“Everyone’s lives are really busy; they’re stressed, the weather is bad and suddenly it can throw things. I just want to say to people that when life throws you a curveball, we’re here for you. Asking for help is a show of strength.”

Nina Clancy, the irrepressible CEO of the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI), gets straight to the point about everything. Even her appointment, just over four years ago, is recounted in upbeat, matter-of-fact tones.

“I put in a speculative application, got an interview and got the job! I had been on the local fundraising committee in the Borders and knew how important RSABI was to the industry.”

After 23 years of running one of the UK’s top-ranking NFU Mutual agencies, Nina was also able to bring business acumen to the organisation. An Aberdeen University agriculture and animal science graduate, Nina started her career as a management trainee at BOCM, gaining experience in sales, marketing, feed and nutrition, manufacturing and transport – getting a feel for the whole business. She then took over the NFU Mutual insurance group role because she wanted to stay in agriculture.

“I had a funny thought that I would be helping farmers, but actually, I was selling insurance and self-employed; it was a steep learning-curve,” Nina recalls. “I loved it. I started in 1994 and built the business up from £150,000 premium income to £5.2m; the biggest in Scotland and one of the biggest in the UK, employing 14 staff.

“I loved going on to farms and doing a bit of lobbying. I was there during the MacSharry reforms and the Stranraer blockade. I remember the late Jim Sharpe coming into the office. He was irate because he’d received a letter from the department saying that he had passed a recent cattle inspection but that, because some tags were missing, he wouldn’t pass another time. It was impossible to keep every animal tagged all the time, so we wrote up to the head office and a year later, the 28-day rule came in. That was the role of the Union.”

NFU Scotland

Immediately before her appointment to RSABI, Nina also spent a year working part-time as a regional manager for the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland, covering Lothian and the Borders.

It would be easy to overlook the hard work it has taken to get the organisation to where it is today; helping more people and raising more funds than ever.

“The first year was quite a challenge. Change is not easy but I have got an excellent team,” Nina says. “We’re providing more grants, but also emotional support.”

People approach the RSABI and vice-versa in different ways. “Most people come to us through recommendations,” Nina says. “We’re not just here for farmers, but crofters and anyone involved in horticulture too. Some people are unable to work because of illness or injury, others are retired. We help people of all ages too – you could be young and struggling to find work, or a farm worker who has lost their job and a tied cottage – and everyone in between.

“This organisation is so special. It helps individuals. We listen initially and find out about the person on the end of the phone and the people around them, their emotional and mental health. Farming families and businesses are so intertwined. Take debt, for example, we don’t always need to offer financial help; someone might just need practical support. Our helpline staff, welfare teams and volunteers do a tremendous job.”

Praise

Nina is full of praise for other organisations’ support too: “NFUS and the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) have been fantastic. RHASS fund our helpline. I am amazed by the industry. We have so many supporters. All the money is being spent wisely. We’re trying to be more.”

The agricultural industry is undergoing a period of immense change, I ask Nina if that is reflected in the types of enquiry RSABI receives. “I think that there have always been difficulties in the industry for whatever reason, but I do think that people are more aware that we are here to help,” she responds. “Communication within farming families is a challenge but it is something that needs to be addressed. In 2017, we’ve helped 700 people; 130 of that group have not required financial help. The remainder have received single grants or are annual beneficiaries. Average grants are around £1,000.

The support and resources RSABI provides do not just come from within.

“We’re getting much better at providing financial gains outside the charity eg maximising financial benefits,” Nina explains. “From 1 April 2017 to October 2017 we have secured £120,000 worth of benefits for people; others could be charities, utilities, debts written off, or have tenancy or employment issues resolved. Including those wider cases, the figure is in excess of £200,000.”

What prompts people to approach the charity, I wonder. “Cases break down as follows; financial support, 65%, emotional support, 20% and business difficulties, 15%. Emotional support encompasses family/marriage difficulties; health; debt; family breakdown; paperwork; mental health,” Nina lists.

