Great support from farming community
Two dairy farmers from Mid Devon who generously decided to donate money from the sale of their dairy herd to FORCE have presented our charity with £3,000.
Brothers Roger and Graham Davies are both battling prostate cancer and were forced to sell their herd when the work involved in running their 125-acre farm at Uplowman became too much.
Our picture shows Roger (left), Kivells auctioneer Mark Davis and Graham (right) handing the cheque to FORCE fundraiser Naomi Cole at Exeter Livestock Market.
The support they have received from FORCE prompted the Davies brothers to give 2.5% of the sale proceeds to us, Kivells made a £450 donation and a further £240 came from friends of the Davies family, who were moved by their story.
Following news of their decision to sell up, the farming community has rallied behind Roger and Graham.
They have received calls and letters of support plus updates on the welfare of some of the 63 cows and heifers they sold from their new homes.
“Thanks again to the Davies brothers for their generous donation to FORCE Cancer Charity as well as to Kivells for their support and for helping to raise awareness of our charity and the services we offer,” said Naomi Cole
Before the sale Graham said: “FORCE has helped us in so many ways that we feel this is the least we can do.”
He and his brother visit the FORCE Support and Information Centre in the grounds of the RD&E Hospital whenever they travel to Exeter for appointments, tests or treatment.
“It’s like an oasis for us. We just pop in for a cup of tea or coffee and everyone is so nice and welcoming,” said Graham. “The charity’s been very good to me and my brother. You don’t always take in everything you’re told at the hospital straight away and you can be left with so many questions when you’ve had a bit of time to think. FORCE offers such a lot of support and advice and they explain everything. We wanted to help farmers realise that FORCE is there to help and show our appreciation for what they’ve done for us.”
FORCE will be offering advice and information to farmers at the Mid Devon (July 25), Honiton (August 6) and Okehampton (August 13) agricultural shows. The charity’s stand will again feature a mole check clinic with a team of dermatology specialists at Honiton.
