Rural suicide prevention and mental health charity launched
15th September 2024
Having lost their brothers to suicide ten and five years ago respectively, Kate Scott and Lewis Hunter came together and created a dedicated mental health awareness and suicide prevention charity.
The Rural Communities Mental Health Foundation has been launched to support and improve the mental health of those living and working in rural and agricultural communities.
The charity is primarily dedicated to supporting people in Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire. However, the co-founders said it will extend its services to anyone approaching them from other counties.
The launch coincided with World Suicide Prevention Day on 10th September as one of the foundation’s key aims is to reduce the number of people losing their lives to suicide.
Extremely challenging industry
The Ms Scott and Mr Hunter come from farming backgrounds and their families have been directly affected by suicide, so they understand the impact and devastation of losing a loved one in these circumstances.
Wider research on mental health in rural areas revealed:
- The suicide rate for male farm workers is three times the male national average.
- Three people in the UK farming and agricultural industry die by suicide every week.
- The top three barriers stopping men reaching out are the stigma around mental health (18%), not knowing who to turn to (15%) and lack of awareness of support available (15%).
The charity co-founders said that nuances of agriculture are what makes it unique and rewarding, but these nuances can also make it extremely challenging.
They include time spent alone, the impact of external socio-economic and political factors, and the unpredictability of the seasons.
It is not just those directly involved in farming that can suffer from poor mental health, no one within a rural community is immune, they added.
To stop people reaching the same crisis point
Ms Scott said: “It’s our aim to help anyone struggling with their mental health realise they’re not alone and help and support is out there.
“We will deliver funded training to empower people to have more confident and informed conversations, focussing on free Mental Health First Aid training sessions initially, and will work to educate the next generations and normalise the conversation around mental health and suicide.”
Mr Hunter added: “It’s our hope that the work the charity does will stop people reaching the same crisis point as Max and Robert, instead showing them that there’s hope”.
To achieve its aims, the foundation is engaging with everyone in the community, including farmers and farm workers, rural businesses such as machinery dealerships and veterinary practices, and Young Farmer’s Clubs.
It will facilitate collaborative working amongst local and regional organisations and charities to achieve the collective aim of better mental health and suicide prevention in rural areas.
To discover more, visit The Rural Communities Mental Health Foundation website.
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