The DPJ Foundation - celebrating 5 years of helping Welsh farmers to “Share the Load”

On Sunday 15 January 2023 the DPJ Foundation celebrated another milestone as their confidential support helpline ‘Share the Load’ has been operating for 5 years. Listening, supporting, and helping the people of the farming community and their families across Wales, the DPJ Foundation has provided counselling to more than 750 people.

The Share the Load support helpline is a 24/7 confidential call and text line with a free counselling referral service, specifically for those in Welsh agriculture. The DPJ Foundation prides itself on its non-judgmental, Samaritans-trained volunteers who are always there when needed. Share the Load is different to many helplines as it gives the option of fully funded professional counselling in English or Welsh to those who want it.

Kate Miles, the charity’s manager, said “It’s been a challenging year for many of us, especially for farmers. As we head into 2023, things are still looking difficult for UK farm businesses with many having to make some hard decisions about their future. This can also put pressure on relationships and lead to stress, worry and poor mental health. Here at the DPJ Foundation we want to make sure that everyone in Welsh agriculture knows that they are not alone. When you are facing some hard times and difficult challenges, we can help. Our volunteers understand the farming industry and can offer support. We work closely with other charities such as Tir Dewi, The Farming Community Network - FCN, and RABI (The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution) who can also help in difficult times.”

Emma, the founder of the DPJ Foundation who established the charity 6½ years ago following the death of her husband Daniel Picton Jones by suicide, said – “The last 5 years of Share the Load have been some of the most proud but heart breaking years of my life. Just over 5 years ago, following experiencing my own difficulty with accessing counselling following Dan’s death, I sat in the back room of a small coffee shop one winter's night and told a group of friends that I was going to create a service that meant people didn’t have to wait for support; that they could get help 24 hours a day should they need it and speak to a professional within 24 hours. They would have counselling in a way that suited them, be that at home or in the local community. 

"I don’t think any of us there that night thought that we would have made it this far but here we are. It breaks my heart that we have so many calls, but I am unbelievably proud of this service, the fact we cover Wales and provide support 24/7 to the people that needs it the most is a wonderful feeling. Thank you to all of the volunteers, counsellors and staff who make this possible. Mainly, thank you to those who call and allow us to help you Share the Load.”

The DPJ Foundation urges people to take notice of the people around them, loved ones, neighbours, and those in their community. Being there by showing them they are not alone can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The charity offers mental health awareness training for free; the 3½ hr session allows you to learn how you can support others in the farming community here in Wales as well as yourself. It will enable you to know how to recognise the signs of someone with poor mental health, how to support them, how to access help and also how to care for your own mental health. 

The charity also runs Bereavement and Grief Awareness sessions which are free thanks to funding from the Welsh Government. To find out more or to book head over to the DPJ Foundation website.

The DPJ Foundation also calls for your help to spread the word about the Share the Load helpline by displaying posters, leaflets, car, trailer, and bale stickers anywhere that you can.

Congratulations to the DPJ Foundation on hitting this milestone and 

good luck for the next 5 years. 

 If you need help, you can call them free on 0800 587 4262 or text them 

on 07860 048 799 (this number doesn’t accept calls).

The DPJ Foundation is part of the Powys Agri Wellbeing Support network (PAWS). If you would like to find out more about PAWS, email mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk or check out our website where there is an information sheet listing support available in Powys.

Sharing the Load at The DPJ Foundation

Kate, Emma & Kay of the DPJ Foundation

At our next Powys Agri Wellbeing Support network meeting in September we will welcome Kate Miles, the new Charity Manager at farming charity The DPJ Foundation, to the group.

The DPJ Foundation was set up in Pembrokeshire in July 2016 following the death of agricultural contractor Daniel Picton-Jones. Daniel’s suicide rocked the community, and his wife Emma realised very quickly the lack of support that was available for those struggling with poor mental health in rural communities. Over the past four years the charity has grown to cover the whole of Wales, providing bespoke counselling services to farmers under the banner Share the Load, and mental health awareness training sessions to an increasing number of organisations working in this sector.

