Hadrians Resourcing

                                                                                     4 November 2022

Charity Ball Raises the Roof and Smashes Target to Raise Over £11,000 for Farm Safety Foundation

The Mind Your Head Ball held in Northumberland exceeded all expectation in raising awareness of the mental health crisis in farming, as well as raising a substantial amount of money for an invaluable industry charity.

Organised by former young farmer, Caitlin Riddell, from Wooler, Northumberland, the Mind Your Head Charity Ball has raised a staggering £11,000 for The Farm Safety Foundation, better known as Yellow Wellies. The aim of the ball was to raise awareness of the current mental health crisis in the agricultural industry as well as the charities working to support those suffering.

The ball took place at The Showfield, Wooler, Northumberland, thanks to the kind support of Mr and Mrs Davidson and Lilburn Estates, on Saturday 29^th October 2022 and saw 220 people in attendance. Hosted by Farmer’s Weekly writers Rebecca Wilson and Lizzie McLaughlin, who are also huge farming and mental health advocates in their own right, the evening also included an interactive arrow breaking demonstration from farmer and mindset professional, John Young, of Logi Firewalking, who also shared his own battles with mental health.

“As an industry, agriculture has one of the highest rates of mental health problems and suicide, particularly in young men,” says Caitlin. “After years of struggling with my own mental health, I wanted to use my experience to hopefully help others avoid what I lived through and raise awareness of the incredible support that is out there. I also wanted to encourage people to talk about their own experiences so that those suffering in silence know that they are not alone.”

The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is the charity behind the Mind Your Head campaign which was established to preserve and protect the mental wellbeing of young farmers and young people moving into agriculture. In its annual tracker research conducted in October last year, 92% of farmers under the age of 40 cited poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today. A 10% increase since 2018. The Office of National Statistics registered 102 suicides in England and Wales by people working in the agricultural related trades in 2019.

Caitlin adds: “The figures are devastating, and the rate at which they are increasing is frightening. Despite mental health awareness having come a long way, unfortunately there is still some stigma attached to it, especially in farming, and we will only change this by normalising conversations about mental health.

“The feedback I have received since the ball has been incredible with so many people opening up about their own battles, or reaching out for help, and this is what I am most proud of. If I can use my experience to help just one other person then it’s a step in the right direction.”

The event would not have been possible without the phenomenal sponsorship from businesses, both local and national: Andrew Frost Farm Services, Particularly Good Potatoes, Doddington Dairy, Black Sheep Farm Health, Ivy & Rigg, Coastal Grains, Galedin Veterinary, Embie Events, Carr’s Billington, The Doxford Group, Hadrians Recruitment, I Atkinson Fencing, Glendale PR, M J Riddell Haulage, Hopkins Longworth, Yopa, Richard Brown & Partners, CR Copywriting & Content Marketing, Hazelrigg Racing, Savills, Inn Hospitality Group, Cheesecake My Day, Kooked North and Collingwood Marquees.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sponsored or donated to the ball. It would not have been possible to raise such an enormous amount of money without each and every business and individual who got behind it,” concludes Caitlin.

For more information on The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) visit www.yellowwellies.org.