The Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy is an organisation that offers help and pastoral support to farm workers and their families across the county. At a recent Harvest Festival service, organised by the Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy, we caught up with Helen Rutter, who works as the coordinator for the organisation to ask her to explain what they do. She explained that there are many facets to how they engage with the agricultural community, but summed it up with the short but perfectly formed "We care".
The Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy Team provides 24/7 support to the farming community across Cheshire and Wirral and offers a listening ear, and pastoral care, and can connect individuals with additional support agencies when needed.
Many of the people the Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy helps are dealing with depression, mental health challenges, or financial difficulties. Farming is one of the occupations with the highest suicide rates. Significant challenges include financial pressure, isolation, adverse weather conditions, family disputes, government regulations, administrative burdens, poor harvests, and livestock diseases. These issues, combined with long working hours, contribute to severe levels of hopelessness and depression, with some contemplating self-harm.
The Harvest Festival shown in the video was held at Yatehouse Farm in Macclesfield. Owner and farmer, Richard Atkin, knows first-hand how depression can strike anyone at any time. In his youth, a family bereavement initiated a downward dark spiral for him. He recalls how his Father used a story from the Bible to describe the natural cycle of life and death, and it was through this that Richard started on the road to recovery.
A number of people on the Chaplaincy team come from a farming background and so are uniquely positioned to understand the specific language and issues of the farming community. To find out more, visit the Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy website