Dr Jordan Tsigarides, Dr Daniel James, and Dr Richard West have spent the last eight months on the Rural Minds project which aims to help people spot and treat signs of mental stress in farmers.

Dr Tsigarides - who is studying for a PhD at the University of East Anglia in Norwich - was inspired by his thesis on VR.

Working in collaboration with Revolve Labs they have developed a series of life-like narratives captured in an immersive VR format.

This can be delivered via a headset and used as a training and educational tool.

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Launch of the Rural Minds Project in the XR lab, Bury St Edmunds. Dr Daniel James, Dr Jordan Tsigarides, and Dr Richard West MBE, (Image: Lucy Taylor)

The true-to-life stories trace the mental crisis of an ordinary farmer - Robert - and his interactions with family, workmates, his GP and other health professionals as he works his way through his stress and anxiety.

Farmer Robert is played by actor Nick Murray-Brown and Clare Hawes plays his wife.

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The sequences were filmed on a real farm at Little Stonham, near Stowmarket, owned by James Forrest, chairman of the Felix Cobbold Trust - which has given financial backing to the project.

Actor Nick Murray-Brown playing farmer Robert (Image: Rural Minds)

Scenes include the farmer on the phone to the bank, in his workshop, in conversation in the farm kitchen taken from his perspective and receiving support from a GP and a crisis team who help in his recovery.

Doctors and farmers now hope will go nationwide following a successful pilot in this region.........

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