Northern Trust celebrates 20 years of care in rural communities
The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is looking back with pride on a remarkable 20 years of outstanding commitment to the rural community.
From improving access to healthcare to developing programmes that have helped build and strengthen our rural communities, the Trust has led the way by championing rural wellbeing and providing tangible solutions to key challenges.
Many of the Trust’s early pilot projects have since grown into regional initiatives, including the Farm Families Health Check Programme, a rural men’s group, and Farmers’ Choir NI.
Reflecting on this success, the Trust’s Rural Health and Wellbeing Manager Yvonne Carson said: “Coming from a farming background myself I knew there was more we could be doing and our main aim was to help address the health needs of our large farming community.
“With limited access to healthcare due to long hours, busy working schedules and no access to an occupational health service, we needed to develop specific ways to protect and enhance their health and wellbeing, and we’re very proud of how this has developed over the past 20 years.”
Initial engagement with key representatives within the farming industry resulted in a flagship health and wellbeing event in the Ross Park Hotel, Ballymena, organised in conjunction with Ulster Farmers Union. Over 100 members of the farming community gathered to have supper together, access information and hear from key speakers on health, wellbeing and safety. The event also included an opportunity to have health checks carried out, leading to hugely positive feedback from the audience.
The evening proved to be an overwhelming success, and it paved the way for the well-established Farm Families Health Checks programme which can now be found at rural events and livestock markets across Northern Ireland, thanks to funding from DAERA and the Public Health Agency.
The service was officially launched in 2012, and the Northern Trust remains at the forefront with the service managed and coordinated by Team North nurses Doreen Bolton and Christina Faulkner. To date, an incredible 30,000 people have been through its doors.
Over time, a plethora of other programmes followed, including farm safety events, focus on the farm family programmes, cookery demos, and even a joint book launch. The model for the rural men’s project with Cullybackey Medical Practice, now the basis of Plough On, was developed in 2018 and the same year saw the formation of the Farmers’ Choir, a partnership with Ulster Farmers Union to mark its 100th anniversary.
In recent times, there’s been a focus on rural women and the important, though often overlooked role, they play within our rural communities with projects including a supper club in Cullybackey, celebration events and a rural women’s choir in Moneymore, along with Pilates and initiatives for carers.
Yvonne added: “20 years seems a good time to look back and reflect on what has been achieved. I have watched projects grow and flourish over time and feel very proud that as a rural dweller, so much has been achieved for our rural communities.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to do a job I love and am passionate about. Key to our success has been the strong partnerships we have with the many rural organisations we work alongside, as well as the commitment and enthusiasm of Trust colleagues, especially those within the Trust’s Rural Health Forum, who support this work.
“I’ve tried to look for the gaps in service provision and develop initiatives which not only benefit people but bring them together socially, be it to enjoy physical activity, singing or sharing food.
“It is important that as a Health and Social Care Trust, we value and support our rural communities as well as create a better public understanding of key challenges.”
Notes to Editors
The Farm Families Health Checks Programme is funded through the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme and the Public Health Agency (PHA).
19th March 2026