Kate started work with the charity just a few weeks ago, but is already settling in to her now role, as we found out when we caught up recently.

What is your role at The DPJ Foundation?

I'm the charity manager, so that covers the financial management, the marketing and business development, liaison with funders, potential funders, and partners and volunteer management. I also manage Kay Helyar, our new training manager, who works part-time and who’ll be delivering our training. I'm also the ultimate “troubleshooter” if there are safeguarding queries or concerns around the service. 

Kate Miles, DPJ Foundation's charity manager

Tell us more about the service you offer at The DPJ Foundation

There are three main strands to our service:

1. Awareness raising 

We have largely done this through social media (Facebook and Twitter). So every day we post an uplifting message with an agricultural related photo to make people aware of the telephone number for our Share the Load service. We also do talks in Young Farmers’ Clubs, Round Table, smallholders and various other groups of various descriptions. We are about to launch a campaign that ran successfully last year calling for knitters to knit bobble hats for us that we can sell to raise funds as well as raising awareness of our work.

2. Mental Health Awareness training 

We've recently concluded six sessions online. So we were delivering face-to-face training, but we've now moved to online delivery due to the pandemic which has positives and negatives. We find that the dropout rate is higher, but it means that we can obviously run a lot more sessions and potentially reach far more people.

3. Share the Load – counselling service

This is the main strand. Share the Load is our 24/7 call line (0800 587 4262) and we also operate by text. It's staffed by volunteers who have received training from the Samaritans and they provide a listening service initially. Some of these calls will then lead to referrals to a counsellor. People should receive contact within 24 to 48 hours from a qualified counsellor to make an appointment for a meeting within a week. We will offer as many sessions as that person needs but six is our core offer and generally most are concluded within that period. 

We have a panel of counsellors across Wales. Some are able to offer counselling in Welsh as well as in English, some are able to work with under 18s. 

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training for the volunteers

Do you work with children?

Generally, no. We would only do that if the school counselling hasn't worked or isn’t an option. That would be our first route because there's funded counselling already in place and also in terms of the holistic well-being for that individual it is quite important that the whole system is there in place to support them.

Saying that, we do have some counsellors who are able to work with younger people and we have some who are also able to offer support online and / or by text. But in general it's the face-to-face counselling although obviously a lot of this has switched to telephone during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Where does the face-to-face counselling take place?

We try to work with the individual. So if they want that counselling to take place on their farm, for example, then we have counsellors who can provide outreach and will do that. It might be that it's at a neutral location or it might be at the usual rooms that the counsellor uses. We try to make it as accessible as possible for the individual so that they will take up the counselling that is on offer and get the help they need.

Our counsellors are registered with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (or other accredited bodies). So they've all been through the training. They are paid counsellors who have their own qualifications and insurance.

Tell us about the Regional Champions

As well as the 20 - 26 volunteers who staff the Share the Load helpline we have about the same number of Regional Champion volunteers, who are our eyes and ears on the ground in the community, including several in Powys. So for example they're making sure that there's a poster up in the local pub or feed merchants through to giving talks and collecting donations, but again, their role has changed during the pandemic because they're not able to get out and about in the same way. But equally as a lot of them are farmers, they are out and about because they are key workers, so they're still working. 

Fundraising presentation

Do the counsellors offer practical as well as mental health support?

Just mental health. There are organisations like Tir Dewi, the Farming Community Network and RABI who offer practical and financial support. If somebody's looking for practical help then we would signpost to one of those other organisations. When someone accesses our service we send a welcome email which includes a list of useful contact telephone numbers including the above organisations and others such as the NHS CALL helpline and Farmwell.

What are some of the key themes coming out of the counselling sessions?

Obviously the counselling sessions themselves are totally confidential. Broadly speaking though we have seen during the lockdown an increase in the number of young people accessing our service. And I think that's been echoed with other mental health services from what I can gather. There's been a lot of negative chatter on social media around young people breaking the lockdown whereas, in fact, there's been a lot of good work done by young people as well. So a young person I imagine could feel quite got at throughout this time really.

