Derbyshire farmers are being encouraged to prioritise their health with a free drop-in health MOT event taking place at Bakewell Agricultural Centre.
The event, timed to coincide with the centre’s busy livestock sale day, is designed to make health services more accessible to farmers and agricultural workers.
Many farmers do not regularly seek medical advice due to time constraints or the demands of rural life.
Attendees at the centre will have the opportunity to speak to healthcare professionals and receive a variety of free health checks.
These include blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol testing, and height and weight assessments.
General health guidance and support from over a dozen services will also be available, covering everything from mental health to cancer awareness.
The initiative is led by the rural health team from Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.
Rural health nurse Karen Allen emphasised the importance of reaching out to the farming community, particularly men who may be less likely to seek healthcare proactively.
She said: “We hope that the day will provide information and actual ‘hands on’ interventions that will support and increase awareness on a range of services that are relevant to improving health and wellbeing.
"We are targeting men mainly, as the majority of the farming community who attend the market are men and they are well known to be stoic and less likely to attend health services for a variety of reasons."
The free health check-up is taking place at Bakewell Agricultural and Business Centre on 19 May 2025, from 9 am to 1pm.
