Rural isolation continues to be a major problem for many people however the Samaritans organisation is hoping to tackle this issue at this year's National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois.

Some 180,000 people are expected to attend this year's event, which runs until Thursday, and 18 volunteers from the Kildare/Newbridge branch of the organisation will be on hand to offer emotional support to them.

Samaritans Ireland is a volunteer-led organisation, which provides confidential, non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day, for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.

The organisation said it wants to develop its presence at this annual event following a ‘huge response' from people in recent years. It also wants to highlight the many challenges faced by those living in rural communities.

"Rural isolation continues to be a concern. In particular, we hope that this year's Ploughing Championships will give Samaritans a further opportunity to reach out to men in the rural community. We're sending a message to men that they should not hide their feelings or be reluctant to talk about problems. Men can find it hard to talk, but when they do they experience an immediate benefit," explained Carmel Hedderman, director of the Kildare/Newbridge Samaritans.

She pointed out that many of the volunteers from this branch are themselves from a rural and farming background ‘and understand well the challenges faced by these communities'.

Ms Hedderman noted that cutbacks to local services have, in particular, ‘proved a big challenge to many farmers'.

"The volunteers are trained to listen and between them they have a great understanding of the types of problems people are experiencing at the moment. We want people to feel that they can approach a Samaritans volunteer with any concern or anxiety they might have and that our volunteers will be there to support them," Ms Hedderman said.

She emphasised that Samaritans offer non-judgmental support and no cost is involved.

"It is critical to ensure that people know what is there to support them if they are struggling to cope. We want to inform visitors and the public at large that you can access help from Samaritans without having to make any formal appointment or commitment. That's why our presence at the Ploughing Championships is so important - we want to raise awareness among the rural community of our services," she said.

The Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day on 1850 60 90 90.