There is not an annual pattern into call frequency, however, calls increase when the weather is bad and tail-off during lambing and harvest.

Approaching new cases

How does RSABI respond to an enquiry? “Say someone calls up seeking financial assistance, we would try to find out the wider picture, eg accident, illness or death and deal with the issues that put them in that situation in the first. RSABI could offer debt advice and establish which benefits the caller might be entitled to,” Nina explains.

“We don’t provide a sticking plaster, but something meaningful that will help mental health. Listening, perhaps encouraging the local GP to open up other services or advising someone of the questions they can ask their GP to help them get better.”

Nina is delighted that mental health is now so well-talked about and encourages people to ask others if they are OK. “I’ve learned a lot since I’ve started: trying to listen and be non-judgmental. I am constantly amazed by people’s resilience; what people have to cope with, and yet they don’t think ‘woe is me’,” she emphasises.

Fundraising

The sums required to keep the charity running are daunting. “We need £1m each year,” Nina announces.

“Last year we spent £535,000 in grants but £960,000 in charitable activities: welfare officers etc. We’re eating into our resources as we speak. In 2017 we received £866,000 but total expenditure was £1,147,000.”

Nina’s priority is to develop RSABI’s supporter scheme, through which she aims to raise £80,000 next year. “I want it to build slowly so we can be reliant on a steady income,” she tells me. “The supporter scheme costs £25 for an individual, £150 for a business and £500 for a corporation. People can sign up on our website.

“Events like tractor runs and the Great Glen Challenge receive massive support, which is really heartwarming. Regional income is really important going forward. If everyone joined up and paid a little bit. We need people joining the support scheme,” she affirms.

In addition to RSABI’s self-initiated fundraising, more and more people are raising funds for the charity of their own accord, with tractor rallies, ploughing matches, young farmers events, and individuals, such as Christine Cuthbertson with her ladies’ lunches.

Current priority

“We’re looking into providing help on the Isle of Mull and the whole of the west coast at a very difficult time. Loan payments have hit bank accounts but we’re worried this may just be temporary. Just think about the increase in feed costs alone, and people who haven’t been able to make silage.”

Nina recalls two cases she encountered during her time in the RSABI, and how they helped resolve their problems and worries.

Case study: Widow

“A lady’s husband had died and the pension had stopped. She had become a recluse and had been living off only £3,500 a year. She thought that was just the way it was.

“We were able to maximise her pension, benefits and support from other charities. Now she has a car again and is chair of her local Women’s Institute.”

Case study: Depression

“A crofter in his forties called us after a period of bad weather and stock losses which led to a low mood. He carried on phoning for a while and we helped him sort his debt and the farm side of things, and he got medical treatment.

“He says that if it hadn’t been for us he would not be here today. He doesn’t need to call us any longer.”

Women in agriculture

Women in agriculture is also close to Nina’s heart.

“We’re 50% of the population and for the industry effectively to sideline or ignore that talent? If you look at the facts; there’s no-one [woman] on the NFUS board, hardly any on the RHASS board.

“There are lots of women farmers doing extremely good work. Part of the problem is succession. The culture is to give the farm to a man, and yet in my work I have come across guys who say ‘I never really wanted to but I felt I had to,” she laments.

The women in agriculture task force, of which Nina is a member is looking for ways to engage women in the industry to have a more active voice.

“Once you make a start and see other people out there doing it, it gives you confidence to do it yourself,” she urges.

“The industry needs diverse committees. Diverse committees are 20% more successful; they are more challenged, asked more questions, make better conclusions and more profit. If we can harvest that then agriculture will have a safe and secure future.

“Sometimes it’s just about speaking out. I’ve given presentations where the vote of thanks has been along the lines of ‘you’re far better looking than the previous speaker’.

“It’s nothing malicious. We just need guys to accept they need a diverse board and get women to put themselves forward.

“Let’s look for 30%. We have to have that at least, to get those gains. We need to promote and encourage young people and women.

“We can’t solve it overnight but we can make some big changes.”