Then physical health problems can have an impact on mental health, perhaps even leading to self-harm. I also know we've now provided domestic violence training for all our volunteers on the basis that we were seeing an increase in these cases.

The farming community is often regarded as ‘hard-to-reach’. What are you doing differently to engage so successfully?

We are very focused on the industry and we try to use people within that community. Many of our volunteers come from a farming background whilst others are from a mental health background. They have an understanding of the community. Also some people who've accessed our service tend to become advocates for us – they share their story as they want others to benefit as they have.

It's really important to be where farmers are and that might be their home, it might be their farm or where they actually go to trade. To reach everybody we need to be in all those. Social media is great because it reaches people who are on social media, but there's a large demographic that aren't and so it's trying then to use more traditional means. So for example, we've got the bale stickers which are popping up across Wales at the moment and it's about drip feeding the message so that people who want help almost can't say they don't know where to go. 

A DPJ Foundation training session

How does the mental health awareness training fit into the overall picture?

We've probably reached around a thousand people in total since we've been in existence over the last four years. So people will be aware of different types of mental health disorder and have a very initial introduction to suicide and suicide prevention. And our real objective is that they come away feeling more ready to have conversations with other people about their mental health, but also we include a section about keeping themselves safe and how to look after their own mental health. So it's almost like a preventative session in some respects.

We're training people who are working in that farming community, so Young Farmers’ Clubs, vets, Animal Health officers, feed reps, etc. Hopefully after the training they feel able and equipped to have a conversation with somebody, or leave one of our flyers on a kitchen table, or know to ask our advice about what steps to take next. We would love to be even more successful and we really want to be in a position where everybody knows that we exist (although we aren't quite there yet). 

Many thanks to Kate for telling us all about her new role at The DPJ Foundation. 

If you want to find out more, or are interested in volunteering, you can contact Kate by emailing kate@thedpjfoundation.co.uk or ringing 07984 169 652.

Farming Community Network - supporting farmers in Powys

Pat Borland is a volunteer with the charity Farming Community Network, which supports farmers and families within the farming community through difficult times. 

Originally from Zimbabwe, Pat moved to live in Mid Wales 10 years ago and has been an FCN volunteer for the past four and a half years. She inherited the secretarial duties in October 2014 and early in 2015 the role of Regional Coordinator was added.

I caught up with Pat at the FCN national conference last Autumn at the Royal Welsh Showground near Builth Wells, and recently found out more about her role and the FCN.

How did you get involved in volunteering with the Farming Community Network originally?

My husband and I were asked, due to our experience in agriculture, to join the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon Rural Life Committee through which we met Revd Richard Kirlew. At the time he was the FCN Regional Coordinator for Mid Wales and he inspired me to volunteer for FCN.

Tell us more about your role for FCN and the work of Powys volunteers

The main responsibility of Regional Coordinators is to oversee the organisation and activities of FCN groups at county level. They are the link, with their Regional Directors, to the FCN head office and staff who provide direction for the organisation and support to the volunteers. Key duties are to receive, process and delegate case referrals but in order for this to be effective there should be sufficient, adequately trained caseworkers available as well as adequate resources and safeguards. Making sure that everything is in place in a voluntary organisation is very challenging!

Volunteers can be called on to support farmers through a wide variety of crises from running short of stockfeed to bankruptcy, and from minor family fallouts to bereavement and suicide. Some cases are resolved with a few telephone calls while others require the caseworker to provide support for months and even years. The support takes the form of listening and helping farmers work through the options open to them rather than giving guidance and advice but frequently caseworkers call on the expertise of other organisations and professional people to assist in restoring the farmer’s capacity and ability to run his/her own life.

What are some of the signs that someone from the farming community is struggling with their mental health?

These are much the same as in all sectors of the population, the difficulty being that farmers tend to be more isolated than those who live in villages or towns so there is less opportunity for others to detect the signs. One of the most obvious signs is a significant change in behaviour and another would be that the farmer is not coping with his routine work load.

