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.

Farming charity launches new service for farming people

RABI – the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution – is farming’s oldest and largest charity, operating across Wales and England. The charity has been serving the farming community since 1860.

Though best known for offering financial support (having given out grants of more than £3m to farming people in 2019), RABI is extending its services to provide more all-round support packages. The charity recently launched an online wellbeing community and counselling service for farming people of all ages, as Communications Manager Rob Harris, below, explains.

Tell us a bit more about the new service?

We’ve launched two distinct websites - Qwell.io/rabi for adults, and Kooth.com/rabi for those aged 11-17. These are safe and confidential online platforms, which are delivered in partnership with a specialist online mental health provider. The websites include dedicated farmer friendly content and access to BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) recognised, qualified counsellors. It means anyone from the farming sector can talk to a counsellor, for free and in complete confidence, about anything that’s bothering them, whatever the issues might be.

Counsellors are available from 12pm - 10pm Monday to Friday and from 6pm - 10pm at weekends. Drop-in and pre-booked sessions are available.

What prompted RABI to set up these new services to support farmers’ wellbeing? 

We want to offer more support and be there for the small things as well as the big. We are known for helping people during the toughest of times, but we want to give assistance much earlier. We recognise that early intervention and one-to-one support are key in preventing problems from escalating.

Did you aim to launch this service in a pandemic?

No, but in many ways it’s appropriate because 2020 has been testing for so many of us. For farmers there are always uncertainties and things beyond their control, such as fluctuating prices and adverse weather, but planning ahead during a pandemic is almost impossible.

Maintaining good mental wellbeing is absolutely vital, for individuals, for families and for businesses. No one should take their mental wellbeing for granted. We want to get to a point where the farming community accept that it’s OK not to be OK.

Is this a new venture for RABI?

Yes. It’s part of a five-year strategy that will extend our reach to more people. We want to focus on early intervention and providing one to one support that prevents people reaching crisis point.

What else are you currently involved in?

We’ve appointed the University of Exeter to conduct a survey to better understand the issues facing farmers. The research will be the largest survey ever undertaken to gain an understanding directly from farming people of the stresses they face and the impacts on their wellbeing of these challenges.

We’ve worked with a number of key stakeholders to help develop the survey including the NFU, NFU Cymru, Defra, Welsh Government, the Worshipful Company of Farmers, the National Rural Mental Health Forum, the Prince’s Countryside Fund, Farmers Weekly and Farmers Guardian. We’re hoping to achieve 26,000 responses to the survey across Wales and England. 

You can read more about the research project here.

What will you use this information for?

To shape our services going forward and ensure we remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. 

We might think we know what the issues in farming are – but the results of this survey will portray the true picture – and it might surprise us.

We’ll publish the results to provide the agricultural sector with an overview of the issues those in farming are facing. 

Many thanks to Rob Harris for telling us more about this valuable new service to support the farming community across Powys (and beyond). 

To find out what RABI can do for you go to www.rabi.org.uk, call the Freephone Helpline 0808 281 9490 or email help@rabi.org.uk