The Rural Support Initiative, set up by the York branch of the Samaritans and working within the rural communities of Yorkshire, is a sea change for the charity which is famous for providing a listening ear any hour of the day or night.

With Mental Health Awareness Week falling during the extraordinary times of the current lockdown, networks that help combat loneliness and isolation are more important than ever.

Both are issues well-documented in the rural community and Samaritan David Moyles set up The Rural Support Initiative from nothing around 18 months ago to help with these issues and give people in these communities somewhere to turn at all times.

David said: “I talked to the Huddersfield branch and they got involved and it grew from there.”

This initiative has seen the Samaritans team up with the Farming Community Network (FCN) to offer follow-on practical support as well as becoming a visible presence at farming events.

David said the aim of the whole project was to show people help was there when they needed it.

“When we get people on the line who are struggling with farming issues we signpost them to the network for practical support.

“This is what makes the Rural Support Initiative different for us. The Samaritans have always been there to listen to people, to talk through problems.

“But the charity has not signposted people to different organisations for practical help and support before.”

David joined The Samaritans after a long career in the armed forces and although not from a farming background himself, his wife Fiona’s family are fourth generation farmers. And it was through this family connection he became aware of the challenges farmers faced particularly at the current time.

“The farming community are some of the most vulnerable workers,” David said. “Talking about mental health is not something which happens a lot. It is thought of as embarrassing and there is also an element of pride involved, with people thinking they can fix it like they can fix machinery. But we can’t necessarily fix what is going on in our heads. This is when situations can develop and in rural areas, doing a job which can be isolated, the problems can become too big to deal with alone and there is no outlet.

“We are trying to show there is an outlet, there are people who can help and we are here every minute of every day,” he said.

The Rural Support Initiative works closely with the Yorkshire Rural Support Network, run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

The network is headed up by Kate Dale and is the umbrella organisation for a number of farming and rural charities including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), Farming Community Network and The Addington Fund.

David said Kate’s advice had been to make themselves visible so they could build up trust in the farming community.

Before the lockdown, the Samaritans were at livestock markets, agricultural shows and events such as the Yorkshire Agricultural Machinery Show.

David said all the farming help charities, including The Rural Support Initiative, were trying to change the narrative around mental health and talking about problems.

Since it started the initiative has grown, with eight to ten branches of The Samaritans working corroboratively across the Yorkshire region.

Working alongside Farming Community Network, which is a national charity, they are able to signpost callers from any branch.

He said being able to offer a listening ear 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well as practical help as a follow-on was a great benefit.

“We know from experience the loneliest times are the early hours, two, three, four in the morning and that is when we are here.

“Loneliness isn’t necessarily being alone, you can be with your family and still be alone. It may be that a farmer doesn’t want to trouble his family with how bad things are, a crop may have failed or it may be hard to make ends meet.

“A person may be lying in bed with their partner but not want to worry them or wake them with their problems.

“The early hours are the times when we are at our least rational. We just want people to know there is someone who is there to listen and who can not only listen but help point them in the right direction for help.”

David said the statistics show if people have the outlet to talk it can lessen the issue or even take it away.

“I know I have woken up at 4am in a stress and if my wife wasn’t there to talk I would struggle.

“We just need someone to help when we are in that situation and that is what the Samaritans are there for.”

The Rural Support Initiative has also been working with the Young Farmers’ clubs in the region and and David said they have been very receptive.

“We want to encourage people to talk about how they are feeling and younger people are less embarrassed to talk about their feelings.

“We hope that by talking to them and encouraging them to open up it is helping to prepare them for life and future proofing the campaign.”

The need for support has been brought to the fore in particular as we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Week with everyone dealing with lockdown and feelings of isolation away from family and friends.

The Rural Support Initiative is still there supporting the rural community along with other farm help charities including FCN, RABI, Prince’s Countryside Trust and many more.

York branch of the Samaritans leading The Rural Initiative to support farming communities