Ed Ford, Chairman of the National Federation of Young Farmers said last year: “Farmers are incredibly proud people and will not ask for help.” What can we all do to encourage farmers to talk about their mental health?

We should work towards a society in which mental health issues are discussed as freely and non-judgementally as any other, and can provide opportunities and places where farmers can feel safe and comfortable about discussing their wellbeing e.g. setting up Wellbeing Clinics at livestock markets and ensuring that market places provide opportunities for individual farmers to discuss their concerns and problems in private and in confidence.

Pat speaking at the FCN AGM in Autumn 2018

What kind of support can FCN provide when someone does get in touch? 

Once farmers have contacted FCN and requested assistance they are provided with a caseworker who will ‘walk with’ them for as long as it takes for them to regain their self assurance to manage on their own. The caseworker does not give technical advice but rather gets the farmer to talk through all his/her concerns and suggests various options for moving forward. 

If the farmer needs specific professional advice or financial support then the caseworker will indicate the options available and assist with the processes involved. For example in a recent case the father of a family with several children who have special needs was incapacitated leaving his wife (in this case the farmer) to cope on her own in financially straightened circumstances. The FCN caseworker was able to advise the farmer on how to establish that she was paying far above the recommended rent for her small holding; where to apply for grants and support for her special needs children; and finally which agricultural grants and loans she was eligible for to help her through the difficult time. Unfortunately her misfortunes are not over - now she has received notice to vacate the smallholding within one month but her caseworker is still supporting her!

What are some of the most challenging issues facing farmers in Mid Wales at this time?

The combination of last year's long, hard winter with the long dry, hot period during summer has resulted in livestock farmers having used up all their on-farm feed stocks and being unable to build up sufficient reserves to take their normal stock holdings through the winter and early spring. They have been forced to de-stock when prices are low resulting in financial losses. It is at this time of year that farm subsidies are paid out and inevitably some farmers are not paid on time or as much as they anticipated which leads to enormous financial stress. Not to mention Brexit which is making the future so uncertain. Once the political situation has been finalised then farmers, like other business people, can make decisions and move forward with a greater degree of certainty and confidence.

If people don’t receive the support they need, what can happen to them and their farms?

As in other families and businesses this can lead to severe personal and family stresses which may end up in family breakdown or even suicide, and if the family cannot function properly, the farm cannot be run productively which means it will probably have to be sold or in some cases just abandoned! Of all professions in the UK, farming has the highest number of suicides: nearly one per week!

We hear that isolation and loneliness can be a big issue for some farmers. Are there any networks that farmers can tap into?

Farmers can and should participate in community activities and interact with their neighbours and colleagues. More formally young farmers can join Young Farmers' Clubs while all farmers can join the NFU (National Farmers' Union) or FUW (Farmers' Union of Wales). Through these organisations, or other sources of information, farmers will learn of conferences, seminars and short courses designed to strengthen their skills and should make a point of participating in these on a regular basis. One appreciates that it is not easy for them due to the distances they may need to travel and the difficulties of leaving the farm unattended however resolving these issues is easier than sorting out the consequences of long term isolation and loneliness!

Which other organisations do you work closely with, either locally in Powys, or in the rest of the UK, to provide support to the farming community?

Traditionally FCN works with the other farming help organisations namely RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute) and the Addington Fund and of course the Government Agencies as applicable to various cases and in some instances in specific programmes like Cymorth Bovine TB control. In Wales the various FCN Groups, led by our Regional Director, are forming working relationships with all support agencies and charities that supply specialist services that may be applicable to achieving FCN’s objectives. The cooperation and information provided by PAVO is an essential component resource for us.

What are the main challenges of the role?

The main challenge of my job is in matching volunteers to cases particularly as we actually do not have enough caseworkers and most of our volunteers do not speak Welsh.

Tell us about some of the most rewarding work you have done at FCN so far

For me the reward is to hear that a caseworker has been able to support a farmer to the point where he/she has overcome their problems and is once more living happily and productively.

