Health checks for farmers at agricultural events – The Royal Countryside Fund

Farmers are a high-risk group, whose health needs are not being met. Spending long days doing a physical job in isolation means farmers often develop a way of life that prevents them seeking medical advice. The Royal Countryside Fund plans to tackle this by working in partnership with local farming groups to offer health support for farmers in the places that they already visit, making it easier for them to prioritise their health.

Supporting rural communities to build resilience for 15 years

The charity has been helping farmers and rural communities for over 15 years now and has worked hard to build strong and long-lasting relationships with farmers and community organisations across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which share a vision of a thriving countryside for all.

The charity delivers practical social and environmental change that has a real, lasting impact on family farms and rural communities. From wide ranging farming programmes covering topics such as succession planning, benchmarking, biodiversity and soil health to funding transformative rural organisations, its impact is clearly visible across the countryside. 

Since 2010 the charity has supported over 4,000 farming families and invested over £12 million in more than 500 rural community-led projects.

Research has identified that farmers, particularly those who are men over the age of 45, have an increased risk of heart disease compared to non-farmers. They also have a high risk of developing skin cancer, poor mental health and often suffer health complaints from sitting in a tractor for long stretches of time.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director, Royal Countryside Fund said:

“This funding supports vitally important work, which addresses the often invisible crisis in rural healthcare. This initiative is all about recognising the unique pressures of farming life and meeting these challenges with compassionate, practical and community-based solutions.

“We are very grateful to The Health Lottery Foundation and the Health Lottery Players for their support, which will make a clear and tangible difference to the lives of farmers and their families in Scotland, Wales, Lancashire and Lincolnshire.”

£20K from players of The Health Lottery to support farmers

Funding from The Health Lottery Foundation will improve health outcomes for farmers, by sending practitioners to the rural locations farmers already visit to offer health checks and referrals. 

The support will be delivered by a nurse and could include blood pressure testing, cholesterol testing, advice about diet, and quick referrals to GPs. The programme will be tailored to the unique needs of each community and will run in collaboration with four members of the RCF’s Farm Support Groups Initiative, who are embedded within their farming communities:

• Field Nurse
• Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN)
• Monmouthshire Rural Support Centre (MRSC)
• Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI)

This project appealed to The Health Lottery Foundation as the RCF provided a clear evidence-based rationale for the work needed, coupled with an immensely practical solution tailored to the needs of the communities served.

Thanks to the players of The Health Lottery over £134 million has been raised for good causes across Great Britain.

www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/countrysidefund 

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