Farm Africa
819. Tim Jury
Tim Jury, a sheep farmer from Hastings, has dedicated over 30 years of volunteering to ‘Farm Africa’, the charity reducing poverty by empowering African farmers to grow their incomes in an environmentally sustainable way.
Shocked into action by the harrowing 1984 Ethiopian famine, Tim has since raised over £140,000 to help tackle malnutrition across Africa. Tim fundraises through marathons and ultra-marathons, and recently also completed the ‘Live Below the Line’ challenge of living on £1 a day for 5 days to raise awareness of food poverty. Tim is part of the charity’s volunteer speaker network and has delivered over 50 talks about their work to local schools, churches and community groups. To celebrate 30 years of dedication to ‘Farm Africa’, Tim aims to run 30 marathons throughout 2017.
In a personal letter to Tim, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“The variety of innovative ways you have fundraised for ‘Farm Africa’ is truly remarkable and I wish you the very best of luck as you complete 30 marathons, one for every year you have dedicated to the charity. By delivering talks about the vital work of this organisation, you are playing an important role in raising awareness of poverty and environmental sustainability in eastern Africa.”
Jenni Bright, Head of Fundraising for ‘Farm Africa’, said:
“‘Farm Africa’ cannot thank Tim enough for his tireless commitment to supporting our work with farmers in eastern Africa. For over 30 years he has been one of our most generous and passionate advocates, whether organising fundraising events in his local East Sussex community or using his other great passion aside from farming, running, to raise an incredible amount of money for our work. Tim is a truly worthy recipient of this award and we are delighted that his contribution to improving the lives of farmers in eastern Africa is being so brilliantly recognised. Thank you, Tim!”