'Farmerados' charity expands to create new meet ups to get farmers talking
A series of breakfasts are being planned to help reduce the isolation some farmers find themselves in
Last updated 4th Oct 2024
A new scheme aims to get farmers across Somerset, Dorset and Devon talking to each other.
A series of local meet-ups are being planned after figures showed - on average - one farmer a day takes their own life which is the highest per-capita rate in the country.
It is hoped once farmers in an area meet up for say a breakfast they'll decide to continue doing it - and help better support each other.
Rupert Cox is from the Farmerardos charity which attends markets and auctions to showcase its support services - and now aims to reach those who are not usually out and about at events.
He said: "25 or 30 years ago there were a lot of people working on a farm so between them all they could share the tasks, the challenges and they could talk about stuff
"Now often farmers are on their own, they might employ one person and they therefore don't have that opportunity to share some of the problems that they face.
"We're know losing farmers at a rate of one a day - and we know that often farmers think they know their neighbours but they don't really."
There's more about the charity here