As the Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association (NIGTA) enters its 60th year, the Association chose to kickstart its anniversary celebrations by raising funds for Rural Support.
Rural Support is a charity which helps farmers and rural dwellers across Northern Ireland. It provides a range of services, including a helpline, mental health support, bereavement assistance and business mentoring as well as programmes designed to combat social isolation.
NIGTA recently hosted its quarterly lunch for members, which followed the Annual General Meeting, and invited Keelin Reilly, Director of Operations at Rural Support, to provide an overview of the services on offer.
Many NIGTA members were familiar with, and have benefitted from, the ‘Boots on the Ground’ programme, which is specifically designed for those working within the agri-sector and dealing directly with farm families. This programme includes a general awareness of mental health, how to engage supportively with someone experiencing difficulty and sources of help available. It also provides self-care tools to deal with the impact on the employee.
Newly elected NIGTA President David O’Connor said, “During my first NIGTA Presidency in 2016 I was proud to support Rural Support and since then I have watched the charity grow and evolve with an expanding portfolio of programmes that are making a huge difference to farming families right across Northern Ireland.”
NIGTA was pleased to support Rural Support and raised a total of £1932.50 by raffling a hamper of local produce, which was won by Fane Valley Feeds.
To find out more about Rural Support and the services provided, please visit www.ruralsupport.org.uk
