Wow, what a year it’s been! As I look back on my first year as Programme Director at Farmstrong Scotland I am filled with pride and gratitude for the progress we’ve made as a team. I’m lucky to love what I do and am passionate about the potential Farmstrong has to improve the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of those working and living within the agricultural community of Scotland.
When reflecting on the last twelve months, there have been many highlights, too many for a short blog, so I have focused on just five, using our Five Steps of Wellbeing as a guide – give, connect, keep learning, be active and take notice.
- Spreading the Word
One of our main goals when I started, and continues to be, is to make Farmstrong a household name. To do this we wanted to use a variety of different channels to connect with people. Working with the Jane Craigie Marketing team, we have developed our presence on social media and regulated our monthly e-newsletters. We have also invested in our stories – press articles, webinars, podcasts and videos have all helped us to bring real-life farmer and crofter experiences to life, and told in a way that we can all relate to.
I continue to be amazed by the kindness people show, giving up their time to speak with us, ensuring that we reach as many people from the industry as possible. My thanks go to each and every person who has got involved so far – your stories are at the heart of Farmstrong.
- Learning from Research
One of the key strengths of Farmstrong is using research to ensure we offer a programme that is not only fit for purpose, but also ensuring our approach will have a lasting legacy. Delving into the results of the baseline research, conducted almost five years ago by Kate Lammont at SRUC, has been fascinating and has helped ensure that the programme we are building really is designed with you in mind.
Some of the stats around isolation were interesting with younger people and those in more densely populated areas generally having a worse wellbeing score than those in remote areas and of the older generation. We fully appreciate that lots has changed since this baseline research, so our latest survey, delivered by Scotinform, has just closed and I’m looking forward to continuing to build the programme based on the results as we keep learning from you.
- Building Partnerships
Collaboration has been key in integrating wellbeing into the broader agricultural conversation. It’s been humbling to find that we’re pushing on open doors and that Farmstrong has been so warmly welcomed into the industry by our stakeholders. This is something I know has been at the essence of Farmstrong since the steering group first considered bringing it to Scotland. It has been such a joy to work with each and every individual, organisation and supporter – thank you to all of you who have connected.
Whether it’s our “Walk & Talk” events, a farmer sauna, the Come Ashore Cup, speaking at the Farm Safety Conference (on a great panel with Adam Henson), attending industry events or having our stand at the Royal Highland Show – the events we’ve had throughout the year have been great craic and an opportunity to get out and speak with farmers and crofters about Farmstrong (and hand out our popular sunglasses!).
To those who have shared our news and tools, invited us to events, asked us to speak and deliver workshops, offered in-kind support, fundraised, and generally just ‘got Farmstrong’ and the value we can offer….it has been so appreciated.
- Creating a Community
The power of community is one of my biggest learnings since I started with Farmstrong and I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface. Whether it’s the agricultural community as a whole or sub-sectors within it, more and more research is coming out about the transformative impact a sense of community can have to our health and wellbeing. Taking time to notice how others are feeling, sharing support and talking, can make such a difference. This will be at the forefront of our minds as we roll out the community engagement plan next year which includes local community groups.
- Personal Reflections
On a personal note, this role is teaching me about leadership, governance, health and wellbeing and collaboration! I’ve also investing time to keep active using weights (thanks Tracy) and made wild swimming a priority (thanks Hazel), and although I’m still investing time to find that work/life balance, I’ve developed a better sense of self-awareness about my wellbeing. I feel more prepared to notice the signs when I’m needing to boost my wellbeing bank account more quickly. (If you haven’t yet had a look at the wellbeing bank account tool, it is well worth downloading and putting a copy on the fridge.)
A final thought…
At the Doug Avery tour all those years ago when the Farmstrong Scotland journey started, Doug talked about the lessons we can learn from geese and the importance of finding your flock. He explained that the goose at the front of a “V” changes as they fly, allowing a different bird to take the impact of the lead, allow the others to fly behind in support and have a rest.
My flock are made up from people from work (including Farmstrong in New Zealand), the wider industry and my family and friends – this year my flock have been particularly awesome in giving me support, encouragement and inspiration. So, to all those geese who have flown with me, taken a turn at the front of the ‘V’ and honked for me – thank you.
Building from a simple conversation in 2018 and some hard work by those involved in bringing Farmstrong to Scotland, it’s really rewarding to work with our small team to bring their vision to life. I’m looking forward to continuing working with the voluntary board, partners, wellbeing experts, farmers and crofters and the wider agricultural industry, so that together we can promote the positive steps that can boost wellbeing so we can all live well to farm and croft well.