A well-known and much-loved agri-comms professional, Phil Christopher, passed away on 1 Dec 2025 at the age of 66.
Phil spent over 35 years in agricultural communications and was a widely respected practitioner who lived life to the full, and a long-standing member and supporter of the Guild.
Phil was born and raised in Wigan and was a proud Lancastrian.
A Reading University agriculture and animal production graduate, it was here where he first met fellow future Guild members Jamie Day, Phil Eades, Mike Green and Robert Harris.
On graduating Phil went to be a salesman for RHM in Yorkshire where he stayed for 18 months, before returning to work at the Bannister Farm. In 1982 he joined the Milk Marketing Board as a farm management consultant working with dairy producers in Wilts and Somerset.
In 1986, he took the opportunity to move to the MMB Head Office in Thames Ditton to become Breeding and Production press officer, managing press activities for what was to became Genus and also National Milk Records. This was the launchpad for his career in PR and marketing.
In 1988 he moved the family and joined Agrafax in Shrewsbury where he became Account Manager for a range of accounts. He remained in Shrewsbury for the rest of his working life.
At Agrafax he met Steve Wellbeloved and in 1992 they left Agrafax to found Town and Country PR which they ran for over 13 years from offices in Telford. During this time many guild members came to benefit from Phil’s guidance and enthusiasm.
In 2005 the decision was made to close Town and Country and Phil set up as sole practitioner trading as Red Rock PR where he described himself as a one-man band career agric and foodie. His time was split between client work and crafting industry commentary pieces. He was also a judge at the Veterinary Marketing Awards and chairman at the National Youngstock Conference.
Away from work, Phil married Joyce in March 1983 enjoying 42 years of marriage. They had three children – Jayne, Claire and Tom, who he proudly saw get married and complete their own families. This made Phil an ‘Active Grandad’ to his six grandchildren, who he was immensely proud of.
Guild members react to the news
Many Guild members has expressed their sadness at Phil’s passing, and shared their memories of him as a colleague and a friend.
Catherine Linch said: “Town and Country PR was my first job role as a hugely fresh-faced ag uni graduate and I’m hugely thankful for the opportunity Phil and the wider team gave me. A great guy and a huge advocate for the industry.”
Liz Snaith spoke of her gratitude toward Phil for helping her to “ease over that poacher-turned-gamekeeper hurdle” and introducing her to life-long friends and colleagues.
“He was just one of the good guys who it has been a privilege to call a friend,” added Mike Gooding.
Angus Mckirdy added: “I’d known Phil for 30+ years and worked for him at Town & Country PR. He was an inspirational boss, a creative marketeer, and an all-round great bloke.”
Karen Wright added that “no-one could have been more helpful” and said that she and Phil had remained great friends since working together at the Milk Marketing Board.
Phil will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Funeral details
Phil’s funeral will take place at Shrewsbury Crematorium London Road Shrewsbury SY2 6PS on Friday 2nd January 2026 at 12:30pm. The family are happy for anyone to join them after at The Corbet Arms Uffington Shrewsbury SY4 4SN
More about Phil’s life
From a non-farming family, he was the eldest of five children, his siblings being Pat, John, Tig and Sue.
At the age of 10, his best friend at the time, Mike Welding, lived on a farm across the road, and this is where Phil learnt to milk cows, and where his love for farming, particularly dairying, began.
Phil had a milk round in his younger days, which helped him to build customer service skills.
In April 1976 at the age of 17, he went to work on the Bannister family’s dairy farm. In addition to honing his dairying skills, it was while he was here that he met Joyce who was to become his wife.
He was a man who lived life to the full. He was an ardent and vociferous life-long supporter of Lancashire CCC and Wigan Rugby League. He followed the England rugby and cricket teams closely and would have been far from impressed with the performance in the current Ashes series, willingly offering his opinion on where they could improve!
He ran/jogged the London Marathon in 1996 and 1997 and in 2004 completed the L’Etape du Tour de France, an organised mass participation event that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage.
He was never a lover of football but when his son Tom joined a Sunday League team, this did not stop him first becoming team manager and subsequently qualifying as a referee.
He joined the West Midlands police force as a Special Constable, and in a possible surprise career change was accepted for a place on a Nursing degree at Wrexham University. However, after three shifts arranged for him by Joyce at Shrewsbury Hospital, he decided that nursing was not for him – too much paperwork being the stated reason.
An enthusiastic foodie, he worked as a commis-chef in a Shrewsbury restaurant which allowed him to follow his passion for food. He specialised in desserts and apparently mastered chocolate fondants.
In more recent years, Phil has been actively involved in Blood Bikers – starting as an occasional rider, before becoming an active member of the team. He eventually took the role of Bike Manager for the Shrewsbury bike which he once rode to a conference at Harper Adams before securing donations from delegates.
Phil enjoyed being the devils advocate in all areas of life and could be relied on to ask the question that everyone was thinking but no-one else would ask. He made a positive impact on every person he met in his work, and family life.
Phil was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in October 2018. He completed treatment including weekly chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. He continued to live an active and fulfilled life, and never let this dampen his mood, or define him.
