A former young farmer from North Northumberland is planning a charity ball following her own battle with mental health while working in the farming industry.
Caitlin Riddell, from Wooler, is hosting the Mind Your Head Charity Ball to raise awareness of the huge mental health crisis in agriculture and fight the stigma surrounding it. It takes place on Saturday October 29 at the Showfield in Wooler and aims to raise funds for the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) which provides support for those in difficulty.
Caitlin, who has since studied and graduated from Harper Adams University, a specialist provider of higher education for the agricultural and rural sector, decided to host the ball after struggling with mental health issues in the industry agricultural. She said: “As an industry, agriculture has one of the highest rates of mental health issues and suicide, particularly among young men.
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“Farmers are under so many pressures – financial, environmental, family, through legislation and even public perception of farming. In addition to long working hours, solitary labor and very little time out of the firm, it can leave people in dire straits and it’s up to all of us to pull ourselves together and tackle this.”
Charity the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is behind the Mind Your Head campaign, created to preserve and protect the mental well-being of young farmers and young people getting into farming. In its annual tracking survey conducted in October last year, 92% of farmers under the age of 40 cited poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today, an increase of 10 % since 2018.
The Office of National Statistics recorded 102 suicides in England and Wales by people working in agriculture-related occupations in 2019.
Caitlin said: “The numbers are devastating and the rate at which they are increasing is frightening. Although mental health awareness has come a long way, unfortunately there is still some stigma, especially in agriculture.
“Very often, farmers feel like they have to live up to the stereotype of being tough and resilient, which prevents them from asking for help. I know firsthand how easy it is to bulldoze and pretend everything is fine. Until it doesn’t.
“These charities are a lifeline for many people, and if this event can help spread the message that it’s okay to not be well and encourage even one person to reach out or to start a conversation, then that’s a step in the right direction.”
In supporting the event, Barbara Huddart, Director of Glendale PR and Marketing, expressed how important it is to support the next generation to protect the future of the agriculture industry, saying: “Having grown up in the agriculture, having been a young farmer myself and running a business in the sector, I see the volatility that farmers are currently facing.While we cannot necessarily control the causes of this uncertainty, we can be proactive in working to find a solution so people don’t find themselves in such desperate situations.”
Caitlin concluded, “It’s not just about encouraging those who are struggling to seek help, it’s also about raising awareness of how people can protect each other. We often hear the phrase ‘I didn’t know’, and that’s why it’s so important that people are better informed about the signs of mental health issues.”
The Mind Your Head Ball, which is supported by the Lilburn Estate, takes place on October 29. For more information, contact mindyourheadball@outlook.com.
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