The Borderline Challenge

The RABI Big Farming Survey in 2021 uncovered some stark pieces of data about the state of the farming communities mental wellbeing, this can no longer be a “hidden problem in the industry”. Please help us tackle this problem by donating to RABI, the link is in our bio. And if you can help us in anyway on this charity or you have any stories to tell or you just want to chat, please do get in touch.

In September this year, a slightly deranged group are going to undertake The Borderline Challenge. This involves cycling, swimming and running from Ireland’s Atlantic Coast to the North Sea shores of England. We’re planning to complete the challenge in four days and are doing the whole thing to raise awareness and funds for the provision of mental health support in the agricultural communities we hold dear through @rabicharity Follow our progress and support us in any way you can. We appreciate it all.

Sorry folks, you’re going to have to rotate for this one. A few weeks ago we were very fortunate to welcome @ed_hanson_cumbria from @bbcneandcumbria to Kings Meaburn for the day with the plan to talk all things Borderline Challenge. Today, our three minutes of fame was shared with the world (actually just the North East and Cumbria) and we are pretty proud of the results. Thanks to Ed for capturing exactly what we’re hoping to achieve with this daft undertaking as we look to promote mental health in farming and support the work of @rabicharity . #theborderlinecharity #mentalhealth #foodandfarming #rabi All images and commentary owned by Ed Hanson

Certainly isn’t your regular Tuesday activity meeting The King… We had the incredible honour to go as guests of @rabicharity to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II. We’re so grateful for all the support @rabicharity have provided and the insane opportunities they’ve given us. Honestly, the team there are second to none and we couldn’t recommend working with them enough. Being able to talk to the King about the why behind the challenge and hearing how passionate he is about mental health in farming was brilliant. And of course, Hugh had to bring in a bike to test out the palaces cycle facilities… fair to say it was probably the first time someone has brought a bike in!

🎙️ LATEST POD EPISODE Is our mental health the biggest hidden risk we’re ignoring? On Episode 12 of the podcast, Hugh Addison @theborderlinechallenge shares a shocking stat: “91% of farmers see mental health as their biggest hidden concern,” according to a @rabicharity survey. Have you ever felt like you’re just surviving, not truly thriving? Drop a 🙌 if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or under-supported. That silence, that stigma, well, it’s crushing. We’re told to tough it out, but at what cost? If this hits you, you’re not alone. Your mental health isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s the foundation for everything else. 🎧 Tune into the Six Inches of Soil podcast for the full discussion : online or via podcast apps /podcast. #MentalHealthMatters #RABIStudy #FarmersVoice #BreakTheStigma #ListenNow #mindyourhead

🎙️ PODCAST EPISODE 12 is live! We are very grateful 🙏 to the honest and beautiful conversations we had with: * Hugh Addison @theborderlinechallenge * Tom Morphew @farmertom82 @the_garden_army * Dr Mike Rosmann / #behavioralhealth ‼️ Before you listen we’d like to share that this episode includes a candid conversation about mental health in farming, including a guest sharing his experiences with suicidal ideation. We believe these stories matter, and we’re grateful for the honesty and bravery it takes to speak them out loud. That said, we want to offer a gentle content warning. If discussions of suicide or suicidal thoughts feel tender or could put your own wellbeing at risk right now, we encourage you to skip this episode or listen when you feel more supported. Your safety comes first. And most importantly, if you or someone you love is struggling, help is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In the UK, you can call 111 and select option 2 to access urgent mental health support. We have also shared all the necessary support organisations, and their contact details, in the show notes. If you’re elsewhere, please seek out local crisis services in your country. You’re not alone. It’s okay to ask for help. 🤎 To 🎧 tune in via the links in bio, either via a podcast app or online via the Acast website: /six-inches-of-soil-the-podcast/episodes/698b5247d4ce946316e97268 . All links via our website on media tab: /podcast #mindyourhead #listen #reachout

What a night. We can’t quite put in to words our gratitude and appreciation for the 200+ of you who came to support us and @rabicharity last night. Were were both stunned (and a touch overwhelmed). SO THANK YOU! We’re so grateful to Emily and Abi at @rheged_centre for the incredible event you and your team pulled together. To Paul and Alicia from @rabicharity for the fabulous hosting at your kinds words and to @rebeccawilsonfarming for joining us on the q&a and your brilliant insight in to the experience of farming today. None of this would be possible without our sponsors @lycettsinsurance @robinson_udale @herdwatch @sispitches @midsummerbarns @jtatkinsonbm @doddaccountants @rheged_centre Finally the biggest thank you to the truly epic @joeshellyy for sticking with us through bickers, Atlantic storms, strops and six hours of soggy rain. You truly are a the most talented wizard with that camera.

A week today we will be at @rheged_centre having had our first screening and our q&a with the brilliant @rebeccawilsonfarming to discuss mental health in farming. This is the whole reason we did this rather bonkers challenge, to raise awareness of the immense challenges facing farmers and the horrific toll this is taking on the community who are the bedrock of our society. Tickets are still available on the rheged website! Come join us from 7:30pm next Friday (30th Jan)!

In hindsight we maybe should have explained what on earth we were teasing before doing the teasing… So, let us properly introduce you to our mini film that the legendary @joeshellyy has made, following us along during our prep and the challenge itself. We are having a jazzy little screening of the film at @rheged_centre along with a Q&A with the brilliant @rebeccawilsonfarming . We will be discussing the Borderline, but more importantly, the actual challenge of mental health in the farming industry, all chaired by the @rabicharity team. Tickets are on sale now, link in the bio, or can be bought on the Rheged website! We’d very much love to see you all there!

One month to go till our q&a at @rheged_centre and the full screening of our mini doc! Link to tickets in our bio! Looking back on our challenge we’d both agree that our day cycling through Scotland was our most surprising one, the weather was unexpectedly perfect and the route took us through the incredible new Galloway forest giving us a dreamy stretch of quiet (and fast!) road. After the disappointment of having to abort the original swim plan it was the perfect pick me up.

Hello! Did you miss us? We have received an early Christmas present from the brilliant @joeshellyy with a few snippets from our mini documentary. This one feels very fitting to kickstart our series of teasers as we could not have even begun to think about the Borderline Challenge without the support of friends and family. On that doc... one of our sponsors @rheged_centre is kindly hosting us on the 30th of January for our first screening as well as a q&a with @rebeccawilsonfarming and the @rabicharity team. We’d love to have all of you join us!

Bet you thought you had heard the last of us! But after a week of intense sleeping, eating and avoiding exercise we are feeling to normal and have been able to spend some time reflecting on the Borderline Challenge. Travelling through the country side in all weathers, experiencing every kind of emotion, it drove home our “Why”. We were able to do this challenge because we had brilliant support always on hand. Someone to chuck a warm layer or some food at us, someone to treat our injuries, someone to help listen to us while we work out our urgent change in plans and the friendly faces to cheer us on and keep us going. These are things many in the farming community are missing and don’t have access to and this is why we chose to raise fund for @rabicharity who help provide this. Though we aren’t doing any more bonkers challenges (yet) we do have in the new year the excitement of a short documentary screening at @rheged_centre along with a q&a! More details on this to follow. To get us excited the truly epic @joeshellyy (who has been on this journey with us filming our training and our challenge) has shared the first cut of the trailer. We’re so chuffed with it and couldn’t be more grateful to Joe for all his work (as well as his immense patience and brilliant support during the challenge!) So please, enjoy and let us know what you think!