Blog Post
Ever considered attending a leadership course?
Milly Fyfe • 10 February 2022
The Challenge in Rural Leadership 2016 course reunion in Devon Feb 2022 (a few friendly faces missing) My advice is go for it!
Over the duration of the fortnight-long residential programme, everyone took part in a variety of sessions including media training, business development, presentations from industry leaders and the opportunity to scrutinise a business and present our findings.
The course was made up of people from many different backgrounds, different ages, different career paths and from different countries. Whilst there was a dozen from the UK, we were joined by a Polish chap, two Aussies and a kiwi.
Following the course, all 16 of us have kept in touch with regular emails, whatsapp messages and Zoom calls, providing that invaluable support network as we all experience our daily work and life challenges.
And every year we meet up. Each time (apart from last due to Covid 19) we’ve met up to update each other on what we’ve been up to and where we are going in our respective business. We look around a few businesses in the area in which the organiser comes from, which forms part of a study tour. We always come away refreshed, reinvigoured and motivated to see what the rest of the year brings.
The first year reunion took place in Posnan, Poland which was a hoot. I’m not going to lie, there was plenty of vodka involved. We visited some incredible businesses and ate far too much!
Since then the group have meet in Dundee, Derbyshire, Essex and now Devon once again. In 2023 we are hoping to head to Lincolnshire and many other study tours are planned for the future.
When people come away saying the course is life-changing, it really is. You have friends for life, a better understanding of yourself, how you play your part in a team and what difference you can make going forward.
Want to know more? Then drop me a line at hello@millyfyfe.com
Pictured above is our reunion picture taken at Shearwell Data, hosted by owner Richard Webber on Exmoor. The location probably boasts the best boardroom view in the country!
Other News / Blog Stories
Northamptonshire Farming Entrepreneur Milly Fyfe® ARAgS will head up a new radio show called ‘Tastes of the Shire; exploring Northampton’s food and farming scene from field to fork’ airs for the first time on Saturday 1st June. The show will feature a variety of interviews with grassroots farmers, producers, makers and foodies from Northampton and the surrounding countryside, to discover what is made, produced, sold and available to enjoy around the local area. Milly commented ‘I have a real passion for sharing amazing stories interviewing inspiring people who grow, rear, and process the food and drink we can enjoy, found right on our doorstep. I hope to take you all on a culinary journey exploring the people behind the farm gate, shop counter, restaurant kitchen and factory wall to discover what makes Northampton taste great.’ The show launch coincides with Northamptonshire Food and Drink Week , which is a campaign to bring people together to celebrate the food and drink scene across the county. Available on 106.9FM, NLive Radio is Northampton’s local radio station and hosts a variety of different music, business and specialist shows including Open4business, 90’s, R&B, rock and the Golden Hour. Station Manager Martin Steers commented ‘We are very excited to welcome a new food and farming show to our station, packed full of engaging conversations with local businesses, producers and food brands. Milly has really grasped the opportunity and we hope that many people tune in to learn more’. The Tastes of the Shire radio show with Milly Fyfe will air on the 1st Saturday of each month, 3-5pm on NLive Radio, the station that loves Northampton. Notes Who is Milly Fyfe ® ARAgS? Milly is from Yelvertoft ( Northamptonshire) and farms with her husband Andrew alongside their two young sons, where they rear beef cattle, sheep, arable crops a few pigs and a kitchen garden. Milly has a background in Marketing and PR and also founded a social enterprise called No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC , helping more people to cook from scratch using local, seasonal produce. In 2023, Milly was awarded an associateship from the Royal Agricultural Societies , farming’s equivalent of an MBE, for her work connecting consumers with UK food production. She is also the current NNBN Northamptonshire business person of the year, a silver Local Food Hero through Northamptonshire Food and drink awards, has a podcast called The Countryside Kitchen meets and was recently recognised by Small Business Britain as a top 100 female entrepreneur in the UK. You can find out more about Milly on social media using the handle @ MillyFyfe on Twitter and Instagram or @MillyFyfeOfficial on Youtube , Facebook and Tiktok . About NLive radio NLive Radio is the local radio station for all the people of Northampton, it operates under a not-for-profit community radio license from Ofcom which is held by and run in partnership with the University of Northampton. All the presenters are volunteers made up individuals from across the community, including staff and students from the University. The station broadcasts on 106.9fm across Northampton, online at nliveradio.com and it's on dedicated smart phone app, as well as on smart speakers via “Launch N Live Radio”
Somerset and former politician Neil Parish launches a new podcast today
A collaborative farming industry event taking place on 27th February at 1 birdcage walk with TIAH, CARAS, IAGRM, FCN and the Farmers Club under 35's
Here is is the 2 minute clip which was produced and shared across social media to highlight the harvest on our farm - Enjoy!
