Learning about vital support for farmers

It was an absolute pleasure to attend The Royal Countryside Fund’s 2026 Farm Support Groups Conference on Wednesday 30 September.

In 2025, we provided a £20,000 grant for the organisation’s Checking the Pressure of Farming Life project, which supported the delivery of healthcare to farmers through partnerships with local farm support groups embedded within their communities. More recently, an additional £50,000 grant has been given to extend the programme.

One of the highlights of the day for our team was the session on health hubs in auction marts – places that farmers visit regularly.

Richard, from Field Nurse in Yorkshire, described a model focused on having nurses present at auction marts, building relationships and trust with farmers over time. Richard explained that by doing this the healthcare professionals become familiar faces within the farming community.

He described how it can take several meet-ups before a farmer might feel comfortable enough to ask for help.

Bob, from Monmouthshire Rural Support Centre, showed an approach that focused on bringing a range of services directly into the auction mart environment. This included blood pressure and other health checks, PSA testing, podiatry, haircuts and other practical services, creating an accessible environment where farmers can engage with support alongside their normal activities.

Both approaches demonstrated how important it is to take support to farmers rather than expecting them to seek it out themselves.

Paul, our Operations Manager said,

“The atmosphere in the room really struck me. There was a very strong sense that the people at the event really care about farming communities and those they support. You could see the commitment of people such as Richard and Bob, who are incredibly close to the communities they work with and have personal experience of farming themselves. That feels particularly important given the increasing concerns around the mental health of younger farmers and the devastating impact that suicide can have on farming communities. Richard also talked about the wider work they undertake through initiatives such as keeping fit. This includes very practical support, such as helping farmers who spend long periods sitting in tractors think about appropriate exercise or working with sheep shearers and physiotherapists to look at techniques that can reduce strain and injury. It is a good example of how the support is not just about responding when somebody is in crisis, but also about prevention and improving health more broadly.”

It was fantastic to hear directly from the people delivering the work we have funded. It reinforced the value of not just looking at the outputs of a project, but understanding the people, relationships and approach behind them.

The health hubs are not simply a programme on paper; they are people going into places where farmers already are, building relationships over time and providing support in a way that feels appropriate to that community.

Thank you to The Royal Countryside Fund for inviting us to this event to understand the impact of our funding in such a powerful way.