About This Booklet

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The Men’s Health Forum have been producing health information for the farming community for many years. Fit For Farming has appeared in many versions including a Welsh language one. It is designed to support those working on farms to keep well and age healthily. This particular version of Fit Farming probably began in 2012. Building on the oirginal Fit For Farming written by Dr Ian Banks, it was developed with theYorkshire Rural Support Network, supported by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Farming Life Centre (Blackwell, Derbyshire). It was revised again in 2015 by various organisations led by the Farming Community Network, who had used the original booklet extensively to help promote good mental and physical health in farming.

Fit For Farming was ostensibly aimed at men but recognising the supreme contribution made by women to farming, in 2019, the Farming Community Network decided to produce a manual specifically aimed at women farmers. This new edition of Fit For Farming combines existing content with sections from the Men’s Health Forum’s popular Woman manual and new material. Thanks to all the farmers who helped produce it.

Text by Ian Banks, Lee Rodwell and Jim Pollard with additional material from the Derbyshire Rural Life Centre, Yorkshire Rural Support Network and the Farming Community Network. Edited by Jim Pollard. Cartoons by Audrey Quinton. Thanks to gizmo-the-bandit, Mark C, FaceMePLS, dualdflipflop, Bruno Padhila, Aidan Sally, Tony Alter, Vikram Vetrival, Davbe Collier, lisibo, Martin Pettitt, Alexander Baxevanis, Pam Loves Pie, Shélin Graziela, Jo@net and lydia_shiningbrightly who were all kind enough to make their images available through the Creative Commons. (If this is not the case, please contact us.) Full credits, links and licences at: menshealthforum.org.uk/MMreferences The authors and the publisher have taken care to make sure that the advice given in this edition is correct at the time of publication. We advise you to read and understand the instructions and information included with all medicines and to carefully consider whether a treatment is worth taking. The authors and the publisher have no legal responsibility for the results of treatments, misuse or overuse of the remedies in this book or their level of success in individual cases.

The author and the publisher do not intend this book to be used instead of advice from a medical practitioner, which you should always get for any symptom or illness. Published: March 2020 Revision date: March 2023