POPULAR Appleby Group Secretary Caroline Raine is leaving the NFU to take up a position at North West Auctions as Head of Farm Advisory and Environmental Land Management, working on the current BPS scheme and the upcoming ELM scheme.

Caroline is leaving Appleby NFU on Wednesday, June 16 after 14 years of working for the organisation.

She posted these comments on the NFU Farmer and Grower website.

"As most of you will know by now, I will be leaving Appleby NFU on Wednesday 16 June. After 14 years of working for the organisation, I have decided to take on a new challenge.

I will be working at North West Auctions as Head of Farm Advisory and Environmental Land Management, working on the current BPS scheme and the upcoming ELM scheme.

In the current circumstances I’ve not been able to say goodbye to many of you in person.

Therefore I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our members for making my time at Appleby NFU so enjoyable.

I actually started working for the NFU in Broughton with Judith Kirkbride back in 2006 and spent four really enjoyable years in the patch near to where I grew up.

I’m hoping my new role will give me a little bit more time to spend with my twin girls Ailsa and Charlotte and husband Mike - when he’s not farming.

Caroline joined NFU Mutual in December 2006 with a farming background after growing up on her parents' dairy farm.

She has a degree in Agriculture and Farm Business from Newcastle University.

Stars of BBC Two’s 2011 Lambing Live programme, the Marston family from Kirkby Stephen, officially opened the new NFU office in Appleby.

Carolyn was quoted as saying: "Every morning after Lambing Live was broadcast on BBC Two I’d chat in the office about how Catherine and Abigail’s cute and lovable personalities had stolen the show. They stole the show again at the NFU Appleby office opening, cutting the official ribbon in a style true Royalty would have been proud of."