When life gets busy, it’s easy to put yourself last. Support is at hand to make it easier to check in on your health in a setting that feels familiar. Since 2019, the Rural Hub has been bringing health professionals to our rural community through a series of events.
Join us for relaxed, farmer-friendly health and wellbeing events, with trusted people you can talk to. Events regularly take place at Rugby Farmers’ Mart café, offering farmers a chance to connect with a nurse from Parish Nursing Ministries, enjoy a free back and shoulder massage or chat to a representative from Farming Community Network, Addington Fund and RABI.
Other health charities, such as Sepsis Trust UK, Macmillan and Coventry and Warwickshire MIND have also joined us. We also distribute free copies of the Farming Community Network health booklets ‘Fit for Farming’ and other health leaflets.
And while looking after our physical health with expert support is vital, at each event the Hub also provides farmers the opportunity to talk to someone about any mental health concerns they have. Previous events have seen our nurses discuss subjects such as bereavement, depression, stress, sleep problems and financial worries.
Thank you to Rugby Farmers’ Mart, Jersey Cattle Society and the caterer Pippa Reeve for their support of these events.
Feedback comment received after our health event on 21 February 2022Thank you so much for today’s session. It came at a very useful time for me, and both Maya’s massage and the blood pressure reading have given me real help and insight into my current problems.
‘Nip it in the Bud’ is a UK-wide partnership between Farming Community Network and Macmillan Cancer Support, which is helping to improve the support available to those living with cancer in farming communities and rural areas. The project aims to raise awareness in rural communities of the signs and symptoms of cancer and build referral bridges to and from Macmillan’s services.
Farmers, farm workers and people living in rural communities can have lower access to cancer services and support due to the nature of their work and rural life in often isolated areas. For example, farmers can be particularly at-risk of certain types of cancer – such as skin cancer, prostate cancer, or cancers caused by exposure to carcinogens. Moreover, as well as affecting the individual and their families, there can also be the continuation of a business to consider, including immediate wellbeing issues for livestock.
Professor Jamie Waterall, Deputy Chief Public Health Nurse at the Office for Health Improvement, during a 2025 visit to a health and wellbeing eventI was genuinely inspired by the inclusive approach of the team and their exceptional communication skills, reaching people who clearly need support and intervention.
People engaged with a nurse
People enjoyed a back and neck massage
Farmers received a private consultation in a separate room
Farmers were advised to visit their GP because of hypertension or other medical conditions
Talking to someone who understands the issues you are facing can help make a positive difference. This is why the farming charity Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution offers in-person mental health counselling for farming people.
This free service provides:
Whenever you are ready to talk, call the freephone 24/7 helpline – 0800 188 4444. Alternatively, you can email help@rabi.org.uk If you prefer to talk to someone online, RABI has formed a partnership with Qwell and Kooth to provide a free, confidential online community and counselling service for farmers and their families.
Visit Qwell if you are over 18 years old
Visit Kooth if you are aged between 11 and 17 years
Talking Therapies is a free NHS service to help people with symptoms of depression, anxiety, worry and low mood. It is not an emergency service, so if you feel that you are deteriorating, please phone 111 and select the mental health option. But you can self-refer to Talking Therapies to arrange an initial assessment. The website also has an online tool for providing self-care information.
Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Service provides health and wellbeing information from a wide range of health and care services delivered by their partner organisations.
MacMillan Cancer Support provides physical, financial and emotional support to families living with cancer to help you live life as fully as you can.
Prostate Cancer UK offers information and support on the most common cancer in males, which affects 1 in 8 men.
Melanoma UK gives advice and information on skin cancer, which is more common in outdoor occupations.
Arthritis Action offers hands-on, practical help for people with arthritis to improve their quality of life whilst living with the condition.
The British Heart Foundation has a vision for a world free from heart and circulatory diseases.
The British Lung Foundation is working to ensure that one day everyone will breathe clean air with healthy lungs.
Dementia UK provides specialist information and advice about dementia.
SANE provides information, guidance and support to anyone affected by mental illness.
Turning Point Warwickshire supports to empower individuals with a learning disability or autism.
A voluntary organisation and charity that supports farmers and families within the farming community. They run a confidential, national helpline and e-helpline which is open every day of the year from 7am to 11pm, and volunteers provide free, confidential, pastoral and practical support to anyone who seeks help.
Helpline number: 03000 111 999
FCN’s one-stop resource to help you and your farm business stay strong and resilient. The Royal Countryside Fund National Directory of Farm and Rural Support Groups lists 69 organisations (including Warwickshire Rural Hub) that can provide support, guidance and advice to farming and rural communities.
A registered farming charity which supports farmers and those working in rural employment with housing, disaster relief, and grants in times of hardship due to illness, accident or bereavement.
Farming’s oldest and largest charity, which has been serving the farming community since They offer financial support, practical care and guidance to farming people of all ages, including farmers, farmworkers and dependants.
The UK’s only charity dedicated to helping everyone who works in horticulture, and their families, when times get tough. They provide free and confidential advice, information and support to people working in, or retired from, horticulture and their families.
Provides grants, a telephone advice line and a jobs register for gamekeepers, stalkers, ghillies and their dependents.
Working to raise awareness of farm safety in order to challenge and change attitudes to farming safely and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities in the agricultural industry.
A set of resources for farmers and agri-sector workers to develop a better understanding of their minds and, in turn, the ability to train their minds to achieve their goals with less stress.
Promoting the countryside as a vibrant, tolerant and welcoming place for everyone irrespective of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
The 2 Minute Farmer has identified 10 areas that contribute to a balanced farm life and has created a farm business self-assessment tool called the ‘Tractor Wheel of Life’. The tool is in development, so farmers are encouraged to complete the wheel and provide feedback.