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Case Studies

The case studies show how Rural Support can help individuals or families who are experiencing difficulties.
(Details have been changed to protect confidentiality.)

  • John

    John is 40 and is married with two young children. He works as a self-employed joiner and also manages a small farm. He invested a lot on modernising the farm and had hire purchase agreements for machinery as well as bank loans. Due to the...

    What did Rural Support do?

  • Tom and Helen

    Tom and Helen are in their late sixties.  Helen called Rural Support for help as Tom had become less able to look after the farm.  The couple were under a lot of stress, the paperwork has fallen behind and a DARD inspection had highlighte...

    What did Rural Support do?

  • Andrew

    Andrew is 50 and lives on a farm with his elderly mother. His mother has had several strokes the last of which has rendered her incapable of looking after herself. She needs to be cared for on a full-time basis and Andrew is finding it very...

    What did Rural Support do?

Board members

We have a Board that is rich in experience and expertise.

Marion McCracken, Chair
Farming background, WI member, member of UFU Rural Affairs Committee
Dr Michael Kennedy, Vice Chair
GP representative
David Graham, Treasurer
Retired CEO of Fane Valley Group, past vice-chair of Rural Development Council
Ian Hull, Secretary
Background in farming, director of communications company
John Rankin
Farming background, past president of Ulster Farmers’ Union, chair of Northern Ireland Regional Advisory Board for NFU Mutual
Gerry Burns
Retired employee of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Ruth Irvine
UFU Rural Affairs Committee representative
Sam Campbell
Chief Executive of AI Services
Stephen O’Connor
Samaritans representative
Colin Smith
Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster Representative
Linda Wright
Retired senior counsellor for Relate