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The UK's annual Mental Health Awareness Week began on 10th May. The theme of this year's campaign is to try and reconnect with nature - a proven way of improving our overall wellbeing. The annual event was launched by the Mental Health Foundation 21 years ago to provide help and support for everyone who needed it. There is a different theme each year and the 2021 event asks participants to focus on the beauty of the natural world.   Mental health challenges The 2021 event is extremely important, as the Covid-19 pandemic has been tough for everyone. In particular, people with mental health problems have found the isolation of the lockdown exceptionally difficult. One group of people who struggle with their mental health are young farmers, according to research by the Farm Safety Foundation. A staggering 88% of farmers under the age of 40 say poor mental health is their biggest challenge. They feel there's something about the farming industry that makes them feel isolated. Tragically, 133 people working in farming, agricultural trades and occupations such as groundsmen in England, Scotland and Wales died by suicide in 2019, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. This is a high number of people to take their own life in one year in an industry that employs 476,000 people. The FSF agrees feelings of isolation can be a major challenge of the rural lifestyle. Living in the countryside can leave farmers feeling cut off, as if they have no way of keeping connected to society. In normal times, as well as feelings of rural isolation, farmers cite financial pressures, livestock disease and poor harvests as being particular issues. With the Covid-19 pandemic having an additional impact on people's emotional wellbeing, it's easy to see why so many young farmers need help. As well as receiving support from organisations such as the Mental Health Foundation, there are also various other initiatives out there for rural communities.   Joint mental health study The National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs and the Farming Community Network have joined forces to raise awareness of mental health issues and the available support for rural communities. They have organised a joint survey for Young Farmers' Club members to find out more about the issues that stress them out. The results of the survey will help the NFYFC and the FCN to understand the degree of support young people living in rural communities need. In the tight-knit farming community of Harborough, young farmer Vickie Gillespie, 31, is backing a new campaign to highlight mental health issues. The "Mind Your Head" campaign, run by the Farm Safety Foundation, has special significance for Vickie and her father Andy, 55, who have been fighting their own challenges. The campaign recognises the value of having the necessary support and urges farmers to seek help, rather than suffering in silence. Vickie and Andy run a livestock farm near Market Harborough. With Vickie having battled anxiety and depression and Andy having struggled with his mental health, the campaign is very important and personal to them both.   Farming is a "solitary experience" Vickie says working on a farm is already a solitary experience, so the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have compounded this feeling over the past year. She said the farmers she knew used to see each other regularly and catch up at the local market, or over a pint at the pub. None of that has been possible, due to the pandemic. She says almost everyone had suffered to some degree as a result, not even able to go out to see their own family and friends. Vickie feels it is a positive thing that mental health has become a topic people will speak about, losing the stigma that was once attached to it. Having support is vital because, at some point, everyone needs to reach out to confide in someone about the emotional challenges they are facing. The Mind Your Head campaign is now in its fourth year, while Mental Health Awareness Week runs until 16th May.