Prince William has joined sixty of the Duchy of Cornwall’s next generation of farming tenants at an inaugural event designed to inspire their future in agriculture.
The gathering aimed to engage the future faces of Duchy farming by providing information and inspiration.
The event underscores the Duke of Cornwall’s dedication to supporting young farmers and his ongoing passion for promoting good mental health across the farming community.
William recognises that farming can be a lonely profession where individuals face multiple external pressures and considerable uncertainty.
PA
The day featured workshops on business resilience and discussions on the importance of mental health in agriculture.
Attendees were joined by well-known farmer Kaleb Cooper and farming consultant Charlie Ireland.
The event was designed to give young farmers the opportunity to hear from others in the industry and gain valuable insights.
It forms part of a broader initiative to support the next generation of agricultural professionals whilst acknowledging the unique challenges they face.
During the event, Prince William was announced as the new Patron of We Are Farming Minds, a Duchy supported Herefordshire-based charity.
During the event, Prince William was announced as the new Patron of We Are Farming Minds, a Duchy supported Herefordshire-based charity.
Reuters
The organisation was established to break the stigma surrounding mental health in the farming community.
It provides counselling, a 24/7 support line, training, events, information, advice and support.
This new patronage builds on the Duchy of Cornwall’s rural mental health strategy, launched in 2023.
The strategy aims to make the Duchy the leading provider of mental health support to all its tenants.
We Are Farming Minds was founded by Duchy tenants Sam and Emily Stables following their own struggles with mental health.
The charity is central to the Duchy’s mental health strategy, which prioritises farmers’ wellbeing and works to de-stigmatise mental health issues within agriculture.
As part of this commitment, all Duchy farming tenants have unlimited access to We Are Farming Minds’ support services.
The strategy also includes provision of dedicated wellbeing services, making mental health care readily available to those working in what can be an isolating profession.
Upon arrival, the Duke met with speakers participating in the event before taking part in a fireside chat.
Prince William also joined an informal team building exercise with the young farmers attending the event.
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The conversation, which included We Are Farming Minds founder Sam Stables and the Duchy’s Farming Family Ambassador Sue Padfield, focused on mental wellbeing within the farming community.
The discussion highlighted the unique context of mental health challenges faced by those working in agriculture.
Prince William also joined an informal team building exercise with the young farmers attending the event.
This allowed him to engage directly with the next generation of agricultural professionals in a relaxed setting.
