Farmer stepped over dad's body to feed calves
George Atwell, from North Somerset, said things "got too much" after he had to step over his dad's body to go to work in 2016, and his mum then died in 2018.
"My father passed away in the farmhouse, in the kitchen," he said. "We had calves out in the shed that needed to be fed; I was walking over my father to go to feed the cattle. There's no other industry that would be doing that."
Mr Atwell said he wanted others to know "it's OK not to be OK" after he was supported by the Farming Community Network (FCN), which sent a farmer to help him daily for two months.
Data from the Farm Safety Foundation suggests 95% of young farmers believe mental health is the biggest issue facing the industry.
"The industry faces many stress factors, which are placing increasing pressure on workers and putting them at greater risk of mental ill health," the foundation said.
"These include extended amounts of time working in isolation, a blurring between work and home life, and financial uncertainty."
More news stories for Bristol
Watch the latest Points West
Listen to the latest news for Bristol
Mr Atwell said he went through a rough patch shortly before the pandemic, when the loss of his parents caught up with him.
Despite the heartbreak he had experienced, he said he needed to get on with farming, which is "full of problems" to deal with, such as "the weather, animals dying, making animals better".
Mr Atwell said it had been reaching the point where he was unable to sleep.
"I was trying to do everything, be 'the big I am'," he said.
"I was terrified to leave the farm, I had hot sweats."
Mr Atwell's wife could see something was not right and he went to the doctor for medication to help him with his mental health.
"I didn't feel normal but, thanks to the support of the farming community, the local farmer that was coming to see me everyday, I managed to turn it around," Mr Atwell said.
"It's OK not to be OK and hopefully others can take something from what I'm saying."
'Here to help'
Alex Phillimore, head of communications and development at FCN, said the group arranges farm visits to talk to farmers and families and "act as a neutral third party".
"FCN is here 365 days of the year to listen, to support and to 'walk with' our farming community through any concerns or worries, whether they are personal or business-related," he said.
"Our wide network of volunteers understand farming life and its unique pressures and are here to help you find a way forward."
Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Popular care farm wants to help more children
Leaving acting for a return to farming 'saved me'
Related Internet Links
Farm Safety Foundation
Farming Community Network
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Common pill you can buy for pennies could ward off Alzheimer's
Omega fatty acids, found in certain fish or taken as a supplement, could potentially help ward off Alzheimer's disease in women, a new study suggests. Researchers found that lipids – fat molecules in the body – are different in women with Alzheimer's and those without. But they stressed that more work was needed to see whether 'shifting the lipid composition can influence the biological trajectory' of the disease. Scientists from Kings College London and Queen Mary University London, examined blood samples taken from 841 people, including 306 people with Alzheimer's; 165 with mild cognitive impairment and 370 healthy people. They discovered that there was a noticeable loss of unsaturated fats, including those that contain omega fatty acids, in the blood of women with Alzheimer's disease compared to healthy women, according to the study, which has been published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. READ MORE: People urged to put bowl of water on windowsill as heatwave hits Wales READ MORE: Lucy Letby has 'new hope' as barrister prepares to submit appeal file They also noted a steep increase in lipids with saturation – also known as 'unhealthy lipids' – in women with Alzheimer's compared to women without. But there was no difference between these fat molecules between men with, and without, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's – which researchers say could help deepen knowledge about why more women than men are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. 'Women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer's disease and are more often diagnosed with the disease than men after the age of 80,' said senior author of the study Dr Cristina Legido-Quigley, from King's College London. One of the most surprising things we saw when looking at the different sexes was that there was no difference in these lipids in healthy and cognitively impaired men, but for women this picture was completely different. 'The study reveals that Alzheimer's lipid biology is different between the sexes, opening new avenues for research. Our study suggests that women should make sure they are getting omega fatty acids in their diet – through fatty fish or via supplements. 'However, we need clinical trials to determine if shifting the lipid composition can influence the biological trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease.' Dr Asger Wretlind, first author of the study from King's College London, said: 'Although this still warrants further research, we were able to detect biological differences in lipids between the sexes in a large cohort, and show the importance of lipids containing omegas in the blood, which has not been done before. 'The results are very striking and now we are looking at how early in life this change occurs in women.' Dr Julia Dudley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, which funded the study along with LundbeckFonden, said: 'In the UK, two in three people living with dementia are women. 'This could be linked to living longer, or other risk factors like social isolation, education, or hormonal changes from the menopause being at play. While this study shows that women with Alzheimer's had lower levels of some unsaturated fats compared with men, further work is needed. 'This includes understanding the mechanisms behind this difference and finding out if lifestyle changes, including diet could have a role.' People can consume omega-3 fatty acids by eating fatty fish including salmon, mackerel or sardines, or by taking a supplement. It comes as a separate study found that children who had a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may have a reduced risk of short sightedness. The study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, examined data on 1,005 Chinese children aged between six and eight years, including their eye sight and regular surveys about their diet. Overall 28% of children had myopia. Researchers from Hong Kong found that a higher consumption of omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a lower risk of the condition.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alabama teacher calls state's new law banning phones in class ‘magic'
