Northern Ireland farm worker Chris Surgenor arrived in Essex in 2014 to help out for the summer on a large farm. Work at home in Kilkeel, Co.Down was scarce and Chris was having to take on two or three jobs at a time to make ends meet. In February the following year he was offered
Nuffield Farming Scholar and psychotherapist, Aarun Naik, and University of Liverpool researcher, Laura Phalp, have teamed up in search of hard data on farmer mental health. In today’s blog post they call on the farming community for help with this important research. Aarun says: “The issue of farmer mental health and wellbeing has long been
While Young Farmers’ Clubs are often described as a social lifeline, what happens when your problems run much deeper than not winning at the County Rally? YFC Trainer Alice Giles from Bow YFC, Devon explains how NFYFC is raising awareness of mental health and where to get support… Living and working in a rural community
The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I) is farming’s oldest and largest charity, a key supporter of Mind Your Head, last year around 13% of R.A.B.I’s new referrals cited ‘mental health issues’ as a contributing factor to their problems. Although the charity does not offer professional counselling services, it can provide important financial assistance to people
We are learning this Mind Your Head week that equipping people with the skills to build resilience and take control of their lives can really help to improve mental health and wellbeing. In today’s guest blog, the Scottish Association for Mental Health’s (SAMH’s) introduce their new project Let’s TALK which is designed to do just
When we launched Mind Your Head last year, we found it a real challenge to find farmers who were willing to share their very personal experience of dealing with mental health issues. Over the past 12 months we have been encouraged by so many people who strongly believe that talking about mental wellbeing in farming
Many of you familiar with our campaign will also be familiar with the inspirational Emma Picton-Jones who very generously shared her touching story of dealing with mental health in farming last year. After a whirlwind year that saw her accept a Pride of Britain Award for the work she has been doing (above pictured with
This Mind Your Head week we are raising awareness of mental health issues in the agricultural industry so it makes sense that, in an industry where 28% of all workers are female, that this issue should affect women in farming too. We know that mental health is often not given the care or attention it
Stephanie Berkeley, who leads the Foundation, explains the background to this year’s campaign, why farm safety and mental wellbeing are so closely linked, and why we all have a role to play in breaking the stigma surrounding poor mental health.
Mental health problems can make everyday life difficult, just as physical problems can, and yet not enough people in the industry with mental health problems or mental illness are getting the help and support they need. In this blog, Rick Brunt, Head of Agriculture, Health & Safety Executive emphasises the need to address work related