Year one. Where do we begin?

Fuelled by our desire to do something positive in memory of Robert and Max, it’s incredible to sit here now and reflect on how a conversation we had in 2023 has led to this – a registered charity in the mental health and suicide prevention space, that’s found its feet and is making a difference in communities that mean so much to us both.

It’s been a hugely rewarding year full of learnings, achievements and positive milestones. We’ve met some incredible people and have been overwhelmed by how generous people have been in every sense of the word – with their time, advice, introductions and support of our events to name just a few. And with us strongly believing in the value of collaboration, the response from other charities – regional and national rural mental health, national mental health and suicide bereavement – has also been incredibly heartening and encouraging. Having identified the need for regional support across Northants, Bucks and Beds, we’re incredibly proud to see our name on the map alongside other well-respected charities like YANA, FCN and RABI.

And it’s certainly been a year of firsts that have pushed us out of our comfort zone. Giving interviews (when cows don’t decide to calve) and speaking in front of different audiences are far removed from what we are used to day-to-day. Yet the more we do it, the easier it becomes and we’re grateful for the opportunities that have come our way to tell our story.

Some of our highlights from this year are:

·      Training 45 people in mental health first aid and how to talk about suicide

·      Our Harvest Ball and the Tractor Run

·      The reaction to our launch film and winning at the Smiley Charity Film Awards

Training is a key area of focus for us. Having people on the ground with the confidence, skills and knowledge to recognise the signs of someone who is struggling. To have important conversations with compassion. To know where to signpost people to help and how to support them as they seek the help they need. Partnering with talented and experienced trainers, the fully funded sessions we’ve delivered this year have been made possible in part thanks to the donations we’ve received and the fundraising people have done for us.

With certain risk factors hanging over farming families more than others, notably the changes to inheritance tax that will come into effect next year and challenging weather conditions this year, when the dry spring and wet summer did nothing to help harvest yields or the amount of hay and straw available for this winter, we believe it’s more important than ever to be looking out for and supporting our friends, families and neighbours.

For all the highs of this year, there have been challenges and the odd frustration along the way, but we’ve learnt from them and will take those forward. We can hand on heart say that these last twelve months have surpassed all our expectations. We couldn’t be prouder of our team, what the foundation has achieved and the positive legacy we’ve created in Robert and Max’s memory.

Thank you again to everyone for their support and here’s to the next twelve months.

Take care,

Kate & Lewis