Britain's Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, on Saturday unveiled plans to work with a local charity to deliver a new mental health programme to support those on the royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England.
The couple's Kensington Palace office said the collaboration with Norfolk and Waveney Mind will boost mental health support for the rural and farming communities of Northwest Norfolk.
Prince William and Kate, both 42, are co-funding the new pilot scheme as additional mental health support to combat rural isolation and poor mental health.
"We are all too aware of the specific mental health challenges faced by people in rural settings, particularly those in the farming community," said Sonja Chilvers, Interim CEO of Norfolk and Waveney Mind.
"We're delighted to be working with The Prince and Princess of Wales, who know our Northwest Norfolk communities well, and we are keen to see the difference that this pilot will make to local people's mental health," she said.
"Our innovative new partnership will drive proactive outreach and preventative measures to the whole community and form a vital step in better protecting the wellbeing of local people. If successful, it could be used as an example and replicated in other rural estates and communities across the UK," she said.
The partnership comes as the charity launches its Talking Therapies service of free counselling for people experiencing anxiety and depression. The new pilot will have the potential to reach across the 1,500 strong community in Northwest Norfolk, nearly half of whom live on the royal Sandringham Estate. It will officially launch in 2025 and run for two years to provide two part-time roles, including one Rural Mental Health Coordinator and one Counsellor.
"The pilot programme will also involve the roll out of mental health training to local employers so that members of the community can be better supported at looking after their mental health before they hit crisis point. It is also hoped the project can become a blueprint for sustainable rural mental health funding, which if successful could be rolled out to other rural estates across the UK," Kensington Palace said.
As well as boosting local provision of direct, face-to-face counselling and drop-in sessions, the scheme will run targeted sessions for different members of the community, including parent and toddler groups, menopause and men's groups. The aim will be to provide support in a "safe, non-judgemental environment, and build supportive relationships between attendees".
It is hoped that the pilot can be a blueprint for sustainable rural mental health funding which could then be rolled out across other estates across the country.
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