BAROSSA locals are being encouraged to reconnect with one another at a free event in Nuriootpa later this month.

Organised by South Australia’s 2018 ‘local hero’ and Barossa local Megan McLoughlin and her charity Herd for Hope, ‘A Day in the Paddock’ aims to improve the mental health of regional people by bringing them together for a day of fun.

“It (the event) is based on the statistic that seven out of 10 people who attempted suicide wouldn’t have done it if someone had acknowledged them that day,” Mrs McLoughlin said.

“We thought if we put everyone in a paddock, they’ll find someone who has something in common with them, and they won’t feel so isolated in the community.

“It’s being held on 11 acres, so there’s plenty of room to set up a picnic rug and enjoy the company you’re in.”

The event will be catered by local service clubs, and activities will include equestrian arena performances, jumping castles, face painting and appearances from AFL footballers and some of the stars of hit television show McLeod’s Daughters.

Mrs McLoughlin said the organisers of the event had held onto their meeting and planning notes from prior to the event, and would make them publicly available so groups around Australia could hold their own Day in the Paddock to support their own communities.

“We’re not looking at the suicide prevention side of it, we’re going about five steps back and looking at the benefit of getting back in contact with each other, which we’re losing,” she said.

“We’re so easily dismissive on social media, we’re doing things like missing people’s birthdays and it’s not good enough.

“The value of face-to-face interaction we’ve seen will prevent depression, so just put your phones away for one afternoon.

“We’re bringing attention to the fact it’s okay not to be okay; we all have those days.”

Herd of Hope works with regional people who are recipients of an organ donation.

Mrs McLoughlin, who herself went through a kidney-pancreas transplant, said her charity found regional organ recipients were at high-risk of having mental health problems.

“The amount of people contacting us with mental health issues affiliated with their transplant was really an eye-opener,” she said.

“Most people think because you’ve had a transplant, everything’s smooth sailing after that, but it’s not.

“What we wanted to focus on was bringing hope to Australians and saying ‘if you ever feel that mateship’s gone, think of organ donation’.”

A Day in the Paddock will be held on Sunday, October 27 at 184 Angaston Road, Nuriootpa from 11am-5pm and entry is free.