MORE than 70 guests tucked in to a hearty breakfast to help a farming charity.

Ewyas Harold's Temple Bar Inn was the venue for the "full Herefordshire" which was hosted by Peter, Gill and Philly Jinman.

Thanks to Philly and her team in the kitchen and front of house - every breakfast was cooked to perfection using only British produce.

The breakfast was one in a series organised by the Addington Fund, a farming charity set up during the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001 and supporting 376 livestock farmers across the county of Herefordshire during that time.

In 2007, farmers affected by the summer flooding were supported with supplies of straw and hay.

"Our breakfast events have three aims," said Ian Bell, Chief Executive of the Addington Fund.

"They enable us to raise funds, increase the awareness of our work and are a good social occasion."

This month's breakfast at the Temple, aided with the support of Brightwells and Barclays, raised £3,418.

"An incredible sum," added Mr Bell.

Last year the Addington Fund was the charity for the Herefordshire Country Fair.

The Chairman of the Country Fair Committee, Julian Gallimore, chose the breakfast as the occasion to announce that the committee were allocating £5,000 from last year’s Fair to the Addington Fund.

Accompanying Julian was Vice-President Kate Bliss who presented a cheque to Mr Bell.

Since 2002 the main focus of the Addington Fund has been to provide appropriate housing to tenant farmers needing to leave their farms and in doing so lose their home.

One of the first properties provided by the fund helped a Herefordshire farmer and his wife.

Mr Bell added: “Our Strategic Rural Housing Scheme purchases open-market properties to meet the needs of individual families.

"Like most families we assist, this Herefordshire farmer had worked very hard and done nothing wrong, but the economics of the farm didn’t stack up.

"By providing a home that kept him local, he was able to retain the support of his nearby family and friends.

"Everyone knew how hard he and his wife worked so they were able to find alternative employment very quickly and in time were able to purchase the house from us, enabling us to invest that money in another house to provide a home for another family."

All the monies raised from the breakfast at the The Temple Bar Inn and from the Herefordshire Country Fair will be used to support farming families within the county of Herefordshire.