Carlisle-based H&H Group PLC have welcomed Toby Mounsey-Heysham and Neil Hannah as Non-Executive Company Directors.

Toby Mounsey-Heysham farms Castletown, near Rockcliffe, just north of Carlisle. Keen to maximise all the facilities the farm has to offer, he has also created a pod building business and wedding/event business, Castletown Woodland Weddings, in partnership with Kirkup Butchers of Longtown.

A physicist by training, Neil Hannah, who lives in Penrith, is a former managing director with over 30 years’ experience in the management of public, private and foundation businesses, in both the manufacturing and service sectors.

Deep-rooted within agricultural and the wider rural economy and operating across the north of England and Scottish Borders in recent years the company has evolved and today employs over 300 members of staff.

Commenting on the appointments, Chairman Michael Scott said: “These are exciting times for the H&H Group and we are delighted that Toby and Neil will be joining us. Both bring a raft of expertise with them which complement perfectly with the skills of rest of the team, and I am very much look forward to working with them.

Mr Hannah said: “I am delighted to join the Board of H&H as I feel that Cumbria faces a number of challenges and it will be exciting to contribute to a local company that influences so much that we do, from the food that we eat, the environment we live in and the places we stay. It is a very interesting and compelling role, and I am really looking forward to working with the rest of the H&H team to develop sustainably, both existing and new opportunities.”

Mr Mounsey-Heysham continued: “I am really honoured to be invited to join the Board. With the diminishing BPS payment and an increasing focus on efficiency, biodiversity and carbon, the agricultural sector faces both enormous challenges as well as enormous opportunities over the next ten years. The rural community that we serve will have to adapt, and I hope to use my experience to help the H&H businesses both manage the risks and maximise the opportunities which are coming over the horizon.”