*Please note, this article mentions suicide, alongside the theme of hope.
Hope is something that is essential for getting through the challenges that life throws our way. It can make difficult times bearable and allow us to see light when things seem bleak. It is extremely hard to live without hope.
"You are never on your own, however alone you may feel."
As farmers, we sometimes seem to exist in a perpetual state of hope; whether that is hope that the weather will be better than last year, hope that we get a decent price when it’s time to sell our stock, hope that interest rates will start to come back down, hope that the plans we have for the future work out well, or hope that things can get better. Hope is a fundamental part of our resilience and farmers are an extremely resilient breed.
Hope will also feature in the theme for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day on 9 September, namely Creating Hope Through Action.
Hope can always be found
This theme fits so neatly with the ethos of the DPJ Foundation. We believe that through working together as an industry we can make things better for those who can’t see any hope or who feel their situation is hopeless. We know that however bleak your situation, hope can always be found. We sometimes speak to people through our helpline who recognise this feeling and are struggling to find hope.
Our role is to help them find the hope that exists, discover a way to resolve their situation and to move forward.
Making a difference for others
Back in July we joined Lynda and Andy Eadon who were driving a John Deere tractor from John O’Groats to Land’s End under the banner ‘Len’s Light’. Len, a recent graduate from Harper Adams, was their son and last year he took his own life. In the darkest of situations, Lynda and Andy have found some hope through the difference that they can make for others.
They have made it their mission to ensure that other young people like Len don’t find themselves feeling so alone in their struggles that they can’t see an alternative solution. Because there always is an alternative and suicide can be prevented.
Len’s Light raises funds for three headline charities: FCN, Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) and Papyrus, but they also raised funds for many others during their journey, including the DPJ Foundation on their Welsh leg. Primarily though, they were raising awareness – trying to encourage farmers to come together and to reach out to others in their community.
Papyrus
Following on from the tour, they have other activities planned which you can follow on Instagram and Facebook. You will probably be familiar with FCN and Yellow Wellies; however, you may not have heard of Papyrus. Papyrus is a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.
They support people up to the age of 35 who are struggling with thoughts of suicide, as well as their communities. Suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 in the UK. They run a 24 helpline called the HOPELINE that is available to that age group and those who support them and have some excellent training and resources on their website to help you start a conversation or to get help if you’re struggling.
Papyrus is a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.
Papyrus support people up to the age of 35 who are struggling with thoughts of suicide, as well as their communities
Papyrus also hold their annual HOPEWALK to smash the stigma and get the conversation around suicide started. This year, we plan to support our friends at Papyrus by holding some of our own HOPEWALKs that we hope the agricultural community will join us in. We are planning walks in Pembrokeshire, Powys and Gwynedd and encourage anyone to come along to show their support.
You don’t have to be personally affected by suicide, this is a chance to show your support that you want to challenge the stigma surrounding poor mental health and suicide.