Blenheim Palace welcomes farmers for Rural Crime Conference

More than 70 farmers attended the event, organised by the palace near Woodstock in conjunction with Thames Valley Police.

The conference also featured stalls from organisations such as the National Farmers' Union, Datatag, ATVTrac, Neighbourhood Watch, and Rural Technology.

The Rural Crime Conference at Blenheim Palace (Image: Blenheim Community) The Rural Crime Conference at Blenheim Palace (Image: Blenheim Community) Merilyn Davies, community lead at Blenheim, said: "This event goes from strength to strength; it’s fantastic to see the farming community come together and share knowledge and experiences to help one another."

Now in its third year, the event included a hog roast at the Stables Café and talks from various speakers.

Mark Thomas from The Farming Community Network, a charity which supports farmers and their families, addressed the importance of mental health in the farming community, discussing issues like loneliness, lack of support, and the impact of the recent budget on farmers' mental health.

The Rural Crime Conference at Blenheim Palace (Image: Blenheim Community) The Rural Crime Conference at Blenheim Palace (Image: Blenheim Community) Inspectors Stuart Hutchinson and Chris Ball from Thames Valley Police talked about the activities of the Rural Crime Taskforce, the largest in the country.

They stressed the importance of reporting all crimes to police so they can respond, hotspots for rural crime, and types of crime such as hare coursing and vehicle theft.

Tim Field from The North Cotswold Farming Network discussed local production and landscape recovery.