When you are not volunteering for FCN, how do you enjoy spending your time?

Walking in beautiful Wales. 

If you want to find out more about the Farming Community Network you can go to the website at www.fcn.org.uk or email help@fcn.org.uk or ring 01788 510866.

If you want to talk to a sympathetic person who understands farmers and rural life you can call the FCN helpline: 03000 111 999. Calls will be answered in person from 7am to 11pm every day of the year. Alternatively you can email the e-Helpline at chris@fcn.org.uk

Meeting the Farming Community Network in Powys

Mark Suthern, Chairman of the Farming Community Network

Earlier this autumn Freda Lacey (Senior Officer Health & Wellbeing team) and I joined the Farming Community Network for a Harvest Service of Thanksgiving and AGM at the Royal Welsh Showground near Builth Wells. This was the prelude to a 2-day national conference for the charity’s volunteers, staff and trustees.

Christopher Jones MBE founded FCN (then known as the Farming Crisis Network), in 1995. This followed two decades of falling farming prices in the 1980s and 90s, which led to a rise in the number of farmer suicides. Unfortunately, suicide cases in the farming community are still some of the highest recorded in the UK, and today the charity is increasingly called upon to support members of the farming community across England and Wales.

The PAVO mental health team first worked with David Williams, the FCN Regional Director for Wales, and himself a farmer in Monmouthshire, late last year. We hosted Ramble with a Big Cheese, a farming engagement activity in Powys, where we listened to people close to, or working within, the farming community to hear first-hand some of the current issues. Our aim is to make sure that people, not just farming families but support organisations, know where they can best access support and help around their mental health if they’re based in Powys.

Photo © Farming Community Network

Walking with farmers

FCN has a network of over 400 volunteers across England and Wales, many of whom are involved in farming, or have close links with agriculture, and therefore have a great understanding of the issues that farmers, farm workers and farming families regularly face. These volunteers provide free, confidential, pastoral and practical support to anyone who seeks help, regardless of whether the issue is personal or business-related. They will "walk with" anyone who seeks support and help them find a positive way through their problems - for as long as it is needed. Issues range from financial difficulties, animal disease, mental health and family disputes.

In addition to local groups of volunteers, FCN runs a confidential national helpline and an e-helpline, which is open every day of the year from 7am - 11pm (tel: 03000 111 999).

David welcomed us to the first FCN conference in Wales. He said, “We can live in our own bubble in the farming world and think that we are the only one with issues. But you will find that a lot of people are suffering and need the help that we supply.”

Dr Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales

The FCN has its roots in Christian theology and ethics. One of the Mid Wales volunteers, the Reverend Ifor Williams (“I used to milk cows”) led the harvest service, whilst Dr Christianne Glossop, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, spoke about the importance of faith to agricultural and rural communities.

FCN Chair, Mark Suthern, described a “period of history repeating itself.” First there was the agricultural revolution, when pioneers set about farming for the first time following centuries of a hunter-gathering lifestyle. During the Industrial Revolution many farmers were displaced by machines and switched to factory work in rapidly expanding urban areas. More recently there has been a Green Revolution, with new pesticides impacting on agriculture. And now we are in a digital and agri-tech led revolution – another massive period of change for the farming community.

The farmer of today has to be a finance expert, a frustrated engineer, a soil scientist, a stockman, a vet and an environmentalist all rolled into one.

Mark asked, “how do we help those frightened by a period of change? We need to harness our strengths and support people through this.” He talked us through the current challenges for FCN, gave a summary of last year’s casework, and highlighted in more detail some of the problems presenting.

David Williams, FCN Regional Director for Wales, addresses AGM guests

Planning for the future

Two of FCN’s vital tasks for the coming year are:

• To expand the helpline services.
• Training people to have confidence to engage in those important conversations with farming families.

Mark concluded by saying: “it is about transferring our values and beliefs to listen to farming families and help them through this long transition period where there are opportunities but also challenges.”

