STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
The retired farmers pictured during a recent visit to Foyle Search and Rescue.
A programme that aims to improve the mental and physical health of older male farmers is hoping to attract new members in County Derry.
The Glack Plough On group, which comes under the umbrella of Rural Support, was founded in 2023 with the aim of increasing social opportunities, reducing rural isolation, providing opportunities for independence, improving mood, and providing respite for other family members on the farm.
The group currently has 14 registered members, most of them hailing from the Ballykelly area, however it is open to those living between the areas of Coleraine and Strabane.
There are 18 similar groups set up or in the process of being set up across the North.
Group leader Eleanor Lamberton says the Plough On programme is free to join as it receives funding and the only requirements are that members are retired farmers, aged 65 and older.
Activities include a range of educational, learning and reminiscence opportunities – events, projects and outings – encouraging older men to connect on areas of shared interest such as farming, rural heritage and history.
Participants are involved from the outset in the design and delivery of activities, ensuring that the programme develops in a way that meets their needs and interests.
To date, members have held five in-house meetings, which are normally held in the Drummond Hotel, Ballykelly.
-1731405504787.jpeg)
Members of the Glack Plough On group pictured with leader Eleanor.
Guest speakers from the likes of Rural Crime, Men's Shed and Connection Talks have attended these meetings.
READ NEXT: Galgorm Collection acquires Roe Park Resort as part of milestone £50m investment
The group have also enjoyed nine trips away to Flemings Agri, Emerald Lawns, Montgomery Farm, Dart Mountain Cheese Factory, the Roe Park Hotel for Christmas lunch, Greenlane Museum, Eglinton Men's Shed, Foyle Adventures, Foyle Search and Rescue and Brook Hall Estate.
For more information on the group, or to join, email selamberton@outlook.com
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
