The DPJ Foundation is launching their “DPJ Big BBQ” campaign at this year’s Royal Welsh Show. This campaign aims to combat rural isolation by bringing families and communities together whilst raising funds for the DPJ Foundation. The agricultural mental health charity wants people to host a barbecue in their own communities, to bring people together in a relaxed setting and take time out from their busy lives.
Around one third of all calls to the DPJ Foundation’s confidential “Share the Load” helpline are from callers who are feeling lonely or isolated. The “5 Ways to Wellbeing” that are backed by the NHS recommend “connecting with others” and “giving to others” as two of the ways to improve your mental health and wellbeing. With this in mind, the DPJ Foundation has come up with the idea of the DPJ Big BBQ to connect communities and improve mental health.
They have created a Big BBQ Pack that is full of ideas and resources and which is available to download from their website to help you host your own Big BBQ.
The DPJ Foundation’s Charity Manager Kate Miles is thrilled to see the campaign launching at this year’s Royal Welsh Agricultural Show:
“We know that isolation is an issue for farmers and rural communities and can have a massive impact on mental health. It can be hard to take time out to relax when you’re busy, but we know that it is vitally important for boosting resilience. We came up with the Big BBQ idea as we wanted a fun way to bring people together, whilst also allowing them to raise funds for our charity if they’d like. We hope to see DPJ Big BBQs taking place right across the country!”
Kate also added: “It’s a great way to back Welsh farming and enjoy some local produce too.”
As well as launching the campaign at the Royal Welsh Show, the charity will also be hoping to inspire budding BBQ chefs, with a “cook off” in collaboration with Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales taking place at 11:30am on Tuesday, 25th July on the Hybu Cig Cymru stand. Join them there to get involved and learn more about healthy eating and mental health.
You can visit The DPJ Foundation’s stand at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show to download your Big BBQ pack and pick up a free pair of sunglasses (which is at the NFU Cymru stand alongside the main ring) or you can visit The DPJ website: www.thedpjfoundation.co.uk/bigbbq to find out more.
