The Prince of Wales was shown how to make a “tree hugger” during a visit to Scotland as part of his efforts to break down any “taboos and stigmas around mental health”.
Prince William tried his hand at putting together the unusual garden nesting boxes, which are invented and built by members of the work of Carnoustie and Monifieth Men’s Shed in Angus.
The group was founded in 2015 and is run by local volunteers who meet weekly to take part in a range of activities such as woodwork, crafting and gardening.
Chairman Derek Stewart, 77, said he did not sleep the night before because of his excitement about meeting the royal.
He said: “A lot of the discussion was about mental wellbeing and how we deal with that and how we progress with that.
“It was such an honour to meet him.
“He’s really down to earth, you can sit and talk to him, he puts you at ease as soon as you start talking to him.”
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During Prince William’s visit to Angus on Thursday, he also took part in a roundtable event hosted by the Farm Safety Foundation, a charity working to address attitudes to farm safety and mental health.
At the event at East Scryne Farm, he met local members of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs.
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The prince, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, discussed issues including available support and the role of social media in helping them stay connected with others.
He said: “I love the countryside and I love farming as well.
“And I am conscious that it’s an area that needs maybe a little bit of support and understanding that there is access and support out there for young farmers, as well as making sure we are breaking down any taboos and stigmas around mental health.
“Because I think in the farming world it’s maybe not talked about as much as in other sectors – and yet we know it exists.
“So, I particularly wanted to hear a little bit today about how all of you felt and hear it from the horse’s mouth whether we’re getting better at talking about it, whether you feel the support is out there, what your recollections and feelings are about rural isolation and mental health.”
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The Duchy of Cornwall and Prince William launched a new mental health strategy for Duchy tenants in 2023 designed to prioritise farmers’ mental health and de-stigmatise the issue within the sector.
Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation (also known as Yellow Wellies), said the charity is a small organisation and it was wonderful to have the prince take an interest.
She said: “The young farmers are so enthusiastic and hard-working and they should be celebrated, so it’s lovely to have someone like the prince come and listen.
“He was very interested in everything that the young farmers wanted to talk about.”
