Fit Farmers founder gets to the heart of the mart
On her first visit to Roscommon Mart since childhood, Fit Farmers founder, Laura Tully, provided farmers in attendance with short health and movement education sessions and signposted the array of health screening and supports available on the day.
Visiting the mart at the invitation of Aisling Dunne, Roscommon Healthy County Co-ordinator as part of the Men’s Health Week celebrations, Laura, a registered nurse who devised the lifestyle intervention, said that she left having learned more than she shared.
The Fit Farmers founder said: "While livestock and bidding are the mart’s usual rhythm, that day its heartbeat was made of community, care and conversation. My role was to bring a taster of my ‘Fit Farmers’ lifestyle intervention to the mart."
However, Laura found the visit on on Friday, June 13. a real learning experience. She outlined her key takeaways from the event.
"We often picture marts as places of business but the first thing that struck me wasn’t the animals or the auctioneer’s call. It was the atmosphere," Laura said.
"Snippets of conversation drifting through the air, friends catching up, familiar voices sharing stories over railings and tea. The mart hums with connection.
"For many farmers, it’s their main social outlet each week, the space where routines meet relationships. By bringing wellbeing activities here, we weren’t disrupting that rhythm; we were simply tuning in to it," she said.
Laura also explained why she went to a mart to deliver the health screening and support sessions.
"I’ve always believed that real engagement with farmers happens best when we meet them where they are, whether that is in marts, agricultural meetings, or community centres that are already part of their everyday lives.
"Being at Roscommon mart didn’t just align with that belief, it affirmed it. Seeing farmers respond so openly and naturally, in a space that felt like theirs confirmed for me, that this is exactly where these conversations and connections need to happen," the Fit Farmers founder and facilitator said.
`Fit Farmers was created back in 2019 to break down barriers to health for farmers.
"Over the years, my programme has brought health checks, relatable conversations about sleep, stress and nutrition as well as a tailored physical activity programme to over 300 farmers with hugely positive health and wellbeing outcomes, with the added benefit of genuine sustained engagement," Laura said.
"What I’ve seen time and again, is when you bring healthcare to the heart of the farming community, even those who are hardest to reach, will show up.
"Peer support often turns curiosity into action. It was evident on the day that the first few stepping forward, opened the door for many more to follow asking questions and sharing stories."
However, the whole experience was not flawless, Laura recalled.
"Being invited to speak to farmers from the auctioneer’s post by the wonderfully supportive mart management and staff, definitely pushed me way outside my comfort zone," she explained.
"There I was, perched in the auctioneer’s post, gazing out at a sea of faces that seemed to silently question my presence wondering if I was an ally or an intruder.
"The uncertainty made my pitch to farmers to engage with me outdoors feel like a shot in the dark."
Many hesitated and some simply walked away, Laura said. However, when she showcased ‘fitsticks’ - which are simple, functional fitness exercises using activator poles - many farmers tentatively accepted a demonstration.
"While they stretched and laughed with me, others lingered on the sidelines, unsure if ‘exercise sticks’ were for them.
"That resistance, rooted in long-standing ideas of what 'masculine' health looks like, only makes each small victory all the more powerful," she said.
While not everyone got involved, the Fit Farmers founder took encouragement from those small breakthroughs.
"What stayed with me most was the promise in those tentative movements: a ripple effect that could grow into something far bigger.
Health promotion doesn’t demand perfection, complex equipment, or rigid routines, it simply asks people to show up.
"And hearing men say afterwards: 'I never thought I could do that, but now I just might', proves that even the smallest step can open the door to change," Laura said.
And the most valuable part of the day for Laura?
"The chats out in the sunshine or over a cuppa."
Held for the first time at the mart, she recognised that this kind of event was something new for farmers, but those informal conversations helped break the ice,
"In that relaxed setting, farmers felt at ease opening up, building trust that went far beyond any group session," the Fit Farmers founder said.
"That initial connection helped normalise the idea of ‘Fit Farmers’ in the mart setting. Since then, many who met me there have been in touch, keen to bring sessions to their own communities.
"For that, I have to commend Healthy Roscommon for championing proactive wellbeing through inclusive community events," she added.
Laura also highlighted the lessons she learned from the event that will feed into her future sessions.
"What I learned at the mart is simple but profound: when we meet farmers on their own ground, they will show up for their health, for each other and for themselves," the Fit Farmers founder said.
She expressed thanks to everyone who stopped by, whether to chat, take part, or simply pause for a moment.
"And to those who watched from a distance or quietly took it in, you were just as important.
"You’ve reminded me why I started ‘Fit Farmers and how much potential there is to keep building healthier more connected communities."
