Parents ensure Len’s legacy is to make a real difference

Farmers Andy and Lynda Eadon were no different when it came to their beloved son Len.

But when tragedy struck and Len passed away that legacy changed. It became about leaving a legacy in Len’s name – and one that makes a difference on a larger scale.

An astonishing scale, in fact, because Andy and Lynda’s mental health campaign, to support the farming community and beyond, is making an incredible difference, hopefully preventing similar tragedies to that of their son.

Len, at 22, from Napton, in Warwickshire, graduated from his Rural Enterprise and Land Management degree at Harper Adams in 2021. He took his own life on New Year’s Day in 2022. Andy and Lynda had no idea he was struggling.

But despite the devastation they were faced with, the brave pair pretty much immediately set about driving for change – finding ways to support people struggling with their mental health and raising awareness of the issue within the farming community. Their campaign, Len’s Light, has been quite extraordinary. They’ve raised more than £221,000 in under three years to help charities. And they’ve highlighted hugely important challenges that young – and older – farmers face, and ways they can be supported.

“I worked hard all of my life to leave a legacy for my son,” Andy explains. “When he took his life, suddenly that all went by the by. But I feel now, like a phoenix out of the ashes, Len’s Light is a far greater legacy I could leave – in my son’s name – than I could have envisaged.

“From something absolutely tragic, what we have managed to do and create has brought a response across the UK and it’s all in his name. So that’s one tremendous legacy.”

The pair’s determination and quest to prevent similar tragedies started quickly after the devastating news.

“I decided the day after Len’s death to do something,” an emotional Lynda recalls. “It was such a shock because it wasn’t on my radar and I don’t believe it was on his radar either. He knew people who had done the same and he spoke of how he couldn’t understand how someone could get so low and to that point.

“As it was such a shock to me and so many other people, I felt I absolutely had to do something. Len’s Light has since snowballed to the point I could never have dreamt. Two-and-a-half years later we have hit more than £200,000.

“The support, encouragement and involvement we have had from so many people, across the whole country, has made us realise how important it was to do something.”

Andy adds: “The response has been incredible. It would have been quite easy to climb inside the wardrobe and cry our eyes out but, as Lynda quite rightly said, we needed to do something. We have tried to stop other families and communities going through the same heartache we have gone through due to suicide. If we can raise awareness and get people talking, that can only be a good thing.

“The stigma around mental health has to change. We have often been brought up with a stiff upper lip, a sense of ‘grown-ups don’t cry’ but people need to be able to show emotions. People put on a happy face to hide what they feel and we need to break that down.”

As well as raising funds and awareness, such as through a tractor run from John O’Groats to Land’s End, the pair’s Five-a-Day Challenge has also got people thinking. This has highlighted five very simple things you can do every day to look after your mental health and these were published on 18,000 cards, printed and distributed to markets, local young farmers clubs and through the NFU Student Farmer magazine.

The challenge includes: Being honest with yourself and those around you, talking openly about daily challenges and listening, caring for yourself as well as you care for others, contacting that person you’ve been saying you should and planning for the unexpected – making the right choices.”

They also gave their blessing recently to the FCN Len’s Light Nuffield Farming Scholarship, aimed at supporting the health and wellbeing of those in the farming community.

“We are overjoyed to be involved with this scholarship,” Lynda said. “The Farming Community Network is one of the charities we support with our fundraising and they were keen to do something.

" The scholarship is a way of channelling the funds we have raised and it’s focused on mental wellbeing, giving someone a chance to look into all the factors involved. It’s such an important topic, a chance to support people in farming and rural communities, faced with isolation and loneliness.”

Lynda and Andy say that they will never stop in their work to ensure their son’s legacy is one which helps to save lives. “Len was hugely popular and a very caring person,” said Lynda. “He was there for everyone else and that characteristic came out in abundance. If people had a problem, they went to Len – that was the sort of person he was.

“He was our only son and the three of us had a very close bond. He could hold a conversation with anybody and he was like a sponge, in terms of knowledge, when he set his mind to it.

"As I said, there were no warning signs, and that’s what, in many ways, makes it so scary that it wasn’t recognised. All we can do now is carry on with what we are doing, keep raising awareness and keep people talking – whether young people or older farmers. We won’t let go of this.”

Andy adds: “Lynda and I would be wrong to stop if we have got that potential to help others. Mental health should be on top of all agendas and in the rural community, a lot of people are spinning plates and they can come crashing down very quickly. We will keep highlighting and banging the drum.”

If you are experiencing emotional distress, call Samaritans free, 24 hours a day, from any phone, even a mobile with no credit, on 116 123.