Being fit to farm will be in the spotlight at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show to highlight the importance of both physical and mental wellbeing.
A series of events at the 166th Great Yorkshire Show (Tuesday 8 – Friday 11 July) will encourage visitors to consider how best to look after their health.
This will be shown from a range of easy exercise tips and panel chats to free farmer health checks and gruelling tests of physical steel.
Rachel Coates, farmer and Show Director of the Great Yorkshire Show, said:
“Farming is round the clock with lots of competing duties so it can be easy to neglect your own wellbeing.
"I hope that the focus on mental and physical health at the Show is a useful reminder to take the time to look after ourselves and one another.”
Farmers can visit the Field Nurse trailer near Brown Gate on any day of the Show to get a free health check and to find out about its Farming Stronger for Longer Campaign which promotes daily strength and conditioning exercises for farmers to replicate at home.
For the first time ever, the Show will host a heat of Britain’s Fittest Farmer, on the Young Farmers’ lawn throughout Tuesday.
The national competition is brought to the Show by Farmers Weekly and will see farmers compete in a series of physical challenges on the Young Farmers lawn, behind the Food Hall.
Farmers Weekly Managing Editor Emma Northam said:
“As farming becomes less active and more mechanised and office-based, it’s more important than ever before to make sure Britain’s farmers are getting the exercise that they need to stay fit and healthy.
“Farming can also be an isolating job, which is why it is also vital for farmers to focus on their own mental health and wellbeing so that they can keep their business in tip-top condition too.
"By running this competition, we’re looking to crown four individuals who prove themselves to be admirable ambassadors of health and wellbeing in farming.”
Health and wellbeing will be in focus at the Countryside Area where two talks at the Countryside Voices Stage on Tuesday will explore rural wellbeing.
At 11.30am, a panel will discuss developing support and building resilience around mental health and at 2.30pm, the topic turns to the challenges rural communities face to maintain good physical health.
The 11.30am panel chat is repeated at the same time on Thursday.
The Great Yorkshire Show will be held from Tuesday 8 July to Friday 11 July, on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.
Tickets are in advance only and are on sale now.
For a list of farming outlets for purchasing farmer tickets, and for the latest listings of events specifically for farmers at the 166th Great Yorkshire Show, see: https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/farmers/
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