A Year of Breaking New Ground: Alix Ritchie on Farmstrong Scotland in 2025

Blog from Alix Ritchie, Farmstrong Scotland Director:

As I reflect on the last 12 months, I keep coming back to one number: 4,000. That’s how many farmers and crofters that Farmstrong Scotland has engaged with, in person this year. From Orkney to the Borders, and Dumfries to Aberdeenshire, each one of those conversations has helped to reinforce our message - ‘your wellbeing is worth investing in’. 

This has been the charity's busiest and most transformative year yet - a year that proved the power of storytelling, the hunger for honest conversation, and the strength that comes from community. 

Farmstrong hasn’t just talked about supporting farmers - we took concrete steps, creating tools for change, that I believe will be remembered as turning points for agricultural wellbeing in Scotland. 

How's it Going? Meeting Farmers Where They Are 

In the summer we launched our interactive "How's it Going?" tool - a simple but powerful resource that allows farmers and crofters to check in on their own wellbeing 

A unique and innovative tool, in just a few minutes anyone can answer questions about how they're really doing and receive a personalised response with relevant content and support options tailored to their results. 

The beauty of this tool is its accessibility. Farmers and crofters can use it privately, on any device, in their own time - no pressure. It's a starting point for self-reflection and a bridge to further support, including signposting to one-to-one support services such as RSABI, Breathing Space and Samaritans. It can be used throughout the year, when the user might need different support for different areas, i.e. sleep or stress tips at lambing, or social suggestions after the busy show season has finished. The response has been remarkable, with many telling us it was the first time they'd taken the time to honestly assess their own wellbeing. 

Campaigns for Change

Throughout 2025, following feedback from last year’s survey results, we have created a whole suite of useful resources. With help from our new wellbeing experts, we’ve had in-depth campaigns focused on sleep, stress, and mindset, designed specifically to support those within the agricultural sector. 

Later in the year, and one of our proudest achievements of 2025 was launching what's been called a groundbreaking campaign for the industry. For too long, menopause has been the invisible challenge facing women, who make up a significant part of the workforce in farming and crofting - affecting their physical health, mental wellbeing, and ability to work, yet rarely discussed openly. The campaign gave women permission to talk about it, and men the chance to engage with it, and the response has been overwhelming. We have stories of women seeking advice and feeling seen, and men who now feel more equipped with the knowledge to better understand and support the women they work and live with.

The Movember Milestone 

Almost two years ago, when we partnered with Movember to launch Farmstrong in Scotland, we set an ambitious target to raise £700,000 to help build the foundations for a sustainable charity, expand our reach and develop new resources. Every pound that was raised was match funded by Movember. We were thrilled to reach that goal this year. This isn't just a number - it represents the trust that farmers, farming families, rural communities, and supporters across Scotland have placed in our work. It demonstrates their belief that wellbeing matters and that Farmstrong Scotland is making a real difference. A heartfelt thanks goes to each and every person who fundraised for Farmstrong.

With the Movember match funding now ended, we're excited to be launching our own fundraising initiatives to ensure Farmstrong can continue securing the core funding needed to run the programme. This next phase is essential for our future.

Looking Ahead

As we move into 2026, the challenges facing Scottish agriculture won't disappear. But I'm convinced we're building something sustainable - a culture where talking about wellbeing is as normal as talking about the weather or the markets and farmers and crofters openly share what they do to feel good and function well. 

The groundwork laid over the last year gives us a strong foundation, but it also brings us to a critical juncture. 

When we launch our new fundraising campaign in January, aligned with the Five Steps of Wellbeing, we will be calling on the industry to get behind us so that we can continue to make a difference. We will also build our Business Club and start growing our network of Farmstrong Supporters - encouraging individuals to get involved and champion the wellbeing message.

And as we come to the end of the year, I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who completed our latest survey. We are analysing this data, to be published in early 2026. We are really intrigued to find out how people are feeling, what they’re doing to support their wellbeing and how Farmstrong is facilitating that, and what other resources would help farmers and crofters to thrive.

We couldn’t be more excited to see where the next year takes us, but one thing is for sure, we will continue to champion the importance of living well, to farm and croft well.