Young farmer Tom faces endurance challenge to highlight mental health struggles in agriculture
Date of alert:
Tuesday 5 March 2024
Crime Ref:
Force:
National
A young farmer is undertaking a challenging feat of endurance later this year to highlight mental health issues in the farming community.
On June 30, Tom York, a volunteer with The Farming Community Network (FCN) and a student at Harper Adams University, will compete in a gruelling ‘Ultimate Triathlon’.
The challenge, often referred to as an ‘Ironman’, comprises a 2.4-mile open water swim, a 122-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, and takes place in Ellesmere, Shropshire - with athletes expected to take between 10 and 18 hours to reach the finish line.
Tom talks openly about his own mental health challenges, as well as how his friendship group at Harper Adams University was devastated to lose one of their own to suicide.
Having worked on farms and in the wider agricultural industry alongside his studies, he says he can understand how the ‘highest highs and the lowest lows’ experienced by the sector can take their toll on a person’s psychological wellbeing.