Powys FCN Volunteer Coordinator Pat Borland speaks at the Harvest Service

Farming Community Network volunteers

It was an excellent opportunity for us at PAVO to meet and find out more about some of the work that FCN volunteers are doing to support farming families. Some volunteers, with experience of farming and their own mental health issues, now give talks to local farming groups to raise awareness and reduce the stigma.

Whilst at the AGM I also met Mid Wales Volunteer Coordinator Pat Borland, who will be writing a separate blog post about the work she does supporting volunteers across Powys. Earlier this year Owen Griffkin, (Mental Health Participation Officer) went to the Farming Community Network’s Powys volunteers’ event and met with the people who deal with enquiries from farmers in crisis in Powys.

Some of the enquiries the volunteers receive can be wellbeing related and they said it would be good to have more information about specialised services in the area. Owen worked on an information pack specifically for the volunteers, with a handy info sheet with lots of local organisations featured. The idea is that the volunteers can have it ready-to-hand when on a call with somebody, so that they can quickly find the right help. We also collated leaflets from all the local groups (such as Ponthafren Association and the Mind centres across Powys) to help the volunteers find out more details about each organisation and what services they offer. 

We handed over the completed packs at the FCN’s AGM so that the volunteers can start using them straight away. David Williams, Wales’ Regional Director of FCN said, ‘I am sure this will be a very useful tool for the Powys group.’

If you want to find out more about volunteering with FCN in Powys then contact David by emailing: David@fcn.org.uk

If you need support, then ring the helpline no: 03000 111 999 (7am – 11pm daily) or email: help@fcn.org.uk

Farming and mental health: the challenge

This Autumn our team arranged an engagement opportunity at Gilfach Nature Reserve near Rhayader aimed at the farming community. It was called “Ramble with a Big Cheese.”

The invitation went out on social media and we put up as many posters as we could in places where we hoped to attract the attention of farmers. These included Rhayader market, feed merchants and numerous shops and businesses in the neighbouring area. We rang round our own contacts. We made new contacts. We spoke to people very closely connected to the farming community through their families and work. We encouraged all of them to spread the word about the session (many of them did – thank you!) and wondered if they would like to come along themselves. 

In the event, despite our efforts, we really struggled to encourage individual farmers or members of the farming community to join us. And again and again we were told – farmers are too busy, they only leave their farms to go to market, some of them really are struggling with their emotional wellbeing but they don’t want to talk to anyone else about their problems. People of the farming community are extremely hard to reach.

A couple of months previously the Farmers’ Union of Wales had hosted an event called “It’s OK to say” at this year’s Royal Welsh Show – “putting the spotlight on mental health in the farming community”. My colleague Anne attended and told us she was impressed by the level of interest. She was interested to find out more about the Pembrokeshire based charity the DPJ Foundation which was “set up in July 2016 following the death of Daniel Picton-Jones. The foundation aims to support people in rural communities with poor mental health, especially men in the agricultural sector. Agriculture carries one of the highest rates of suicide and with mental health being such a big problem across society the foundation aims to break down the stigma that surrounds mental health and provide support services for those in rural communities.”

On our Mid Powys Ramble we were really pleased to welcome Aled Jones from the Farmers’ Union of Wales (Brecknock and Radnorshire Officer) and David Williams from the Farming Community Network. We posed a number of questions to stimulate discussion with the “Big Cheeses” - Joy Garfitt (Deputy Director for Mental Health, Powys Teaching Health Board) and Margaret Meredith, (Head of Primary Care South Powys, PTHB). It turned out to be an extremely fruitful exercise. The start of a much-needed ongoing discussion.

There will be no one way to provide support to individuals in the farming community around mental wellbeing. Statutory mental health services might meet one person’s needs but be entirely inappropriate for another. Community activities and voluntary sector support, such as that provided in Pembrokeshire by the DPJ Foundation, will probably play an important role. But whatever services are delivered, we want farmers to have their say in how they are shaped.

If you have a few minutes, watch the video and find out why.

If you need support now, contact the Farming Community Network or the Samaritans.

