A CHARITY that helps provide a home for people retiring from farming has been given a boost.

At last week's Westmorland County Show, farm machinery company New Holland gave a £5,000 cheque to the Addington Fund, a charity that is renovating two barns in Cumbria.

The stone-built properties at Crosthwaite, near Kendal, have been donated by Mrs Peter Cartmell, of High Cartmell Fold, and are to be converted into one single-story, one-bedroom home, and a two-storey, three-bedroom dwelling.

The cottages will be used to house tenanted farming families who wish to retire from their farm, or who need to make an exit for health or financial reasons.

Ian Bell, Addington Fund chief executive, said: "We are grateful to New Holland for their ongoing support. The ever-increasing cost of rural housing makes it very difficult for many tenant farmers wishing to retire, or when an accident or illness can mean a family can no longer farm.

"We are also supporting younger families who are starting out with some land and buildings, but no home.

"Mrs Peter Cartmell of High Cartmell Fold has been exceedingly generous with her donation of two wonderful stone barns to Addington. The national park authority has granted planning permission and we are working with HM Architecture of Kendal. We anticipate starting the conversion work in spring 2018, with the aim of completing in autumn 2018."