LONDON, January 13, 2026, 19:42 GMT
- Scottish charity RSABI launches a 100,000-pound Snow Impact Fund, with payments up to 1,000 pounds per farm family business
- RABI sets out a 400-pound-a-household winter grant, opening in phases from Jan. 19
- Ripon Cathedral’s Plough Sunday service channels part of its collection to the Addington Fund
British farming charities rolled out new winter support funds after heavy snow and rising living costs hit agricultural households, with Scotland’s Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) launching a 100,000-pound Snow Impact Fund. RSABI chief executive Carol McLaren said: “The start of 2026 has been a very trying time.” 1
The funds target losses and extra costs linked to severe winter weather, from frozen pipes and water supplies to damaged buildings and disrupted stores. McLaren said farmers in hard-hit areas have also helped keep roads open and assisted vulnerable people in rural communities.
The moves also land as churches and rural groups mark the start of the farming year with Plough Sunday services, which often double as a moment to raise funds and attention for farm support.
RSABI said the snow fund is aimed at farming and crofting families — crofts are small-scale farms — particularly in the north and north-east of Scotland, where it said wintry conditions have been exceptional.
Rural charity the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) said its 2026 winter grant will replace its winter fuel grant, offering a fixed payment of 400 pounds a household to help meet winter living costs. It will open in two phases on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2, closing on Feb. 27 or earlier if funds are fully allocated.
But the pots are limited and may not cover wider losses if the cold persists or damage proves larger than early reports suggest. RSABI capped payments at 1,000 pounds per business, while RABI warned its grant could close early if the money runs out.
At Ripon Cathedral in northern England, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society backed the annual Plough Sunday service on Sunday, bringing together farming families, church leaders and rural organisations. The society’s chief executive Allister Nixon called it “a useful reminder of community strength and support,” while the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, told the service that “before there can be harvest, there must first be hope.” A tractor provided by Ripon Farm Services was displayed outside, and organisers donated a share of the collection to the Addington Fund, which provides housing and disaster relief for farmers across England and Wales. 2
Plough Sunday is traditionally held on the first Sunday after Epiphany, the Christian feast that marks the visit of the Wise Men. In medieval times, communities took the village plough into church for a blessing ahead of Plough Monday, the first working day after the Christmas break.
Earlier this month in the Norfolk village of Cawston, parishioners staged a tractor procession that ended with ploughs and implements blessed for the year’s work. Team Vicar Rev Andrew Whitehead said: “Plough Sunday was the best yet this year.” 3
The announcements came after the close of cash trading on the London Stock Exchange, which runs from 0800 to 1630 local time. 4
RSABI said it has paired the snow fund with an appeal for donations, while RABI’s winter grant will open in the coming weeks. For farm households in snow-hit areas, the next stretch of winter will show whether charity help keeps pace with the weather.