Powys Mental Health Alliance Open Day 2014

Yesterday my colleague Freda and I went along to the latest Powys Mental Health Alliance Open Day at The Commodore Hotel in Llandrindod Wells. These days are a great opportunity to find out more about what is happening in the county around mental health, and to meet up with other members and people representing organisations to chat, catch up and have... as it happens... fun! The big yellow inflatable football in the photograph below is a bit of a clue...

L - R, top row: Debra Douglas-Matthews (PMHA trustee), Philip Bowen (High Sheriff of Powys),
Bryan Douglas-Matthews (PMHA chair)
middle row: Christine Field (PMHA trustee),  Kelvin Mills (PMHA trustee), Carla Rosenthal (PMHA magazine editor)
bottom row: Bill Fawcett (PMHA Vice Chair), Michelle Hart (Stretch & Smile)

Surprise guest this time round was Philip Bowen, the High Sheriff of Powys. "The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year". Philip has many hats it seems, as he is also Artistic Director of The Willow Globe - a scaled down, living willow theatre, based on The Globe Theatre in London. Philip enthusiastically opened the day with, appropriately enough, a reference to some of the distressed heroes of Shakespeare's plays, including Prospero and Pericles. By the end of the drama they are able to say - "this is who I am.... this is my story." Through the storytelling process they are healed.

Eddie Evans, the Regional Welfare Officer for Combat Stress, the veterans' mental health charity, kicked off as first speaker of the day. He had served in the army for 26 years, and now works with Community Psychiatric Nurses and Mental Health Practitioners to provide support to ex-servicemen and women in the community.

Eddie spoke about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - "a normal reaction to an abnormal situation". Personnel often go back to their families after being in a war zone and try and start up again as if nothing has happened... but problems can quickly escalate if people need help. "It is as if the wheels fall off before some people seek help... there are failed marriages, lost jobs..." Eddie is the first point of contact for people as there "is a bond of history". Some veterans can receive support in the community, including practical support if there are money issues; others, who may be more severely distressed, enter one of three Combat Stress treatment centres - the one serving Wales is in Newport, Shropshire. "Some veterans smile for the first time as they are amongst other veterans."

Freda catches up with Eddie Evans in the coffee break

Eddie's obvious understanding and empathy for struggling veterans was picked up by several people in the audience, who responded by describing moving experiences relating to themselves and family members. "You could not believe some of the sights that they see..."
"My son went away for a week (with Combat Stress) and the difference was so remarkable that you wouldn't think it was the same person!"
"People don't realise that veterans suffer from mental health problems in a big way."

The coffee break was followed by a brilliant session of seated exercises with Michelle Hart from Stretch & Smile. Nearly everyone joined in, including the High Sheriff of Powys and Freda! 

L - R: Carla Rosenthal, Philip Bowen, Michelle Hart & two others stretching!

These were just the warm-up exercises.... but then the large inflatable balls were rolled out and the real fun began... 

Chris Coe - Am I really as tough as old boots?

How to follow that...? Well, what better choice than Chris Coe of the Farming Community Network (previously Farming Crisis Network).

Chris had been a Rural Officer with the United Reform Church when an opportunity arose for an additional part-time post - this time as Regional Director for FCN based in Llandrindod Wells. Chris explained that the charity's main role was to "walk with people" - to be there, to listen, to respond - as a friend. He can go with farmers to court, to the bank, to a doctor... shopping... even organise to have a field ploughed if that is what is needed when someone is too distressed to do the work themselves. The service is free and confidential. The hardest part is encouraging people to ask for help in the first place.

Chris works with a large team of volunteers covering Powys and SW Wales... and if the two case studies he gave us are anything to go by the work is very much needed in the county. He said "45% of the people helped suffer some form of mental illness caused through the stress and hardship of producing the food we all depend on." The farming community is currently bracing itself for changes in the Single Farm Payment from the government which so many depend on to stay afloat.

