The photography exhibition All in a Day’s Work tells the story of rural women’s entrepreneurship through an evocative and atmospheric collection of 27 hand-picked black and white images shot by Ampleforth documentary photographer Lucy Saggers.
The project is funded in part by the Prince’s Country Fund and the National Farmers’ Union, with support from the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
The Women in Farming Network is a community supported group that connects, inspires and supports like-minded women in rural Yorkshire.
The network has a thriving Facebook community and hosts annual fall meetings as well as other networking events throughout the year.
All in a Day’s Work was originally featured at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate in July.
The exhibit is now on tour at the Ryedale Folk Museum in Hatton-le-Hole, where it will be shown until June 5, just in time for the Easter holidays, after the museum opens in the spring.
Kate Dale, who runs a farm near Boroughbridge and coordinates the Women in Farming network, said: “I am very pleased with the great interest and positive response to All in a Day. I hope this will help broaden our understanding of the important role that women play in farming families, and not just in our great county.
“The truth is that women have always played a critical role in the rural economy. Farming is definitely not just a ‘men’s world’ and it’s fantastic that more and more women are sharing their stories of rural entrepreneurship as it can really spur the next generation of rural women.”
Jennifer Smith, Director of the Ryedale Folk Museum, said: “We are thrilled to have a wonderful photo exhibition on Women in Agriculture here at the Ryedale Folk Museum. Located in the North York Moors National Park, the museum attracts a wide variety of visitors, so we have a great opportunity to share the history of women’s entrepreneurship in rural areas with a wide audience.”
Among the rural women photographed for All in a Day’s Work is local farmer Ruth Russell from Duggleby High Barn, Duggleby near Malton.
Ruth’s farming consists of arable crops, sheep, cattle, and wildflower meadows. The farm specializes in producing quality beef from a breeding herd of local longhorns and is engaged in wildlife conservation to provide habitat and food for birds, insects and small mammals.
Ruth said: “It is a real joy to be part of this powerful portrait of women working in the Yorkshire countryside. Collectively, we have a great story to tell, and I hope it dispels one or two misconceptions people may have. It is also a useful platform for me to show how commercial farming and sustainability can work hand in hand at a time when all of us in British agriculture need to strike the right balance.”
Also on display are Christine Ryder of Blubberhouses, Becky Burniston of Pateli Bridge, Charlotte and Eleanor Russell of Thixendale, Becky Leach of Allerton near Bradford, Rachel Coates of Baildon, Jill Smith of Staxton near Scarborough. , Molly Sadler of Sherburne, near Malton, Mandy Shaw of Monk Friston, near Selby, Annabelle Makin-Jones of Micklefield, near Leeds, and Harriet Hudson of Flaxton, near York.
Lucy Saggers was drawn to the project because of her ability to capture the essence of people in their work environment.
Lucy said: “It was a pleasure to meet and photograph these dedicated, passionate women working in agriculture across Yorkshire who shared their diverse experiences so generously.”