The South of England Agricultural Society—a charity which funds and supports agricultural education and countryside learning—is delighted to announce that Sir Nicholas Soames has been appointed as President of the organisation for the remainder of 2020 and throughout 2021.

Sir Nicholas, who has lived in Kent and Sussex all his adult life, grew up at Chartwell Farm in Kent and has always had a strong interest in farming, country sports and rural life. He was a Member of Parliament for over 35 years representing Mid Sussex (1997 – 2019) and was previously MP for Crawley in West Sussex.

No stranger to the countryside, Sir Nicholas was Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is a Member of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, and has been President of the South of England Hound Show for a number of years.

Sir Nicholas will appoint a new charity of the year for the Society to support in January 2021, and on being appointed said: “After many years associated with the South of England Agricultural Society, I am very honoured indeed to have been appointed President. I hope to do everything I can to support the aims and efforts of The Society in what are very difficult times.”

Charlie Burgoyne, Chairman of the South of England Agricultural Society, added:
“We are absolutely thrilled that Sir Nicholas has accepted the role of President of the Society for the remainder of this year and 2021. Like other charities, we have suffered tremendously due to the lockdowns and restrictions this year, so it is wonderful to be able to announce such positive news. We are looking forward to the future of the Society and reinstating next year’s agricultural and countryside shows.”

For more information, you can visit the South of England Agricultural Society’s website here