‘Nothing lasts forever, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel’ says Harper Adams student on mission to help others

The quotation from artist and author Vivian Greene is one which resonates with Tom York.

The Harper Adams University student, 21, had to cope with heartbreak of losing his mum Janet, when he was just five.

Life’s challenges – he was diagnosed with ADHD last year – have since led Tom to battle through his own mental health difficulties.

Thankfully, he says, his mindset has changed.

“I don’t want to dwell on the darkness, but the light that emerges from it,” he says.

Now he’s focused on using his own experiences to help others, including those within the farming community, which he is a part of.

Having worked on farms and in the wider agricultural industry alongside his studies, he says he can understand how the ‘highest highs and the lowest lows’ experienced by the sector can take their toll on a person’s psychological wellbeing.

As a result, he wants to raise awareness of mental health and urge people to remember they are not alone.

He has, therefore, opened up on his own mental health challenges. He also volunteers for The Farming Community Network.

FCN is a voluntary organisation and charity that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people in farming and provide support at times of difficulty and change. The charity has more than 300 volunteers from across the agricultural sector.

To support their work, Dan has taken on a new challenge which is demanding both mentally and physically.

On June 30, Tom will compete in a gruelling ‘Ultimate Triathlon.’ The challenge, often referred to as an ‘Ironman’, comprises a 2.4-mile open water swim, a 122-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, and takes place in Ellesmere, Shropshire – with athletes expected to take 10-18 hours to reach the finish line.

Just reading the description is enough to leave you sweating and out of breath and, incredibly, Tom has never competed in an Ironman before.

But he believes taking on the most gruelling of challenges is a way of highlighting the challenges of mental health in farming and beyond.

“We can turn the tide on mental health struggles, one stroke, one pedal, and one step at a time,” has been a message he has tried to focus on during his training.

“I wanted to do a personal challenge and a few people mentioned marathon or half marathon,” Tom says. “I am an active person and so I thought what could I do that might provide a tough physical and mental struggle.

“I had heard people talk about doing triathlon and Ironman events but I had never had to do anything longer than a football match. That has been the extent of endurance.

“When I said I was considering doing an Ironman, family and friends said ‘do a half Ironman’. But I just thought: ‘You know what, I will prove you wrong and I’ll do a full distance one. I signed up the next day an got into training.

“It’s been tough but that’s exactly what I wanted it to be. I wanted to try something that would challenge me. This Triathlon is my canvas to paint a story of triumph over adversity, a narrative that screams ‘you can push through’.”

Tom is an example of someone who has been able to ‘push through’ and overcome the negative thoughts he has faced.

The death of his mother when he was young, he admits now, was something he didn’t accept properly.

“I was quite naive and dismissive over the way it affected me growing up,” he says.

“I put on a brave face and didn’t speak to anyone about my feelings. I just told myself I was fine and I could cope with it on my own.

“That trauma caused my ADHD with a big symptom being emotional disregulation, struggling to cope and handle things under different emotions. It comes with its pros and cons – when I am happy I am the happiest person in the world."

“But, then, on the other side of it, hearing bad news or someone telling you you are not good enough, it feels like the end of the world.

“So I have faced this rollercoaster throughout life so far.”

BSc (Hons) Agri-business student Tom says that it has been his time on farming placement and while at university where he faced low points in his life which, he says, is why he is determined to champion the importance of mental health support in the agricultural industry.

A study by Farm Safety Foundation released in February revealed poor mental health among farmers and agricultural workers is of growing concern.

In a sample of 450 farmers under the age of 40, some 95 per cent told the charity that poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing the industry today.

Sharing his experiences, Tom reflects: “I studied agriculture at Reaseheath College and we had to do a placement for our second year.

“I moved three hours away from home at 17. I was ambitious at the time and thought it would be great – freedom, work and a full time wage.

“It was great for the first months but as winter rolled out, suddenly getting out and about was happening less and less.

“Work on the farm became monotonous and I started to focus on bad things going on. I would dwell on being three hours away from home, spending weekends on my own in a caravan. I didn’t really have many friends.

“It sent me into one of the lowest points I have been in. It’s sad when I look back because at 17, you should be out spending time with friends and meeting new people and socialising."

“But on your own, with your own thoughts, your mind can go to horrible places and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

“I also recall on placement the pressures my two bosses were under during one of the wettest autumns.

“They had a business to worry about and farming is not he most profitable industry to work in.

“Farming has low gross margins at the best of times and one external factor can send a business into ruins. So the pressures they face are immense and that’s why farming is a focus of my fundraising.”

Tom also faced his difficult times while at university with new social pressures and experiences.

Going out drinking would exacerbate problems rather than sparking enjoyment.

And then his friendship group at Harper Adams University was rocked by the devastation of losing one of their own to suicide.

The tragedy made Tom realise he had to act on his own mental health challenges and seek help at the university.

“If I’d realised how much help was available, I would have reached out much sooner,” he said.

“Now I want to encourage others to talk and I hope by doing this Ironman I can do that.

“I believe that the awareness you spread is as valuable, if not more so, than the money you raise.”

He has already raised more than £3,000 after setting a £500 target and said: “Every time I update the balance at see how much has been raised, my jaw drops. I am excited to see where it gets to.”

Tom will be cheered on by dad Rob, sister Sarah, step mum Emma and step sisters Erin and Daisy when he competes in the summer event.

And he says his father’s support has been an important part of his journey to overcoming his own demons.

“I always remember when at lowest point on placement, my dad said: ‘Nothing lasts forever and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel’.

“It stuck with me and I have replayed that in my head. There will be a time when things get better.

“I remember when I went home from placement, I was proud I had got through it but also realised my dad was right.

“I wish more people would understand that and give it a chance to come true. No issue is worth losing a life over and I want to help people realise that.”

You can sponsor Tom on his Ironman challenge by visiting justgiving.com/campaign/tom-york-ultimate-triathlon

Anyone in need of support can visit samaritans.org or call Samaritans on 116 123, with a listening service 24 hours a day.

You can also find support at fcn.org.uk, yellowwellies.org, papyrus-uk.org/ and mind.org.uk