Caring Ceredigion

As a dynamic and accessible organisation that has been supporting young farmers in rural areas of Ceredigion for over 82 years, Ceredigion YFC has a proud heritage of growing the next generation of successful farmers who are confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

With 95% of young farmers in the UK agreeing that poor mental health is one of the biggest hidden dangers facing the industry, mental health support is an inevitable part of the care that they provide to their members.

We caught up with Fflur Davies and Anne Jones of Ceredigion YFC to find out more about why mental health matters to them and what they are doing as a club to support their members

Fflur explains: ‘We want to give young people the tools and space to be able to talk about their mental health, and to educate them regarding the resources that are available for people who are struggling. We live in rural communities, with jobs in agriculture often being lonely ones, so it’s so important for us to create and install that feeling of community for young people.’

Understanding the difficulties some members of the farming community may be facing – the cost of living crisis, a lack of government support as well as the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, the club put their heads together and have created a new initiative that they call  Ffit I’r Haf (Fit For Summer)!

‘Ffit Ir Haf is a project that allows members – past and present – to join a Facebook page, accessing fitness videos and meal ideas with nutritional values.

The team behind the initiative understand farmers are active in their day-to-day roles and they want members to recognise that you don’t need to go to the gym to be active. Activities on the farm, such as sheep shearing, are a huge physical task. Along with special club nights sessions highlighting nutrition and how to ensure your body and mental health are supported, they have links to mental health charities and rural support groups so members know where to find the support they need, should they need it.

The idea for Ffit I’r Haf came about as this very competitive county felt that something outside of competitions was needed to bring the 19 clubs and 500 members together and support one another whilst also having fun! When asked about how the community have responded to the initiative, Flur explains: ‘It has been a huge success, we have people of all ages coming together to have fun and support each other. We have past members engaging in the process and feeling like they are still a part of the club and county.’

Anne continued; ‘We hope that people will continue to look after, not only their physical health, but their mental health too. We also hope that the people involved will continue to support each other in all aspects of their YFC life.’

The importance of activities like this are clear to Ceredigion YFC – to highlight the food farmers are producing, especially at a time when diet and alternative foods are increasing in popularity. ‘We need to highlight the low carbon food that farmers produce, and to keep supporting each other to ensure the wellbeing of our rural community is at the forefront of everything we do.’

If you are a member of a young farmers club, and you’d like to get involved with this initiative, get in touch with the team at Ceredigion visit yfc-ceredigion.org.uk or email ceredigion@yfc-wales.org.uk

 

 

stephanie_berkeley_zl4u2oa9Caring Ceredigion