In January of this year, Delta Agribusiness came on board as both a partner and a sponsor to enable the expansion of the service into other country towns.

The focus for Active Farmers remains the same – to improve mental health of farmers and rural communities through group fitness.

With the support of Delta Agribusiness, the Active Farmers service has been established in 9 country towns, with another 3 to start by the end of the year. 

Active Farmers Managing Director, Ginny Stevens, said she is excited about the expansion plans but there is some work to do ahead, and is calling on rural communities to get involved. 

“At Active Farmers, we believe that to have a positive impact on mental health improvement, we need as many towns as possible to be involved,” she said.

“We are on the lookout for new communities who are keen to see the Active Farmers service in their town, as well as personal trainers to facilitate the service.”

At the end of the day, finding great community minded personal trainers is what makes the service a success and there is nothing more rewarding than providing a service to a small country town to help build a stronger sense of community and resilience,” Ginny said.

To compliment the group fitness service, Active Farmers will be delivering workshops focusing on nutrition, financial wellbeing and rural mindfulness to the network. These workshops are all tailored to have a proactive approach to mental health in regional areas.

Developed by Ginny Stevens in Mangoplah two years ago, Active Farmers classes are designed to suit all levels of fitness and ability, and to provide a fun and welcoming environment that encourages both participation and socialisation.

“By improving physical health and social interaction mental health naturally improves, which is the ultimate goal of the Active Farmers service,” Mrs Stevens said.