The Farming Health Hub (FHH) - the first of it's kind to be developed in England - is a totally new concept where organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors have joined together to provide advice, support and guidance to farming communities in local venues, such as livestock markets and pop up venues, rather than farmers and their families having to visit more formal environments.

 

The FHH is built on a desire to build on Cornwall’s reputation for partnership working to create a new organisation in which private, public and voluntary sector organisations work together to provide confidential advice around Physical Health, Mental Health and Business Health to farmers and their families in their day to day lives.

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The aim of the FHH is to offer a range of support within the three main areas. These include general physical health checks, such as eye and hearing tests, diabetes, cholesterol and dental health checks and mental health support, including managing stress, anxiety and depression and coping with rural isolation and loneliness. The FHH will also work with organisations such as Cornwall Young Farmers, Public Health and health partners, and employers to deliver mental health campaigns.

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Our partners at Exeter University have undertaken research project: Aging farmers’ health and access to healthcare in the wake of digital service provision. You can read the report in full below here Aging Farmers Health

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Accidental Counsellor Workshops

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We all know people who are struggling whether you are talking to someone going through a difficult time, grappling with health issues, struggling with life, or feeling helpless. When someone confides in you, you become an “accidental counsellor”. Talking to professionals working with farmers - including vets, bank managers, accountants, and farm advisors - we have learnt that they often find themselves in the role of “accidental counsellors”, lending a listening ear to farmers.

 

The Accidental Counsellor Workshops will provide you with practical skills and help you respond in a helpful and appropriate way. They will introduce concepts of accidental counselling and provide you with easy-to-use techniques for supporting people with health, wellbeing, and other concerns that they may share during routine conversations. These skills and techniques can be applied in many contexts and include active listening, calming and effective gentle questioning. The workshops will also offer pointers on how and where to signpost people for professional and targeted support.

 

The sessions are free, and each will have a different theme. You are welcome to join one or as many workshops as you can or wish.

 

The workshops are being delivered under the “Empowering ‘accidental counsellors’ to support the health and wellbeing of farmers in Cornwall and Devon” project. Imagine If Partnership, Farming Health Hub and the University of Exeter are working together to develop support for farmers, their families and the farming community.

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