Warwickshire Rural Hub
The Hub is a business support organisation which is led by farm and rural businesses across Warwickshire and Solihull.
Established in October 2003 by a group of farmers who wanted to take control of their own destiny, the Hub has grown from strength to strength and now has a membership of over 1200 businesses. Membership is free of charge. All our activities are funded by a charitable trust, business supporters and business partnerships.
The Hub is recognised as an example of best practice for practical rural delivery – listening to the needs of rural businesses and responding to them.
WHAT DOES THE HUB DO?
With our busy lives we can all be guilty of neglecting our own health and welfare. But to be able to deal with life’s challenges we need to be fit and healthy. So, in September 2019 the Rural Hub and Farmers’ Community Network (FCN) brought the health and welfare professionals to the farmer when we organised our first Fit for Farming health support event at Rugby Farmers’ Mart at Stoneleigh Park.
Working from the café we offered free head and shoulder massages to help relieve stress, organised for two registered nurses from Parish Nursing to take blood pressure readings and be available for private consultations, handed out the FCN booklet “Fit for Farming” free of charge and gave farmers the opportunity to speak informally to staff and volunteers from Farming Community Network, Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, Addington Fund and MacMillan Cancer Support.
By the end of the afternoon 46 farmers had had their blood pressure taken, 8 had been referred to their GP, 9 farmers had enjoyed a massage and 60 farmers had received information from MacMillan Cancer Support.
In January 2022 the Prince’s Countryside Fund awarded us a grant to organise 10 health and welfare events in 2022 and 2023, to be held at Rugby Livestock Mart, Worcester Livestock Mart and 2 village halls in the north of Warwickshire. Statistics collated from these events show:
297 people engaged with a nurse
108 people had a back and neck massage
25 farmers received a private consultation in a separate room.
42 farmers were advised to visit their GP because of hypertension or other medical conditions.
But as well as physical health support our events also provide the opportunity for farmers to talk to someone about any mental health issues. These events saw our nurses discuss subjects such as bereavement, depression, stress, sleep problems and financial worries.
HEALTH EVENTS AT MARKETS HELP REMOVE THE STIGMA FOR SEEKING ADVICE
Offering healthcare services at livestock marts will help remove the farming community’s stigma about seeking advice, a new study by the University of Exeter suggests. The study spoke to farmers at 17 livestock marts around the UK. Farmers, particularly men, can frequently be resistant to seeking support, the research says, but putting doctors and nurses in a place where they meet and work with others can help break down barriers. Removing other barriers such as time constraints, the need to change out of work clothes, the need to book and travel to an appointment, and thus take time off work could help encourage farmers to get healthcare.
