Rural Community project
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Rural communities were an important focus, given Somerset’s geography and the make-up of the population. Around 48% of the population were classified as ‘rural’ in the 2011 Census.
The project aimed to:
increase access to Somerset’s mental health support offer
reduce isolation in rural communities.
Communities in Somerset underserved by mental health services and people who don’t typically access services.
The team included:
representation from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
an expert by experience who comes from a farming background
public health and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations
community groups including Young Farmers Clubs, the Farming Community Network and Farmerados’ network.
The team used their contacts and networks for to connect with members of the farming community. They found that:
An informal approach helps to connect with members of the community, as does ‘meeting people where they’re at’.
The principle of bringing people together is key – they recognised the need to reconnect increasingly isolated communities, and make the most of any chances for people to meet and chat.
Networking and using available networks is important, from distribution networks to veterinarians.
The community respond better if the source of support not seen to be a prescriber.
Fortnightly coffee mornings in the community:
To bring people together and reduce isolation.
These had an average attendance of 10–12 people per session.
Developing a ‘coffee morning toolbox’:
To support others wishing to set up their own coffee mornings.
Distributing leaflets about mental health support:
These were distributed to 65 dairy farms via Arla Foods.
They raised awareness of Open Mental Health and mental health awareness in general. Project partners regularly have stands at farming events, so they used them as an opportunity to share information for people who needed mental health support.
Farmerados’ network engaged with 552 farmers and associates (with some duplicates) at 27 pop-up Farmhouse Kitchens.
They linked up Young Farmers with Mental Health First Aid training and Mind’s Orange Button community awareness scheme for suicide prevention.
The team will:
Share learning with suicide prevention group.
Share learning with all stakeholders and partners in the project.
Have the support of Open Mental Health in delivering coffee mornings, and for communications and engagements with their wider network.
Create a space for partners to continue to share their work and activities, and collaborate.