Welsh Young Farmers tackle suicide risk with new project

Welsh Young Farmers, in collaboration with Samaritans Cymru, are launching the 'Our Farming, Our Future' project to bolster community resilience and reduce suicide risk in the farming community through awareness and training.
Farmers have shared how listening and reaching out can reduce suicide risk.
The ‘Our Farming, Our Future’ project aims to build community resilience by better equipping young farmers to make a difference to their own lives, as well as identifying how to look after themselves and those around them to ensure more people get the support they need and to ultimately reduce their risk of suicide.
As well as providing training for over 100 young famers and agriculture students in Wales, Samaritans are working closely with young farmers to ensure that relevant messages and resources are created and shared among the community.
Wales Young Famers Clubs are getting involved too and supporting Samaritans Cymru who are hosting a variety of activities including a ‘Listening’ workshop, art sessions and webinar, to raise awareness and help young people to feel able to talk more openly about their experiences, look out for each other, become better listeners and seek support.
Young farmers William Meadmore and Elin Lewis are fully supporting the project and feel passionately about empowering young people to take action to help reduce suicides in the farming community.
They have shared their messages in two short which will be watched by YFC members and students and shared widely on social media.
William, a 26-year-old dairy farmer and tractor driver from Monmouthshire, shares how making time for friendship and listening amongst the pressures of farming life if critical to managing mental health.
“We’ve got to learn to become better listeners and look after each other as well as we look out for our animals and crops,” said Will.
Welsh-speaker Elin lives on a 5th generation farm in LLanrhaeadr-ym-Monchnant, Powys. She touches on her own experience of losing someone to suicide and encourages others to reach out for help as she did.
Neil Ingham, Samaritans Director for Wales said: “Will and Elin really are farming future champions – in these short films they bravely share the challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve learned to navigate difficult times. By reducing the stigma around mental health crisis, suicidal thoughts we can focus on the practical ways young farmers can support each other and reach out for support.”
The farming project, which has been supported by NFU Mutual TRust and The Moondance Foundation, is being run by Samaritans Cymru in partnership with farming support charity Tir Dewi.
Anyone interested in receiving training or becoming involved can contact wales@samaritans.org for further information.