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All front-line staff employed by Farming Connect have been given tips on spotting signs of depression and suicide in their farming clients.

They sat a series of two-day mental health first aid courses delivered by Emma Picton-Jones, whose own husband Dan, an agricultural contractor, took his life in 2016, aged just 27.

The young mum and primary school teacher from Pembrokeshire subsequently set up the DPJ Foundation, named after her husband, to reach out to farming communities in Wales.

Farming Connect hopes Emma’s training will help its delivery staff understand the warning signs and direct individuals to appropriate support.

Levels of depression within the farming industry are thought to be increasing in the UK and suicide rates, particularly for men under 40, are among the highest for any occupation.

Emma is keen to talk up farming as a career but accepts the job comes with daily pressures and a sense of isolation.

“With the pressures that are facing the industry today, it is vital that everyone working within rural communities is encouraged to talk about mental health,” she said.

“It’s important that we work together to remove the stigma.”

(Image: Roger Donovan)

Follow the ALGEE steps

Emma is a proponent of the “ALGEE” step-by-step process set out in a training manual published by Training in Mind, a Wales-based social enterprise.

The first step is to ASK – many people are unwilling to talk about the subject unless prompted.

If they open up, the next steps are to LISTEN non-judgmentally, to GIVE reassurance and information, to ENCOURAGE the person to get help and to ENCOURAGE self-help strategies.

“If people were not afraid to ask for help in the first place, many could recover quicker,” said Emma.

“They would never reach the terrifying lows often faced by individuals who feel isolated and unable to tell anyone how bad they actually feel.”