Farm Safety Foundation honours mental health champions
As Mind Your Head Week ends (13 February), the Farm Safety Foundation has honoured four individuals across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for transforming rural mental health support and suicide prevention.
See also: New suicide prevention training targets farming crisis
Melinda Raker MBE
Melinda Raker MBE © Farm Safety Foundation
Melinda Raker MBE, founder and former patron of charity You Are Not Alone (Yana), has been named England’s Mind Your Head Hero.
In 2008, she established the East Anglia-based charity to provide confidential support and mental health awareness across farming and rural communities.
Yana has become a key source of support in the region, offering practical help and promoting open discussion around mental health.
Her initiatives have included co-creating Everything Stops for Tea in aid of Marie Curie, and championing Yana’s TRACTOR – 7 Tractor Facts to Save a Life – a credit-card-sized suicide awareness tool.
Ms Raker has also served as a former patron of Marie Curie Norfolk, is an ambassador for the Big C, an honorary vice-president of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, and a supporter of the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
She was awarded an MBE in recognition of her charitable work.
Kenny Hanna
Reverend Kenny Hanna © Farm Safety Foundation
Reverend Kenny Hanna has been recognised in Northern Ireland for his work supporting farming families.
With a background in agriculture and continuing part-time farming, he has delivered wellbeing initiatives in livestock marts, community halls and churches.
His work has included collaboration with multiple agencies to ensure support is accessible in rural settings.
Victoria Ross of Rural Support said: “Kenny’s unwavering dedication, compassion and tireless commitment to supporting farm families, often at their most challenging moments, truly sets him apart.
“He consistently puts the thoughts, feelings and wellbeing of others first, offering guidance, reassurance and a listening ear whenever it is needed.”
Jim Hume
Jim Hume © Farm Safety Foundation
Jim Hume, director of public affairs and communications at Change Mental Health, has been named Scotland’s Mind Your Head Hero 2026.
With a background in farming and previous leadership roles with NFU Scotland, he founded and convenes the National Rural Mental Health Forum, connecting more than 200 organisations.
He has chaired the WCF Health and Wellbeing Forum since 2019 and helped bring rural mental health issues to the Scottish Parliament, including through the first mental health summit hosted there.
Alix Ritchie, director of Farmstrong Scotland, said: “Jim has been a tremendous supporter of Farmstrong’s mission to strengthen wellbeing in the Scottish agricultural community.
“His deep rural connections and unwavering commitment to collaborative working have amplified the charity’s impact and helped ensure the voices of farmers and crofters are heard where it matters most.”
Emma O’Sullivan
Emma O’Sullivan © Farm Safety Foundation
Emma O’Sullivan, founder of The DPJ Foundation, has been named Wales’s Mind Your Head Hero.
Following the suicide of her husband Daniel Picton Jones in 2016, she established the charity to reduce stigma and provide support within the farming community.
Since 2018, the foundation’s Share the Load helpline and counselling service has delivered professional support to more than 1,400 people.
Its Hywel Davies lorry and Lori y Gogledd mobile units have provided health checks and confidential support to more than 2,500 people, while more than 5,000 individuals have attended mental health awareness sessions across Wales.
Ms O’Sullivan received a Pride of Britain Award in recognition of her work.
