Starting with a high, I received a invitation in March to attend a reception at Buckingham Place and to meet and talk with King Charles about farming in Suffolk and some of the issues I am dealing with on a daily basis.
The King’s knowledge of farming in Suffolk was amazing and at the end of our conversation he put his hand on my shoulder and thanked me for all l was doing to support our farming communities.
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The show season in Suffolk began in April with the Game and Country Show at the Euston Estate.
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In May the South Suffolk Show took place, followed a week later with the Hadleigh Show. It is a great pleasure and honour to be invited to attend these shows and to be so well looked after at them.
At our two-day Suffolk Show at Trinity Park, I was a Suffolk Sheep steward and assistant show chaplain.
I would like to thank Thurlow Nunn Standard for letting the Agricultural Chaplaincy Team use their stands at the shows once again this year.
I wrote a letter to the prime minister outlining some of the issues that myself and the chaplaincy team was dealing with regarding our farming communities.
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I received a letter back thanking me and the team for offering support to our farmers and their families.
Number 10 said it would pass my details on to DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
I received an email from DEFRA and l have had many conversations with them – including taking six farmers a farmers daughter and a farmer’s granddaughter to a meeting in London.
It was a chance to our concerns to put across the effect the new policy was having on our farmers and the mental health and wellbeing concerns that l am dealing with.
l have been working closely with National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw, Country Lane and Business Association (CLA) eastern director Cath Crowther and Fram Farmers chief executive and Andrew Knowles MBE.
All their members can contact me at any time for a chat and I can offer a listening ear for them.
It’s nice to know how far we reach out offering support and l was also invited to the Royal Norfolk Show and a show in Cambridgeshire by their show president and chairman.
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Reaching out on a daily basis on Facebook I have 1,750 followers from all across the country and overseas and am able to share God’s love with them.
I have made many farm visits this year clocking up many miles on my car but every trip was a important trip and being able to listen to farmers and their families that are so concerned about the future of their family farms and the next generation of farmers.
Many farmers across the country have taken there own lives to help save their family farms which is so sad and a time to offer pastoral care for those families.
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I would also like to thank all those that have invited me to their functions and dinners this year.
This year – having been a member of Ipswich Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) many years ago now – l have been supporting the YFC and especially the YFC in Melton near Woodbridge.
It’s a privilege to be one of their senior advisers, and you don’t have to be connected with farming to join the YFC.
We had our County Harvest Festival at Bury Cathedral in October and I thank all those who attended with stands outside the cathedral, especially the farm manager for Euston Estate for providing the combine harvester.
We had the Suffolk Trinity there -Suffolk Punch , Red Poll Cattle and Suffolk Sheep inside the Cathedral in front of the altar.
It was lovely to be invited by James Durrant – director of Clarke and Simpson – to their Tractor Light Parade.
This was another chance to catch up with many farmers and their families.
I have also been privileged to have been mentioned a few times now at Westminster by shadow DEFRA secretary Victoria Atkins MP.
My phone is always available 24-7 365 days. A listening ear is sometimes all you need at the right time and someone to share your feelings and thoughts with.
Moving on to 2026 a date for your diary is January 11’s Plough Sunday Service at 3-30pm at Bury St Edmunds Cathedral when we will say a farewell to our Rural Archdeacon Sally Gaze.
l hope as many of you can come and support this service.
Finally l would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year, and share God’s love with each and everyone of you.
Contact 07413 683368 or email graham.miles@cofesuffolk.org