Has the decision by the RABI cost the charity its soul?

I never thought I would see the day when RABI – a charity I have supported for over a decade, would willingly sever the very human connection that has been its lifeblood.  Yet with the recent decision to make its 10 regional managers redundant, it feels like that is exactly what has happened.

 I have served on the County Durham Committee since 2015, and between 2016 and 2021 I had the privilege of chairing it.  During that time, we won the RABI Cup and organised countless fundraising events, many of which had been fixtures in the Durham agricultural calendar for decades.  None of this could have been achieved without the tireless support of our regional manager here in the North, Sally Conner.

 Sally, like her colleagues across the country, was never just an employee. She was the beating heart of RABI in our region: a guide, a motivator, and a figurehead who embodied what the charity stood for. Her stories at farmhouse breakfasts and other events – real, human stories of farming families helped by RABI – gave people a reason to gather, to give, and to feel part of something bigger than themselves.  Those moments weren't just fundraising gimmicks; they were the very foundations of our identity as a committee.

 By removing regional managers, it feels like RABI is tearing away that foundation.  Volunteers, however dedicated, cannot shoulder the weight of leadership, organisation, and human connection alone.  Regional managers educated us about RABI, supported us in moments of doubt, and gave continuity to events that had run for generations.  Without them, committees will be left rudderless, disconnected, and diminished.

 The timing could not be more misguided.  Farming communities are under more strain today than at any point in living memory.  Economic uncertainty, environmental pressures, policy upheaval, and a mental health crisis are battering our industry.  At such a time, we need more human contact and local understanding, not less.   RABI's decision to remove its most visible, trusted people has left many of us questioning whether the charity still understands the people it exists to serve.

 As someone whose business has long supported RABI as a corporate charity partner, I cannot ignore the optics.  This decision looks cold, disconnected, and entirely at odds with the values of compassion, integrity, and care that RABI was founded on. Many of us are now asking whether we can, in good conscience, continue that support.

 In making this decision, RABI has not just lost a few employees, in my humble opinion, it has lost its soul.