A HEREFORDSHIRE charity founded by Sam Stables, who recently completed his walk to London from the livestock market in Ross-on-Wye, is to benefit from a donation from the leading British ingredients supplier, Beacon Foods.

True to the company’s word, Beacon Foods presented £2,050 to We are Farming Minds, a registered charity that raises mental health awareness in the rural communities of Herefordshire and supports the wellbeing of farmers.

“Farming is hard,” says the charity. “Isolation, long hours and pressures outside of your control can cause anxiety and depression. But while poor mental health in farming is 46% higher than in other occupations, rural communities have less access to support. We aim to change that.”

Donna Gough from Beacon Foods said: “Fantastic support from our customers enabled us to make a donation to Farming Minds who do incredible work supporting mental health across the farming community, an industry that sits at the heart of everything we do. Fenella Harris, We are Farming Minds’ marketing manager, said: “Support like this is incredibly important to us. This contribution will go directly to supporting our ongoing work with Young Farmers Clubs across Herefordshire, through a series of boxing sessions.

“These sessions are designed to combine physical activity with mental wellbeing, creating a space where young people feel comfortable, connected and supported.

“Alongside this, we are introducing Mental Health Mentors within each club and providing them with training to help recognise the signs of someone struggling and how best to respond.

“We recognise that not every young person feels able to speak to someone older or in a formal setting, so having peer-to-peer support from someone of a similar age, often a friend, can make a real difference.

“Young farmers are the next generation of our farming communities and if we can encourage more open conversations around mental health at this stage, it’s a huge step in the right direction.”