Farm help groups are working together
This week has been Farming Help Awareness Week, with five charities joining to consider how they can all work together to give support to all those involved in farming.
The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, Farming Community Network, Forage Aid, Addington Fund, and Scottish RABI are highlighting the range of help each charity can provide.
This year they are linking in with Farm Safety Foundation’s Mind your Head campaign, which has improved the awareness of the issue of poor mental health in agriculture.
Struggling with long hours of working, especially in the busy lambing and calving sheds around the county at the moment, together with the loneliness, financial worries, and family concerns, can overfill your emotional capacity. That ‘cup of tea’ can overflow with anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, and sadness until it overwhelms, and finding a way to help manage the level is important.
Perhaps you can prioritise the things that matter in your life, and take time to talk to someone by phoning RABI 0808 281 9490 or Shropshire Rural Support 0300 123 2825 to receive confidential empathy.
Many in the farming community will have received The Big Farm Survey. The replies on physical and mental health will help the farming charities make the best future plans.
Christine Downes is a member of the Shropshire Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution committee
