Shropshire Rural Support: Doing nothing is not an option
Shropshire Rural Support is here to help those in need. Here volunteers explain more.
Shropshire is one of the most beautiful counties in England.
The farms that make up and manage this beautiful pastoral scene are run by farmers and their families who are in one of the most stressful and isolated of occupations which has one of the highest levels of suicide in the UK.
Many of the farms are multigenerational family businesses with up to three generations working together with all the ups and downs of family businesses with the added complication of living on top of each other. They also have to endure not just the vagaries of the weather, and the continually changing government regulations and the dominance of supermarket controlled prices.
The charity Shropshire Rural Support (SRS) is here to support farmers, their families and people living and working in our rural community at times of need. We cover both business issues and personal matters such as bereavement, loneliness, domestic abuse, succession and divorce. Our role is to get the caller to a safe place where they can access the help.
We are a self-funding charity run largely by volunteers, most of whom have a farming .
background and understand the issues of running a farm. The charity operates a 24/7/365 support service via a free phone helpline which ensures that whatever the time-of-day people can readily access our confidential service. For those, particularly the younger generation, who prefer to text message rather than talking on a phone, we have recently launched a free confidential 24/7/365 text messaging helpline.
The 24/7/365 free phone helpline 0300 123 2825 ensures immediate access to our confidential service. For those who prefer text messaging they can text SRS to 85258.
As we move forward to 2025 and the challenges ahead we say thank you and goodbye to Andrew Bebb, the retiring Chairman of the Trustees as he relocates to pastures new in Yorkshire.
He has dedicated 23 years to supporting and guiding the charity in many ways, we wish he well in his new venture. We welcome Roger Pemberton as the new chairman who will guide the charity into a new era.
So finally doing nothing is not an option. If you know of someone you are worried about, please encourage them to get in touch or visit www.shropshireruralsupport.org.uk
