n November 18th AD2004, the House of Commons voted to ban hunting. Under the Parliament Act 1911, as amended in 1949, the objections of the House of Lords to the Bill were overruled. The ban came into effect on February 18th AD2005, having been challenged and upheld in the UK Courts.

Thousands of people, in towns as well as the countryside, will be directly affected by this ban and some will be at risk of losing their homes, way of life, and livelihoods.

The following organisations are offering help to those affected by the hunting ban, and by rural social and economic problems more generally.

Farm Crisis Network (FCN)
- a UK network of volunteers drawn from the farming community and rural churches, available to support farming/rural people and their families.
Helpline: 07002 326 326 (7am to 11pm every day)

Rural Stress Information Network (RSIN)
- an umbrella organisation for the rural support sector, providing an information and signposting service to the many regional, county and local groups which exist to give support.
Helpline: 024 7641 2916 (9am to 5pm weekdays)

Samaritans
- 24-hour emotional support by phone, email, letter or face to face (at one of its 203 branches) for anyone in distress. The service is completely confidential and non-judgmental.
Helpline: 08457 90 90 90 (24 hours)

ARC - Addington Fund
- runs a Strategic Rural Housing Scheme for those leaving a non-viable rural business, to allow people to leave their business with dignity and to enable them to remain living in their community.
Tel: 024 7669 0587 (9am to 5pm weekdays)

Royal Agricultural Benevolent Association (RABI)
- helps with grants for domestic expenses to eligible farmers, retired farmers and farm workers (NB, the RABI charitable instrument does not presently allow it to support non-farming hunt staff) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. RABI also runs two residential care homes.
Helpline: 01865 727 888 (9am to 5pm weekdays, 4.30pm Fridays)

Farming Help web site

The Bishop of Ebbsfleet
Bishop's House, Dry Sandford, Abingdon, OXON OX13 6JP
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 390746

All text and images on the web site of the See of Ebbsfleet are
© The Bishop of Ebbsfleet unless otherwise acknowledged.

The menu system is the intellectual property of www.milonic.com