After a delicious lunch Inspector Brian Jones of Dyfed-Powys Police stepped up to take the microphone. He is stationed in Brecon and works as a Partnership Inspector - one of his key responsibilities being mental health. The two main areas of discussion which developed around this session focused on the Section 136 detentions (when people are taken to a place of safety and possibly assessed by mental health professionals before a decision is made about next steps) and police training.

Many of those in the audience were keen to relate their own experiences of contact with police officers whilst distressed, some of them quite negative, and Brian listened carefully to them all.

Brian explained that:

• Sometimes people will be taken into custody when they shouldn't be.
• Sometimes people don't know who to call when a crisis/incident develops so they call the police.
• New officers (recruited over the past 2 years and ongoing) have to spend three days in Bronllys Hospital as part of their training.
• A new training programme is being developed, in partnership with other organisations including Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO), which will be rolled out to all officers. Individuals, including those in contact with mental health services and those close to them, will be involved in this training. Mental Health First Aid sessions are also likely to be made available.
• He is trying to bring about change and influence to the police by listening to people's experiences (which is why today was so valuable to him).

There followed a much longer discussion, including topics such as anti-social behaviour, multi-agency problem solving, mental health advocates and hate crime... if only we had the space and time here to relate it all! At the end of a really interesting session Brian rounded up by saying: "Give the officers a chance. Approach them. Speak to them. When we are called out we will say - the next time we come here, how would you like us to treat you? Tell us and the details will be linked to your address. We want to do the best we can."

Other mental health organisations were present on the day, and Freda and I enjoyed meeting up with colleagues at The Alzheimer's Society:

Kate Llewellyn (Advocate) and Pat Griffiths (Dementia Support Worker)

Pat reminded me about the Memory Cafe which runs every second Friday of the month at the Methodist Church in Newtown.

Here at Powys Mental Health Information Service we often signpost people to Journeys and the C.A.L.L. helpline, so it was great to meet everyone at their stands.

Lorraine Jones and Jackie Faichney of C.A.L.L. Helpline 

Gareth Childs, Journeys

Finally, I'll sign off with this photo of Freda joining Pat and Kate of The Alzheimer's Society for the Stretch & Smile session... The smiles on their faces say it all!

We look forward to the next PMHA Open Day. If you were there, tell us what you thought. Do you have suggestions about speakers or activities for future open days? Did you try out the Listening Table? Or listen to Diane Milberry's talk? We'd love to know, as we had to shoot off back to the office at that point...

Stress down on the farm

Last week the Welsh Government Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Alun Davies, visited farmers in Trefeglwys in north Powys, to speak to them about the impact of the recent severe weather when hundreds of animals had perished in snowdrifts. The farmers had been hopeful, I suspect, of some financial support. But their hopes were quickly dashed. No money was to be made available to bail them out during this particular crisis. They just had to get by.

As one of them commented to the newspaper reporter – “some farmers are at breaking point over the situation.”

Since then, however, there appear to have been a few developments. In a press statement yesterday the Minister announced that £500,000 will go to farm charities “to help address problems caused by severe weather conditions.”

The charities concerned are the Farming Community Network (previously the Farm Crisis Network), the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Addington Fund.

But not all struggling farmers will seek the support they need. In 2005 the Health & Safety Executive produced a report on Farmers, Farm Workers and Work-Related Stress, following research in five counties including Powys.

It reported that: “The difficulty for support organisations was in creating a climate where farmers felt comfortable discussing worries and concerns with outside agencies at a point before they became unmanageable, and required more intensive support....

[Other studies] uncovered a reluctance to seek specialist help, reflecting the stigma these communities associated with mental illness, their worries about anonymity, and appearing not able to cope.”

I wonder how much has changed since the report was produced? Farming crises are never going to go away. Foot & Mouth Disease, the vagaries of the weather, a rise in feed costs, a fall in market price for produce... Some help at this time of crisis came eventually, but only reluctantly, with the Minister rounding off his offer of support with frank words – “for the long-term resilience of the industry it needs to move away from a dependence on public support...”

Do you know any farmers who have struggled with work-related stress in this recent crisis? Are you a farmer, what do you think? What kind of support, other than financial, is really needed?