SUMMER has been and gone and there has certainly been a bit of a chill in the air recently, writes FUW president Glyn Roberts.

Autumn is knocking on our door and change is well and truly in the air.

Many of us will look towards the coming months with an element of concern, given the rising cost of living and uncertainty about the future.

The strongest of minds will no doubt be challenged to be steadfast in the current economic climate.

There won’t be many who are not feeling the heavy burden placed on their shoulders - looking after their family, keeping everyone fed and happy, continuing to run their farm businesses and comply with a myriad of regulations - and all of this against a mind boggling global backdrop of on-going war, rising costs of living and economies in turmoil.

We must, therefore, take note of this year’s World Mental Health Day (October 10) theme of making mental health and wellbeing a global priority for all.

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Many of you know that the FUW is a long standing supporter of the DPJ Foundation, who are doing a sterling job in providing mental health services to our rural communities across Wales.

Mental health, or better say poor mental health, remains as important for us to tackle as it has ever been and we stand by our commitment to keep the spotlight on mental health in rural areas for as long as it remains a problem.

Sadly, according to charity Young Minds the latest NHS figures highlight that nearly half-a-million young people are being referred for mental health problems every month, with many not being able to get the support they need.

That's an unacceptable amount of young people not getting the help they require. The statistics don’t get any better if you look at the overall picture. 

According to the Mental Health Foundation, mental health and behavioural problems, such as depression, anxiety and drug use, are the primary drivers of disability worldwide.

They cause a huge amount of disability within the 20 to 29-year-old age groups whilst it is also estimated that one-in-six people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem.

We couldn’t agree more with leading mental health foundations and charities that mental health must be treated on a par with physical health.

It is no secret that mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone though be it in different ways. We, as individuals and as a society, need to do as much as possible to prevent poor mental health.

With that in mind, members and the wider community can rest assured that we will not only continue in our fundraising efforts for our charity, the DPJ Foundation, but we will also continue to do all we can to ensure that we have thriving, sustainable family farms in Wales for generations to come.