Ex-rugby player sets up farm-gym to beat loneliness

Rhys says farming can be very lonely

An ex-rugby professional has combined his love for fitness and farming to help break the mental health taboo in agriculture.

Following a loss in his family, Rhys Jones, who played rugby for Ospreys, Neath and Llandovery, is very aware of the mental health issues within farming.

"It can be such a lonely industry and it has been proven that physical health can improve a person's mental health a lot," Rhys said.

Rhys opened his Cattle Strength gym in 2015 on his family farm, but has recently expanded the site, working with a mental health charity.

He works closely with mental health charity the DPJ Foundation.

Following a family loss, Rhys is passionate about improving the mental health of many through fitness.

"The charity is close to my heart," he admitted.

"We had a loss in the family years ago and we're all aware how much mental health is an issue within farming.

"It can be such a lonely industry and it has been proven that physical health can improve a person's mental health a lot."

It follows calls from the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) for greater mental health awareness among farmers.

Rhys said people who come to the gym say they notice the effect on their mental health as well as how much their fitness improves.

The new gym works with the charity DPJ, which supports mental health in agriculture

Rhys' family have been farming dairy and sheep for about 80 years, and developing the business was a way to diversify his farm in Felin-fach, Ceredigion, which has transformed his career.

"I wanted to do something instead of just farming, there wasn't enough work for me to farm full time and I enjoyed fitness so much," he added.

"Farming can be lonely and there's no guarantee how much money you're going to make - it's all dependent on market prices especially with dairy farming."

Rhys decided to take the plunge by going full time with Cattle Strength three years ago.

Rhys Jones previously played professional rugby for Ospreys, Neath and Llandovery

The gym has since developed into a family run business with his wife taking care of the administration side.

“We’ve sold all of our cattle, we only have some sheep on the farm now," he said.

“In the new gym we do a bit of everything. From crossfit, hyrox, weight lifting – and the plan is to introduce yoga sessions as well."

The business now employs three members of staff full time and offers fitness sessions to children, teenagers and adults.

The Cattle Strength gym opened in 2015 opposite the diary farm in Ceredigion