FARMING charity RABI has been shortlisted for prestigious charity awards.

The Charity Times judging panel has shortlisted RABI for both the ‘Charity of the Year’ award (for charities with an annual income of £1 million - £10 million) and ‘Campaigning Team of the Year’ award for RABI’s inaugural ‘Return to School’ campaign.

The Third Sector Awards judges also recognised the impact of the Return to School campaign in the ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ category.

The Return to School campaign targeted farming families impacted by the cost of living crisis, providing grants for new uniforms and equipment, and access to RABI’s free mental health counselling.

The £1.5 million campaign, providing direct benefit to 4,000 people, massively extended RABI’s reach - nine out of 10 applicants were new to the charity.

The Return to School campaign also connected the charity to one of the most-at-need demographics within farming, with over four in five applicants being women aged 25 to 44.

RABI’s Charity of the Year nomination highlighted another new high-impact initiative from the charity to provide bespoke mental health awareness training to organisations, equipping professionals who regularly visit farms with the skills to normalise conversations around mental wellbeing.

RABI chief executive officer Alicia Chivers said: “The recognition from our peers and colleagues across the charity sector acknowledges the exemplary work and positive impact of the RABI team, and demonstrates our commitment and dedication to the farming communities that we serve.”