Northern Trust marks 20 years of transforming rural health and wellbeing across Northern Ireland

Promoting a three-day health check event at Ballymena Livestock Mart, back in 2010, before the official launch of a Northern Ireland wide Farm Families Health Checks service, Dr Brian Hunter, Kate Cairns (UFU), Yvonne Carson, and Sam McNabney, Ballymena Livestock Mart.

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is marking 20 years of dedicated work to improve the health and wellbeing of rural communities, with a legacy that has grown from local pilot projects into region-wide programmes now supporting thousands of people across Northern Ireland.

From farmers’ health checks at livestock markets to rural men’s support initiatives and choirs bringing isolated communities together, the Trust is reflecting on two decades of work that has directly addressed longstanding barriers faced by people living and working in rural areas.

At the heart of that work has been a focus on the farming community, where long hours, physically demanding work and limited access to healthcare have often made early intervention and preventative support difficult.

Christina Faulkner, Doreen Bolton, Leah Glass and Yvonne Carson from the Northern Trust’s Health and Wellbeing team, who play a key role in rural health initiatives.

Yvonne Carson, the Trust’s Rural Health and Wellbeing Manager, said the milestone offers an opportunity to look back on how far the service has come.

“Coming from a farming background myself I knew there was more we could be doing and our main aim was to help address the health needs of our large farming community.

“With limited access to healthcare due to long hours, busy working schedules and no access to an occupational health service, we needed to develop specific ways to protect and enhance their health and wellbeing, and we’re very proud of how this has developed over the past 20 years.”

A 20-year legacy rooted in Ballymena

The Trust’s work with rural communities began with direct engagement across the farming sector and quickly developed into a flagship health and wellbeing event at the Ross Park Hotel in Ballymena, organised in partnership with the Ulster Farmers Union.

More than 100 members of the farming community attended the event, gathering for supper, health information, wellbeing talks and safety advice, alongside the opportunity to undergo health checks.

The response was overwhelmingly positive and laid the foundations for what would become one of the region’s most recognised rural health initiatives.

Yvonne Carson and Caroline Finlay, Diabetic Nurse Specialist, pictured in 2010 at the three-day health checks event held at Ballymena Livestock Mart, precursor to the Farm Families Health Check service.

That early success ultimately led to the creation of the Farm Families Health Checks Programme, which was officially launched in 2012.

Today, the programme is a familiar presence at rural events and livestock markets across Northern Ireland, delivering frontline support directly into the communities that need it most.

Managed and coordinated by Team North nurses Doreen Bolton and Christina Faulkner, the service remains led by the Northern Trust and has now supported an extraordinary 30,000 people.

The programme is funded through the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Programme and the Public Health Agency.

Expanding from health checks to community connection

The Farm Families Health Checks team pictured at Balmoral Show in 2023.

What began as a focused response to healthcare access in farming communities has since evolved into a much broader programme of rural support.

Over the past two decades, the Trust has developed a wide range of initiatives designed not only to improve health outcomes but also to tackle loneliness, social isolation and community resilience.

These have included farm safety events, programmes focused on the wider farm family, cookery demonstrations and collaborative community events.

In 2018, the Trust helped develop the model for a rural men’s project with Cullybackey Medical Practice, a scheme which later became the foundation for Plough On.

Yvonne Carson pictured at a booklet launch in 2019 with representatives from Larne’s Focus on the Farm Family group, Glenravel Wise Women and the Rural Older and Active Men’s Group.

The same year also saw the formation of the Farmers’ Choir, created in partnership with the Ulster Farmers Union to mark its 100th anniversary.

Both projects reflected a growing recognition that rural wellbeing extends far beyond clinical healthcare, encompassing mental health, social connection and shared community spaces.

Growing focus on rural women and carers

More recently, the Trust’s work has expanded to highlight the role of rural women, whose contributions to farming families and rural life are often overlooked.

This has included projects such as a supper club in Cullybackey, celebration events, a rural women’s choir in Moneymore, Pilates sessions and support initiatives for carers.

The expansion signals an increasingly holistic approach to rural health, recognising the pressures experienced by women, carers and families living in often isolated settings.

For many communities, these initiatives have provided not just support services but opportunities for social contact and connection.

A trip down memory lane – the Northern Trust’s Yvonne Carson and Leesa Houston pictured with partners at the first health and wellbeing event for the rural community held in 2006 in the Rosspark Hotel, David Lowe (representing HSENI) John Thompson (representing UFU), Blainaid McKinney (representing Rural Support) and Dr Brian Hunter.

Yvonne Carson said that bringing people together has been central to the success of the programme.

“20 years seems a good time to look back and reflect on what has been achieved.

“I have watched projects grow and flourish over time and feel very proud that as a rural dweller, so much has been achieved for our rural communities.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to do a job I love and am passionate about. Key to our success has been the strong partnerships we have with the many rural organisations we work alongside, as well as the commitment and enthusiasm of Trust colleagues, especially those within the Trust’s Rural Health Forum, who support this work.

“I’ve tried to look for the gaps in service provision and develop initiatives which not only benefit people but bring them together socially, be it to enjoy physical activity, singing or sharing food.

“It is important that as a Health and Social Care Trust, we value and support our rural communities as well as create a better public understanding of key challenges.”

A model that has grown beyond its roots

The Trust said many of its early pilot projects have since developed into initiatives operating on a much wider scale across Northern Ireland.

That growth reflects both the scale of need in rural communities and the success of programmes first developed locally.

From Ballymena to markets and agricultural events across the region, the impact of the Trust’s rural health work has become deeply embedded in community life.

As it marks the 20-year milestone, the Northern Trust is positioning the anniversary not simply as a moment of reflection, but as recognition of a long-term commitment to addressing the unique challenges faced by rural communities.

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At a glance

• Northern Trust is marking 20 years of rural health and wellbeing work

• Early work began with farming sector engagement in Ballymena

• A flagship event at Ross Park Hotel attracted more than 100 attendees

• Farm Families Health Checks Programme officially launched in 2012

• The programme now operates across Northern Ireland

• 30,000 people have used the service to date

• Managed by Team North nurses Doreen Bolton and Christina Faulkner

• Additional initiatives include Plough On and Farmers’ Choir

• Recent projects focus on rural women, carers and social isolation

• Funding comes from DAERA’s TRPSI Programme and the PHA