ABOUT US
The Lorna Young Foundation is a UK registered charity that helps growers transition from providers of raw product to managers of their own businesses and business relations; adding value to their products and lifting the burden of poverty. The Foundation asks grower groups to set out ideas and concepts for evolving their activities, supports them in developing ideas into business plans and identifies skills gaps and business opportunities. It is the gaps and opportunities that we focus on.
Working with grower communities and local specialist organisations we develop programmes for learning at all levels. We ensure that development respects and reflects the cultural sensitivities of the community in which it is based. Intervention involves: the provision of specialist learning materials and support, bursaries for university access, help with purchasing specialist equipment and technical training.
We evaluate and record all outcomes (successful or not) of the projects and we make this data available to other grower communities and support organisations. We believe in the value of collecting and disseminating good practice information. The long term aim of the Foundation is to develop the Lorna Young Academy – a virtual learning centre where growers can access and learn from a wealth of good practice information and share ideas and issues with other growers and stakeholders.
Our Trustees work on a voluntary basis and receive no payment. We have one paid staff member and source services from partner organisations. This way, we keep overheads to a minimum and maximise our efficiency. In other words, your money goes where it’s needed. Projects are selected by the Board of Trustees in regular quarterly meetings. As this initiative evolves we’ll create a Project Selection Panel that will include representatives of the growers themselves.