Catherine Stokes
Cumbria county adviserCatherine manages activities across Cumbria with fellow county adviser James Airey.
Catherine supports NFU members across North Cumbria.
She manages the NFU’s lobbying activities with MPs and a range of external organisations from local authorities, the police and government agencies to non-governmental organisations and relevant commercial bodies.
She also actively supports NFU group secretaries to drive NFU membership and works closely with elected farmer representatives including county officeholders and members of regional and national commodity boards.
Catherine joined the NFU in November 2023. Prior to starting her role as County Adviser, Catherine worked in the NFU Mutual Carlisle office supporting the group secretaries by organising events and meetings for NFU members and signposting member queries.
Before moving to Cumbria eight years ago, Catherine had no farming experience and had spent much of her life working in social care or homeless services for local authorities. This all changed after Catherine moved in next door to a farm and tried her hand at sheep work. She then worked on several farms as a calf rearer and eventually became a full-time seasonal calf rearer and general farm worker on a dairy farm.