Three farming charities have launched new sessions to help farmers focus on stress management, succession and business planning.
The Defra-supported sessions will initially be delivered online by the Farming Community Network, Addington Fund and Forage Aid, collectively known as Farming Help.
Taking place in February and March, the events will be informed by the experience of the charities, who regularly hear directly from farmers about the key challenges they are experiencing.
The charities say 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 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).
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.”
Those who are interested in attending these sessions can email training@fcn.org.uk to book a free place.
The Farming Help helpline can be contacted on 03000 111 999.
