supported by Asda, The Prince’s Countryside Fund, NFU Mutual and Tesco. The weekend would not be possible without the help and resources of Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, CAFRE, DEARA, the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, Food NI and the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.
For more information and to plan your journey to your nearest Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend event, visit the new website www.openfarmweekend.com, follow on Twitter @BOIopenfarm and like Open Farm Weekend on Facebook. Please note, each farm has unique opening hours so check the website for the exact opening days and hours of each farm.
ENDS
Caption:
Lesley Graham, NFU Mutual and UFU Group Manger of the North Tyrone Group (right), with local Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend 2016 host Leslie Buchanan and his family, wife Ruth, children Joanne, Jonathan and Judith. The Buchanan farm will be open on Saturday 18th from 11am to 6pm and Sunday 19th June from 2pm to 6pm.
