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Office for National Statistics data shows one agricultural worker commits suicide every week in the UK.

Farmers account for around one per cent of all suicides in England and Wales, making them one of the top three ‘at risk’ groups, and during the 1980s and 1990s, there were more suicides among farmers in Devon than any other county in the UK.

Earlier this week, NFU Vice President Stuart Roberts had said that mental health support for rural areas will become 'ever more important' as the farming industry comes up against 'some of its greatest challenges',

But farmers in South Devon have taken up pilates as a way on improving both their physical and mental health.

Sarah Mortimore and her family recently moved to Devon County Council’s Moorhouse Farm, a 100-acre livestock starter farm near Bovey Tracey on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

An NHS physiotherapist by day, Sarah was keen to use her skills to help farmers, and others with similarly demanding jobs, keep fit and stay well physically and mentally, so she set up ‘Workforce Pilates’.

Sarah’s pilates classes are about more than just improving physical fitness, they offer real mental health benefits too.

She said: “Farming is an all-consuming, high pressure job with little time to switch off and relax.It’s lovely living and working in the beautiful Devon countryside, but it can often be lonely and isolating as farmers spend long hours working alone, with little human contact.

“So, it’s understandable that mental health can be a real issue, but as most farmers are men, it’s not one they find easy to talk about.

“Getting off the farm, even for just an hour in the evening once a week to meet with friends and some gentle exercise is a great way to boost your mood and get the emotional support you need, so the social side of this group is really important. And because it’s just for men they feel it’s a safe environment and are more confident to chat and share their experiences.”

She added: “Farming requires plenty of physical activity so it’s crucial to remain in good shape. The days are long, and the work load extensive, with heavy lifting and long periods operating machinery. These pressures mean many farmers suffer injury or long-lasting pain from back issues, stiff shoulders and poor joint mobility.

“Pilates is a great way to help as it uses your own body weight to increase strength, so you don’t need any specific equipment and the exercises can be easily adapted for all age ranges and abilities. The youngest in our group is in his late twenties, and there are a few who are nearly 70, but they all benefit because they work at their own level.

“The group is just for men, so they feel more comfortable and can just come and explore how their body moves, the different ways they can benefit from this sort of exercise and do as much or as little as they want.

“I’ve also designed the classes so they can use some of the practices and skills they learn here in their everyday life on the farm and hopefully make work a little more comfortable for them.”

Lloyd is an arable, beef and vegetable farmer in Ashburton, and one of the famers who attends Sarah’s class.

He said: “It gets you away from the farm for an evening, its social and I feel healthier. I would never have thought of going to a pilates class, and certainly wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t with my farming friends, who I’ve known for years.

“We encourage each other to come along and then sometimes go for a drink afterwards and have a chat, which is nice. I would recommend it.”

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The group started in January and has since evolved to include a mix of people with different jobs and different demands on their bodies, such as butchers and mechanics.

Ian is a self-employed motor mechanic, is also a member of the group, and added: “It might seem a bit odd and people sometimes take the micky because they think pilates is just for women, but I think it’s great. It’s a brilliant class and a nice group of men from all walks of life, and they’re all good fun.

“Most of us work on our own all week, so it’s nice to come to something like this and have a bit of social interaction with other people.”

With a growing waiting list, Sarah has said she plans to expand the classes, once she’s settled in to life on the County Farms Estate, so more people can benefit.

Speaking this week during the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution's (RABI) annual general meeting, Mr Roberts said: “We need to start treating mental wellbeing as we would a physical injury. We must recognise when there is a problem. We must be able to talk about it and ask for help.

“The British farming industry is on the brink of momentous change, not only on a national scale with Brexit but in the universal fight against climate change.

“These challenges, alongside the hugely diverse issues that running a farm business entails, can be incredibly stressful and have a negative impact on mental wellbeing.”

He said that mental health is an area that farmers have often been reluctant to talk about.

“Many farmers struggling with their mental health have turned to charities for support and these services will undoubtedly become even more important in the future.”

Mr Roberts added: “But this needs to go beyond charity support. We need to see government providing more medical resource in rural communities to ensure farmers can get the help they need and deserve.”

A ten point plan to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the population of Devon received unanimous cross party support at this week’s cabinet meeting.

During the discussions, Cllr Rufus Gilbert, said that one of the priorities needs to be to diminish loneliness and mental health problems in the agricultural industry where males suffer badly.

Devon’s Director of Health, Professor Virginia Pearson, said that it was a cause for concern and farmers were one of the most high risk groups.