Rural Museums Network AGM followed by Speaker Sessions with Q&A
Thursday 10 October 2024, AGM 2.45pm – 3.00pm followed by Speaker Session, 3.00pm – 4.30pm. Online, via Zoom. The Rural Museums Network AGM is inclusive within the Speaker session and is open to all.
Booking is no longer possible for this event.
10 October is World Mental Health Day and mental health in rural communities is the focus of this Rural Museums Network seminar. The day is an opportunity to talk about mental health issues and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. A recent survey in England and Wales funded by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Fund (RABI, 2021) found that 36% of the farming community was probably or possibly depressed. This is not surprising with the challenges the farming industry has experienced in recent years; extreme weather, poor harvests, supply chain shortages and the consequences of a global pandemic. We hope to raise awareness and understanding of mental ill health and share where support is available.
This session is hosted by Madeleine Ding, Collections Officer, Museum of English Rural Life.
Sarah Holland is Associate Professor in History at the University of Nottingham. Her work explores the historic interconnections between the countryside, farming and mental illness. This is the subject of her forthcoming monograph, Farming, Psychiatry and Rural Society. Her presentation will provide insights into the history of rural mental health.
Matt Lobley is a Professor of Rural Resource Management and is the Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research at the University of Exeter. Matt is a rural social scientist, with over 30 years of research experience, drawing primarily on the disciplines of Rural Sociology and Geography. Matt has a long-standing track record in the generation of external research income from a range of sources including Research Councils, Government Departments, NGOs, Charities and the private sector. His research largely focuses on understanding farms as predominately family businesses and influences on and impacts of farm household behaviour. In particular, his main interests relate to the role of farm households in the management of the countryside, for example, through exploring the impact of policy reform; attitudes towards agri-environmental policy; the environmental and social impacts of agricultural restructuring, and the health and well-being of farming people.
Elen Williams is a sheep farmer and a mother of one based in Anglesey, North Wales. Alongside her work, she volunteers as a regional champion for the DPJ Foundation, the Welsh agricultural mental health charity. Elen previously worked with the charity as a marketing and engagement assistant and has delivered training on mental health awareness, grief, and bereavement. The foundation’s mission to address mental health issues within the farming community is incredibly important to her.
Madeleine Ding works as the Collections Officer for both The Museum of English Rural Life and Reading Museum. Her role involves hands on work with the collections, accessioning objects, facilitating research access, creating temporary exhibitions and responding to queries.
