SCHOOL EDITION 29 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 22
22
BALMORAL SHOW
FARMWEEK
MAY 16 2019
Thompsons unveils
charity partnership
with Marie Curie
NEW
CAMPAIGN:
Thompsons’
CEO Declan
Billington
is joined to
celebrate
the launch
of the charity
partnership
with Marie
Curie by RUAS
CEO Alan Crowe
and Marie
Curie’s Conor
O’Kane.
WITH a previous total of a staggering £60,000, Thompsons
has re-ignited its partnership with Marie Curie to continue
raising funds for a charity that touches the lives of many.
Thompsons is kick-starting its new campaign at this
week’s Balmoral Show by donating £1 for every cup of tea
or coffee served to customers who join staff on the stand.
Based in their usual location beside the cattle lawn,
Thompsons is enjoying meeting everyone to relax and
have an informal chat, while raising money for such a
worthwhile cause.
Offering care and support through terminal illness,
Marie Curie’s well known ‘Great Daffodil Appeal’ ensures
that more funds are available to provide nursing care
where and when it is needed. The instantly recognisable
daffodil pins are available at the Thompsons’ stand during
the show.
HSENI are ‘Keeping
Farming Families Safe’
T
HE Health and Safety Executive for
Northern Ireland is highlighting farm
health and safety issues under the
strapline ‘Keeping Farming Families
Safe’ at this year’s Balmoral Show.
As well as stressing the importance of
farm safety, the HSENI is hosting, along with
its Farm Safety Partnership associates, a
‘Keeping Farming Families Safe Treasure
Trail’ competition aimed at testing visitor’s
knowledge on safety around the farmyard,
and offering four iPads as prizes, one per day
of the show.
‘Child Farm Safety’ as well as ladder
safety and Power Take Off (PTO) guard
demonstrations, feature heavily on the stand
this year, with HSENI offering a wide range of
advice for farmers and their families, to help
educate them about the dangers lurking for
children on a farmyard. Girlguiding Ulster
is assisting on the stand showcasing their
commitment on promoting child farm safety.
Falls from height are a major cause of
accidents across all industries, and Polaris
Safety Training and Rescue is explaining how
to work safely when climbing and undertaking
short tasks when on a ladder.
PTOs are the power source for many
machines attached to and powered by tractors
– shafts can rotate at speeds up to 1,000rpm.
To highlight the danger attached to working
with PTOs, there is a series of demonstrations
on the proper and safe maintenance of a PTO
guard, and how to put a guard on a PTO.
Speaking ahead of the show, new HSENI
Chief Executive Robert Kidd said: “I am
delighted to have taken up the role of HSENI
Chief Executive and am looking forward to
I want to stress the need for all those who live
and work on our farms to be vigilant and ensure
that they routinely consider the risks around all of
their activities to ensure that both farm workers
and young children remain safe from harm
Robert Kidd, HSENI Chief Executive
meeting more of our stakeholders from the
agricultural industry during the Balmoral
Show.
“It is unfortunate that farming continues
to top the table for the largest number of
fatalities in the workplace. I want to stress
the need for all those who live and work on
our farms to be vigilant and ensure that they
routinely consider the risks around all of their
activities to ensure that both farm workers
and young children remain safe from harm.
“The role of my agricultural team is to not
only carry out inspection and enforcement,
but also to work alongside our education
officers to raise awareness of the dangers of
farming, and this is done in a variety of ways
beginning with children in primary schools
in rural areas, and seeking to continue that
engagement and education of farming as they
grow up.
“I would like to express my thanks to all of
our partners who assist and facilitate us in
farming issues, as well as paying tribute to
my own staff who carry out their work with
enthusiasm and dedication.”
The Farm Safety Partnership would like
to take this opportunity to acknowledge
the partnership’s joint working with Rural
Support on developing a handbook to assist
farmers and their families with dealing with
the pressures of farming. The book was
launched on the first day of the show.
Also at the stand this year, qualified nurses
from the Farm Families Health Checks
Programme screening van are offering free
health checks, which take approximately 15
minutes, and cover – blood pressure, weight
and body mass index (BMI), cholesterol,
mental well-being, diabetic risk and
cardiovascular risk.
The health checks also look at your lifestyle
and, where relevant, you will receive advice
tailored for you about smoking, healthy eating,
physical activity and alcohol consumption.
You will also receive a copy of your results,
and with your consent, a copy can be sent to
your GP.
Rural Support is providing information
on its services which help to address a
number of issues that can cause added
pressure for farmers, including – stress and
anxiety associated with increasing levels
of debt, farming paperwork, physical and
mental health concerns, severe weather and
changing family circumstances.
The HSENI/Farm Families Health Checks
Programme/Rural Support is at stand C67,
close to Stockman’s Restaurant.
To find out more about the ‘Stop and Think
SAFE’ campaign, or general farming health
and safety issues in Northern Ireland, contact
the HSENI Helpline on 0800 0320 121, visit
www.hseni.gov.uk or Twitter @Hsenigov.
For more information about the Farm
Families Health Checks Programme on
028 2563 5573 or email christina.faulkner@
northerntrust.hscni.net
For more information about Rural
Support contact the helpline on 0845
606 7607, visit www.ruralsupport.org.uk
or follow Twitter @RuralSupport.