08:00, 10 October 2024
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
As mental health has become a less taboo topic, it’s become clear that people in some areas and industries are more vulnerable than others.
In the rural and agricultural communities of the UK, this is more evident than ever. According to a 2012 study, farmers in the UK have higher levels of mental ill-health than non-farmers. More worryingly, every week three people in the farming and agricultural community die by suicide.
For Kate Scott and Lewis Hunter, who grew up in the farming world, these are more than just statistics. Their brothers, Robert Chapman and Max Hunter, sadly lost their lives to suicide, in 2014 and 2019 aged just 29 and 28.
In the wake of their losses, Kate and Lewis set up the Rural Communities Mental Health (RCMH) Foundation, to leave a positive legacy for their brothers, and plug the educational gap around suicide in the rural communities.
Smiley News was able to catch up with Kate and Lewis to hear more about their charity, and how they are using their own experiences to help others.
“It can be isolating,” admits Lewis. “I can't walk to a pub, I can't get a bus into town. If you can't drive, you can't see your friends or family.”
“I think there's more help in a town. You’re a bit more lonely out in the sticks.”
As well as the isolation in the farming community, the attitudes towards mental health are often outdated - things are a little “dinosaur-y”, says Kate. Even when you’re able to see someone face to face, mental health struggles are not something that’s talked about.
For every suicide, studies have found that around 135 people are affected - from friends and family to colleagues and old Facebook friends, the ripple effect goes on and on.
"There’s an age-old, ‘stiff upper lip’ in rural communities, especially in farming,” Kate adds. “You don’t talk about your emotions and your feelings, and [we want] to change that narrative that it's okay to have feelings and to ask for help.”
Life in a rural or agricultural community is so nuanced, that it’s often not something you can understand without having lived it. You’re isolated, your livelihood exists at the whims of nature and world politics, and there is much you have little say over.
“We get told what price we're going to have our products sold for, we can't choose what we buy or sell,” says Lewis. “Nothing is in our control.”
The ultimate goal of the RCMH Foundation is to deliver age-appropriate mental health education in schools. By reaching out to those in rural communities when they are still young, the hope is that the next generation will have the tools and the understanding they need to prevent them from reaching the crisis point that Robert and Max did.
Right now they are partnering with WiseMind, an organisation that delivers specialised mental health therapy resources, to offer a fully funded Mental Health First Aider training programme.
Mental Health First Aid works much like physical first aid - it’s a trained professional who is there to help you when you’re struggling. They aren’t a replacement for long-term medical care or a one-stop-shop, but they are someone who has been trained to know the signs and struggles of mental ill health.
“If a vet comes to a farm and talks to a farmer who's having a bad day, the vet or the visitors have the confidence to know what to say [and] signpost in the right direction,” says Lewis. “They can spot the early warning signs.”
The training teaches you the right questions to ask and the right words to say, without coming across as judgmental - and leaves you with a better understanding of mental health and how it can affect us all.
It doesn’t make you a qualified mental health professional - but it does make you a listening ear, and a discreet first port of call for those who may not be ready to approach a doctor or therapist.
After her brother’s passing, Kate got her own Mental Health First Aid accreditation through YANA, a charity which offers mental health assistance for those involved with agriculture in East Anglia. It was this, which eventually led to her coming to Lewis to start the RCMH Foundation.
“Meeting people who have struggled and who want to help people … it gives you a sense that there is hope out there, there's help out there,” says Kate. “It’s a big thing for our mission. You can then feel confident in knowing you're prepared, if you feel you want to help someone, or if they come to you.”
To sign up for the Rural Communities Mental Health Foundation’s first Mental Health First Aid training course, you can visit their website here.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The New Normal. This charity is a completely free alternative to one-on-one therapy. Changing the way we discuss our grief, mental health and well-being in open and honest spaces. Support them here.
Campaign to End Loneliness. This charity campaigns to make sure that people most at risk of loneliness are reached and supported. Find out more here.
Ripple Suicide Prevention. R;pple exists to ensure immediate mental health support is presented to individuals following a harmful online search. Learn more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDGs Good Health and Wellbeing and Quality Education.
