NFU Whitby Group Secretary Clare Pybus brought together farmers, landowners and contractors involved in fighting the fire to meet David and NFU North Director David Hall near Sneaton.
The Deputy President was given a tour around the area to see the damage to the moor.
The group were joined by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service鈥檚 Tom Hirst, who talked about the scale of the event and what needs to be done next.聽
A massive undertaking
NFU North Regional Director David Hall said: 鈥淭his is the biggest moor fire that the fire service has dealt with in England and it was all hands to the pump literally.
鈥淭here was a great support for the farming community, but also the gamekeepers and the local community, the contractors that came together, it was a massive undertaking.
鈥淭he important thing there is what happens next; what do we do now in relation to the recovery of that land, how does a farmer farm that land and what will farmers do in the coming years before that land starts to regenerate.鈥�
Farmer Phil Turford, who still has over 200 sheep missing on the moor, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to locate the sheep as some of the area are off limits due to ordnance and lack of secure fences. Local support has been fantastic.鈥�
Phenomenal community effort
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: 鈥淚 knew I needed to go and see for myself what had happened on the North York Moors, but until you get there and see the scale and the impact of what鈥檚 happened 鈥� and the impact it鈥檚 had on the people that farm there and live and work there 鈥� it鈥檚 really hard to take in. But also what was really clear was how the community had come together, worked together. People had come from all over Yorkshire, all over the North of England, to work and put up firebreaks and help the firefighters. The community effort was absolutely phenomenal. Without that community effort it would have been so much worse.
鈥淏ut the other thing was the way the community came together to support the people who were working on there. The amount of food, support and care that came out of the town of Whitby for everyone who was working up on the moor was phenomenal.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a huge thank you for the farmers, who worked alongside everybody else to protect their community and also thank you from the farmers to everybody else coming together in such a special way at such a time of crisis. It鈥檚 actually a wonderful thing to experience and see and I think everybody needs to appreciate the good news and the strength of that community.鈥�
Tom Hind, CEO of the North York Moors National Park Authority, said: 鈥淎 huge thank you to our farmers and gamekeepers for their continuing efforts in supporting North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service during this challenging time. Your help in firefighting and control has been outstanding, and I know the crews are deeply appreciative.
"This help hasn鈥檛 just come from those in the immediate area, but also from much further afield. Some have travelled significant distances with equipment, while others have offered grazing and stabling. The scale and commitment of this response has been remarkable, and the National Park community as a whole is profoundly grateful.鈥�
Fantastic fundraising
The public support was evident as a JustGiving page set up by Amy Cockrem to raise funds for those affected reached over 拢74,000 in donations. NFU Whitby & Castleton Group Secretary Clare Pybus is now in talks with support organisations including RABI, FCN, Addington Forage Aid and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society to work out how to get the money to the farming community in the best way.
David added: 鈥淭his just shows how this has touched to many people. The page aimed to raise 拢100, and it鈥檚 now at over 拢74,000. It鈥檚 just fantastic.聽So we鈥檝e got to think now what is the best and most appropriate way to get that money to the farmers that were affected and we will work through that to be able to do it.鈥澛�
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