FARMERS in financial or emotional distress have been urged to pick up the telephone.

"If anyone is desperate, for any reason, the message is swallow your pride and phone someone," said Andrew Perrins, the new High Sheriff of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

In an effort to promote understanding of the problems being faced by farmers and others ranging from hauliers to hoteliers, Mr Perrins invited rural chaplains and agricultural bankers to meet at his Upton home.

"I thought it would be useful for people to hear the other side of the problem and also, more importantly, to establish lines of communication," he said.

"I learned a lot and I think the bankers were staggered at the number of calls the chaplains were receiving. It was a real eye-opener.

"Foot and mouth disease is just the visible side of the problem. A lot of ancillary businesses are being badly affected."

Herefordshire and Worcestershire are the only two diocese that have full-time agricultural chaplains, whose workload has been vastly increased during the foot and mouth crisis.

Canon John Willis, of the Worcestershire Rural Support Network, took 300 calls in the three weeks up to Easter, compared with his usual two a month. The Rev Nick Read said many Herefordshire calls are made direct to the Marches Stress Network, but he is personally handling 80 cases and his telephone bill has doubled since the beginning of March.

"It was very useful to have personal contact with the bankers and encouraging to hear that they have written to all their agricultural clients offering help and support," he said.

For Worcestershire Rural Stress Support Network, call 01905 381818. For the Marches, call 0870 707 4445.

n The Stress in the Countryside appeal, launched by the Three Counties Agricultural Society with the support of the Malvern Gazette & Ledbury Reporter, had yesterday reached £9,300.

Sharon Gilbert of the society said that next week, following the Spring Garden Show, planning for fundraising activities will begin in earnest.