DIRECTOR’S REPORT FOR 2020 MIKE VACHER
Well who, a year ago, would have predicted that during 2020 the best part of a year would go by without any Nuffield Farming Scholars being able to travel abroad? Who could have imagined that successful national leaders would be congratulated for preventing their people from leaving their homes in order to keep them safe? Who could have expected the life, career and business changes we are having to manage…? However, our Nuffield Farming Scholars and the Organisation itself have and will continue to adapt to the new environment. We are all having to change the way we live and work, but Nuffield Farming is in good shape. We continue with all the essential functions of the Organisation at home, and abroad there are a growing number of Nuffield Countries around the World. We make plans for all the normal events and activities with, where possible, virtual alternatives being developed in parallel. The view from my office window remains unchanged – it is just a little boring that I have to spend quite so much time looking out of it! Keep on Rolling… Our Chairman has summarised well in her report the events of the last twelve months and the impact of covid on our activities and our operations. Her descriptions have been amplified in articles on the following pages and I would commend, especially, those by Charlotte Merson, our own ‘compère par excellence’ on ‘zoom’, and Kendra Hall’s (Reverberate Public Relations) article on virtual communicating, as well as all the reports on Groups activities far and wide – virtual and physical. In the early depressing days of covid, there were a few who suggested that Nuffield Farming might be best to ‘shut up shop’ for a while. However, they were quickly drowned out by the vast majority of Scholars and Supporters who strongly encouraged us to ‘keep the show rolling’, whatever the challenges in doing so. Our current Scholars, especially those from the 2019 – 2021 Year Groups have had their Nuffield Farming Scholarship programmes badly affected by covid. There can be no 2020 Conference for 2019 Scholars to present their study findings. 2020 Scholars had their Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) cut short and our new 2021 Scholars will not experience the excitement of their first Nuffield Farming Conference and meeting at their initial briefing. Nevertheless, covid will pass and the Trustees have determined that there can be no fixed time limit on completing a scholarship until the impact of covid has elapsed.
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