28 Not Out - Nigel Owens MBE and Patrick Foster share their mental health journeys with students at Hartpury College as part of an important Max Hunter Fund Programme
28 Not Out - The Mintridge Foundation Opens Important Discussions at Hartpury College
“Physically I was fit, mentally I was struggling!”
“Who do you tell when you’ve always been the person who couldn’t talk to people about anything?”
The inspirational Nigel Owens MBE and Patrick Foster shared their stories and mental health journeys during our recent Max Hunter Fund Programme and special ‘Men’s Mental Health’ evening at Hartpury College.
We loved reaching both the agricultural and sports students with Nigel and Patrick’s empowering stories and sharing some insights into the lives of these two figureheads and mental health advocates, thanks to the support from the Max Hunter Fund.
“Unless you admit that you are struggling, then you won’t accept it and move on or take action!”
“When you are faced with a problem, you run away. What you actually need to do is to address the problem and get your support network involved.”
In memory of Max Hunter, who died by suicide in 2019, the Max Hunter Fund has been created to support young people with their mental health in the world of sport and agriculture, to challenge stereotypes, and make a change in a world where there is currently a mental health pandemic.
Mental health affects everyone, and this particular programme at Hartpury College highlights the importance and need to support young men and women interested in sports and agriculture.
It was essential for us to work with the agriculture students at Hartpury during our programme as we are aware of some of the unique challenges people working within the farming and agricultural industry face every day.
Here are some of the challenges we know about, and we know the list keeps increasing:
Extreme weather conditions / poor harvests / supply chain shortages / a global pandemic / solitary working environments / Anti Meat Agenda / feed bills / generational family expectations / male dominated / stigma
We delivered this programme in the lead up to Mental Health Awareness Week, and this was the perfect opportunity to welcome some open discussions about mental health.
Our speakers for this special evening had plenty to say on this year’s theme of ‘Anxiety’ and how the students in the room can support themselves and those around them after hearing their stories.
The students in the room were stunned by Nigel and Patrick’s openness and vulnerability, especially when discussing their mental health challenges on and off the sporting field.
Suicide and mental health continue to be incredibly difficult topics to talk about, particularly for young people and through the Max Hunter Fund, the Mintridge Foundation is determined to change this narrative.
“Don’t try to be perfect, as it isn’t achievable.”
“I didn’t tell them the truth because I was scared and I didn’t want to let anyone down.”
Nigel Owens MBE is one of the world’s best rugby referees and a successful agricultural farmer. His journey to these highlights hasn’t been smooth, especially when he faced his own identity and mental health crisis. Nigel openly shared with the students some of the highs and extreme lows he has faced on his journey and really opened everyone’s eyes to what they can do to support those around them and also protect themselves from going through what Nigel experienced.
“Rugby is a sport I love. It accepted me and respected me more than I ever thought it would, and that was what I was most scared of!”
With those stories of the lows, Nigel also shared the extreme highs with the students in the room, who were keen to learn more about how he can make tough decisions and be physically fit on the pitch but be mentally unfit off the pitch.
“If you try to be perfect, the perfect will become the enemy of the good.”
Nigel’s words of wisdom and powerful story resonated with the rugby teams and agricultural students who attended our evening.
After a short break, the students welcomed Patrick to share his journey in high-performance sport and the moment gambling took hold of his life.
Patrick Foster shared his lived experiences of addiction and mental health with the students. He enlightened them on the dangers of neglecting their mental health when faced with adversity on their journeys.
With the lows have been some incredible learnings and life-affirming moments, and Patrick shared some brilliant insights with the students about what they can do to support themselves and others in all areas of their lives; simple changes to our dialogue with friends to grasping the opportunities that life presents you.
“This was the worst thing that ever happened to me but it changed my life forever.”
Patrick shared his story with raw emotion and vulnerability, which really hit home with the students involved in our day. Key themes remained throughout about how we can all maintain and improve our mental health but remain true to the fun and close environment that team sports and being part of a community can bring.
We are so pleased that this vital fund enabled us to travel to Hartpury College, a college with both a sports and agricultural focus, to support those just like Max, and highlight the help available for the agricultural community.
Thank you very much to Nigel Owens MBE and Patrick Foster for helping us in our mission to harness the power of sporting role models and tackling physical and mental well-being in young people.
Resources and guidance for supporting your mental health can be found via this link.
28 Not Out - The Max Hunter Fund Help & Advice Page — The Mintridge Foundation
Please contact The Mintridge Foundation for any further information about the Max Hunter Fund or our programmes with our team of Ambassadors.
Patrick and Nigel both shared their thoughts, lessons and valuable tips on supporting your own mental health, as well as sharing other resources with the students like this video from Joe Marler and his “Big Boys Don’t Cry” documentary.
You can find out more about the Max Hunter Fund here. Other resources shared on the day included:
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as Fitswarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
The Mintridge Foundation
Unit 4, Shieling Court
Northfolds Road
Corby
Northants
NN18 9QD
Tel: +44 (0) 1536 447106
www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk
