Farms for City Children will be welcoming a new chief executive in September.

The charity enables children from disadvantaged communities to experience working on farms in the countryside, one of which is Nethercott House in Iddesleigh.

Corinna Csaky will be joining the organisation from an international advocacy coalition, The Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS, where she has been executive director for the last nine years.

Corinna Csaky said:“I am delighted to be the new chief executive of Farms for City Children. As we move towards our 50th year, our organisation remains vital, joyful and ambitious. It supports children across so many areas of their lives– from nutrition and emotional wellbeing to environmental consciousness. It has the potential to change each child’s trajectory and helps equip the next generation to tackle society’s challenges.

“I strongly believe everyone should experience Farms for City Children and I’m excited to lead our wonderful team, with founders Michael and Clare Morpurgo, into a new era of expansion and outreach of both our farms and our values.”

Corinna will bring experience in advocating and supporting vulnerable children, both in the UK and internationally.

She has held leadership positions in several renowned child-focused organisations, including Save the Children and Family for Every Child.

Rachel Goult, chair of trustees, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Corinna to Farms for City Children to lead our work connecting children and young people with food, farming and nature.”

Corinna will be succeed by Donna Edmonds who stepped down at the end of March to take on a new role in the charity sector.

Donna said: “It has been an enormous privilege for me to lead Farms for City Children for the last three years. In this time, we have enabled thousands of children and young people from a diverse range of backgrounds to reap the profound and lasting benefits of a week on one of our farms.”