The Prince of Wales travelled to Herefordshire to visit the We Are Farming Minds charity, highlighting the importance of mental health support across the farming community and got stuck in the rain.
The Prince of Wales was in Herefordshire on Thursday to visit with the ‘We Are Farming Minds’ charity at Bridge End Farm in the village of Much Cowarne. It was a typical English rainy afternoon when the Prince dropped in to speak about farmers’ mental health and fulfilled a few tasks along the way.
As Prince William arrived, he was greeted by farm owners John and Laura Bowler, and founders of Farming Minds, Sam and Emily Stables. The group spoke over a mug of hot local cider about the burden which John had to face after unexpectedly taking over the 190-acre farm from his late father at the age of nineteen. The charity has supported the family farm over time.
William also had the opportunity to wish John’s grandmother, who occasionally works on the farm, a happy 92nd birthday ahead of her special day.
The Prince then had a real “lumberjack moment”, as he described it to the Hereford Times, when pruning a tree in the farm’s apple orchards. William remarked, “It’s going to be a tricky one up there!”, to which John Bowler agreed, “It always gets harder the higher up you get.”
Picture by Ryan Jenkinson / Kensington Palace
During a visit to the sheep pen, the heir to the throne was “mobbed” by the flock of animals as he entered. There, the Prince had a hand in feeding the sheep their lunch. A fence-building activity was scheduled but called off due to the persistent rain. Following the visit, the Prince privately took local farmers to a pub to discuss the “challenges they are facing in the industry.”
The founders of the We Are Farming Minds charity are tenants of the Duchy of Cornwall, which the Prince inherited after becoming the heir to the throne. The Duchy has been working with the Herefordshire-based charity, and others, as part of an ongoing ‘Mental Health Strategy’ announced in September 2023. The initiative was designed, in part by William himself, to “prioritise farmers’ mental health, as well as de-stigmatising it within the agricultural sector where one farmer loses their battle with mental health each week.”
“He’s incredibly empathetic, he worries about people and is a genuine, decent person, so everything he does to help us is immense and massively appreciated.”, said Sam Stables about Prince William
Farming can, at times, be a lonely profession where individuals are forced to contend with multiple external pressures and considerable uncertainty. January is particularly described as one of the “lowest” points for some. Sam Stables has stated how calls had more than doubled over the past year, with rising costs and inheritance tax. We Are Farming Minds provides a 24/7 support line, funded counselling, training, and social gatherings for those seeking mental health.
The Prince of Wales has been Patron of the charity since March 2025.
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