An Alabama teacher has lauded the benefits of a new state law banning cell phones in school classrooms. 'It's magic,' Tuscaloosa County High School 11th-grade history teacher Jonathan Buchwalter said in a TikTok earlier this month that reached nearly two million views. Across the U.S., thirty-three states have enacted legislation regarding school cellphone usage, amid a growing effort to restrict students' smartphone access in schools, over concerns about mental health and academic attentiveness, according to Ballotpedia. 'Today, all of my students, 100% of them, took notes in my class, did their assignment, asked for help when they got stuck, and turned it in, and then when they were done, they talked to each other,' he said. Buchwalter explained it was still early days, and a complete assessment of the legislation's impact could only be determined at the end of the school year. 'I have been pulling my hair out for like, eight years. Has it been this easy a solution the whole time?' Buchwalter asked his followers in the video. Just days before Buchwalter revealed the benefits in his classroom, two studies identified links between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and depression, anxiety, and insomnia in teenagers. Almost half of teens have admitted to being online constantly, according to 2024 data from the Pew Research Center. While 72% said they sometimes or frequently check their notifications from the minute they wake up. 'They're chemically addicted to their phones,' Buchwalter said, adding, 'They cannot experience anything that isn't constant stimulation.' As of July this year, 26 states – Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Ohio, Oregon, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia – enforced a full ban or cellphone limit in classrooms. Other state departments, including the Connecticut Department of Education, the Kansas Department of Education, and the Washington Department of Education, have opted to create policies that limit classroom usage. Meanwhile, Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order encouraging districts to limit cellphones in schools. In Alaska, Colorado, and Minnesota, legislation requires K-12 public school districts to adopt policies around student cellphone use; however, the laws do not specify how the policies should be implemented. Back in February, the National Center for Education Statistics outlined the benefits of the bans. 'The latest School Pulse Panel data underscore that school leaders see cell phones as more than just a classroom distraction,' said NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr. 'With 53 percent of school leaders reporting negative impacts of cell phone use on academic performance, and even more citing negative impacts on students' mental health and attention spans, schools are facing a critical issue. Schools are responding with practical solutions, like banning or restricting phone use.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
First new treatment for advanced bladder cancer in decades given green light
A new treatment for advanced bladder cancer which doubles survival time has been given the green light for NHS use. Experts said the approval of the new treatment combination would bring a 'fundamental shift' in care for patients with late-stage disease, saying that until now, the treatment for advanced bladder cancer had not significantly changed since the 1980s. They said there had been real 'unmet need' for patients with advanced disease, with some 29% of people diagnosed with stage 4 cancer – when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body – surviving for a year after diagnosis. It is estimated that 1,250 people a year could benefit from the treatment. The new treatment combination includes enfortumab vedotin, an antibody-drug which is also known as Padcev, made by Astellas and Pfizer – with pembrolizumab, a drug known as a PD-L1 inhibitor, also known as Keytruda, which is made by Merck. Clinical trials suggest that the treatment combination, when tested against platinum-based chemotherapy, led to improved survival for patients. 'Prior to the EV-302 clinical trial, the treatment of advanced bladder cancer treatment hadn't significantly changed since the 1980s,' Professor Thomas Powles, director of Barts Cancer Institute Biomedical Research Centre (QMUL), UK and primary investigator on the trial, said. 'This guidance will fundamentally reshape first-line treatment for eligible patients.' Trial data indicated that patients who took the treatment combination survived for an average of 33.8 months compared to 15.9 months with chemotherapy. Researchers also measured the amount of time people survived without their disease worsening – also known as progression-free survival – and found that people on the combination treatment had just more than a year of progression-free survival compared to half-a-year for those on standard treatment. Three in 10 (30%) patients had a so-called 'complete response' when getting the combination treatment – meaning there was no evidence of cancer remaining. This was compared to 14.5% of those who received chemotherapy. One patient said that taking part in the trial had given him more time with his grandson. Martyn Hewett, 75, from Stratford, east London, received the combination treatment on a trial at Barts Health NHS Trust after surgery to remove his tumours failed. He said: 'I feel very, very lucky, because if I hadn't been on this trial, I imagine I would be dead by now. 'Immediately after the operation that failed, I asked the doctor what the prognosis was, and he said, most people in your position live for a year, and now, three-and-a-half years later here I am. 'I am going to have an extra few years to see my grandson grow up – and maybe even be around to see him get married.' The treatment combination will now be available for NHS patients in England following the approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) for patients with 'unresectable or metastatic urothelial cancer for people who are eligible for platinum-containing chemotherapy' and is given as an IV infusion in hospitals or clinics. Dr Timir Patel, medical director of Astellas UK, said: 'The guidance from Nice is excellent news for patients. 'Advanced bladder cancer is in an area where there is a real unmet need. 'This combination therapy changes the standard of care for doctors and their patients.' Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: 'This is a highly promising and effective new drug, with clinical trial results highlighting the tremendous difference it could make to the length and quality of people's lives. 'Advanced bladder cancer is a devastating condition which can have a substantial impact on people's daily lives, often leading to them struggling to work, travel or maintain physical activity.' Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said: 'This is one of the most hopeful advances in decades for people with bladder cancer who will now be offered a treatment that can almost double their chances of survival, helping thousands to live longer and giving them more precious moments with their loved ones. 'Bladder cancer is often difficult to treat once it has spread, but this new therapy is the first one in years to really help stop the disease in its tracks, and our rollout to NHS patients will make a huge difference to the lives of those affected and their families.' Jeannie Rigby, chief executive of charity Action Bladder Cancer UK, said: 'This new drug has the potential to increase how long people have before their cancer gets worse and how long they live compared with the current, limited, treatment choices available.' Around 18,000 people in England are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year.
