大象传媒

A fretful, colicky baby, William Edward Grundy gave his parents grief from day one. His younger brother Edward was born when he was 19 months old, and Will used to hide under the table to get his mum and dad’s attention. He was fractious and mischievous when he started school, and scared his parents to death when they woke one night to find him playing with his granddad Joe’s shotgun. It went off, though mercifully no-one was hurt. Will was five years old.

The trouble is, he carries things. Always has done, since he was a little boy

Clarrie Grundy

Unimpressed by farming, Will wanted to join the SAS when he grew up. Clarrie used to worry he would run off one day – he claimed he wanted to live in a bus.

A collector of animal skulls and lover of wildlife, Will had quite a menagerie in the family kitchen by the 90s: a jackdaw, a barn owl, a hedgehog and a duck. Will was proving to be a mass of contradictions however – on the one hand expressing ambitions to be a gamekeeper while on the other being punished for poaching on Brian Aldridge’s land.

In 1999 Will started work at Grey Gables shoot and finally got his own 12 bore shotgun. The following year he discovered Eddie was poaching from the fishing lake. Furious this would put his own job at risk, Will burst into Grange Farm and accused his dad of trying to drag him down. Given the choice between his dad and the job, it was the job every time.

Around this time Will found out his brother Ed was joyriding, and was disgusted. He felt Ed was becoming a wastrel and would end up a scammer like their dad. Rivalry between the brothers deepened as Will became jealous of Ed over their battle for the love of Emma Carter.

Stumbling upon troubled boss Greg Turner dead in a shepherd’s hut proved a gut-wrenching trial for Will, and he threw himself into his work to the detriment of his personal life. His relationship with Emma foundered, and whilst he was proved to be the father of her baby, it was open warfare between the two brothers as Ed won the girl.

When Will met Nic Hanson his life took a turn for the better, and whilst it wasn’t all plain sailing – this was Will Grundy after all – the relationship blossomed. The two married in 2011. A fragile peace settled over the young generation of Grundys, and despite further minor skirmishes with Ed, it looked as though life had finally turned a corner for Clarrie’s ‘quiet’ boy.

In late February 2018 he suffered another massive blow when Nic died of sepsis. Will’s world collapsed. He was angry at his granddad Joe for being there when Nic died when he wasn’t, and angry at the world for taking his wife away from him. His grief was all consuming, and spilled over to the children as he made unreasonable demands and some bad choices. This proved too much for Nic’s son Jake, who left to stay with his birth dad, followed a few months later by daughter Mia. All Will had left of Nic was their little girl, Poppy. But efforts to juggle life, work and childcare took their toll on Will’s mental health. The final straw came when Nic’s mum Bev took Poppy away for a few days, fearing Will’s mood was putting her at risk. Months of repressed grief and hurt caught up with Will, and in an icy echo of the tragedy of his former boss Greg, culminated in a threat to take his own life.

How common is Will's situation?

Glyn Evans, wellbeing lead for the Farming Community Network, a voluntary organisation and charity who assisted with the research for Will’s story, says: “Rural living can be fun and idyllic, providing a sense of community which makes us feel as if we are supported and that we belong. But others do not do so well and find what some call the 'goldfish bowl' existence oppressive. Geographical isolation can add to loneliness and distress, and other emotional and practical pressures can take their toll. Sometimes these issues can bring members of the rural community to such a point that they contemplate taking their own life as a solution to the helplessness they feel. When they think they are being a burden to others or unable to face the despair caused by the pain they’re experiencing, suicide can sometimes seem to them the only option.

We and , practical help and support to those in the farming community who are moving towards a crisis because of the issues they face.”

If you are feeling emotionally distressed and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 680 661.