Helpline's 'huge impact' on rural mental health

A rural mental health and suicide prevention charity's helpline has made a "huge impact" after running for a year.

The You Are Not Alone project, now known as 'YANA', provides mental health support for the agriculture and rural community.

The charity launched the helpline about a year ago to support people across East Anglia.

Claire Atherton, helpline manager at YANA, said: "We provide very much a listening ear and we've got a dedicated helpline that is Monday to Friday."

YANA offers mental health training for individuals and companies across East Anglia who are involved with agriculture and rural businesses.

The original service was started about 16 years ago after volunteers talked about their mental health worries while working in the agriculture sector.

YANA became an independent charity in 2020 and its helpline was previously just a voicemail service.

Ms Atherton said working in the agriculture and rural sector could be isolating due to some people working on their own.

"They [workers] are not able to share their feelings and emotions.

"Having somebody they can share their concerns with is a huge benefit and word of mouth is getting around now," she added.

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