Lincolnshire Rural Support Network sees huge rise in number of mental health cases
The Charity will be at the Lincolnshire Show today providing health checks and offering support to farmers and others in rural jobs
A support network in Lincolnshire that helps farmers and others working in rural jobs has seen a 229 per cent increase in mental health cases over the last six years.
The Lincolnshire Rural Support Network offers a helpline or one to one support for people who may need it, and provides support to the farming, agricultural and horticultural communities.
They are also at this year's Lincolnshire Show to encourage people to get their heath checked.
Amy Thomas is the head of charity:
"It's really easy to get people in and have their health check done.
"What we find in the farming community still is that people are less happy to speak about how they feel.
"Talking about your health is still slightly taboo."
The Lincolnshire Rural Support Network will be at this years Lincolnshire Show again today (19th June) to provide health checks as well as giving those working in jobs such as farming and horticulture the chance to talk about any worries they have:
Amy continues:
"It's an industry that has a huge amount of pressures and challenges and it's really important that people have someone they can talk to.
"One of the reason we do health checks is that people are happy to get their blood pressure checked. But while they are there our nurses are busy having conversations about other things and giving people the opportunity to open up."
This year is the 140th Lincolnshire Show which is organised by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, a registered charity whose aims are to educate about food, farming and the environment.