The national Farming Help charities (The Farming Community Network, Addington Fund and Forage Aid) have launched new awareness raising sessions for delivery from February 2022 - with a focus on stress management, succession and planning for the future of the farm business.

The sessions - which are supported by DEFRA and will initially be delivered online by representatives from the Farming Help charities in England - are informed by the knowledge and experience of the charities, who regularly hear directly from farmers about the key challenges they are experiencing.

The sessions are discussion-led and take a positive approach towards change, inviting audience participation and the sharing of experiences to benefit others.

Scenarios have been designed to get people thinking about how they would respond in a particular situation - including a difficult conversation around succession on the family farm and two farmers responding to change in drastically different ways.

The first sessions will take place online on the following dates and are targeted at farm groups, businesses and stakeholders across agriculture:

• 24 Feb (12-2pm)
• 25 Feb (12-2pm)
• 10 March (12-2pm)
• 11 March (12-2pm)

If you are interested in attending these sessions please contact [email protected] to book your free place. 

Further information about the sessions is available here.

Later in the year sessions will be delivered in person, with Covid precautions in mind.

Many cases that present to the Farming Help helpline (03000 111 999 – operated by FCN) are complex in nature and require a joined-up approach from the Farming Help charities.

Through close working and collaboration, the charities can provide support for practical and pastoral needs; forage, feed and bedding; housing and emergency relief; mental health and wellbeing; and training and development.

The Farming Community Network (FCN) provides practical and pastoral support to people across agriculture through its network of over 400 volunteers across England and Wales. Each year FCN helps approximately 6,000 people with a wide range of issues, including mental health, family relationships, animal disease and future planning.

Dr Jude McCann, Chair of Farming Help and CEO of The Farming Community Network, said: “We hope these awareness raising sessions, developed with the input of the Farming Help charities, will be of great value to people across agriculture. The sessions have been developed to support the farming community in spotting signs of stress, planning ahead and managing change, and include practical scenarios informed by real experiences of farming families. We hope these two-way conversations, inviting audience response and openness, will help promote positive discussions and a fresh perspective on change.”

Farming Help is supported by the Prince’s Countryside Fund.