Taking a short cut on a quad bike led to ten years of pain for one Powys farmer – who’s now helping raise awareness of on-farm safety/Penderfyniad un ffermwr o Bowys i gymryd y ffordd gyflymaf ar ei feic pedair olwyn wedi arwain at ddeng mlynedd o boen – bellach mae’n codi ymwybyddiaeth o ddiogelwch ar y fferm

It’s ten years since Powys farmer Roger James took a short cut up a steep incline, wanting to save a few minutes rather than driving his quad bike the longer, safer way. On that sunny Sunday morning, he just wanted to check how the grass was growing and whether it was time to move his cows from one field to another.

 

Roger, now 58, was driving in the same manner he had driven almost daily for many years without mishap at Pistyll Gwyn Farm, Llanyre. But as he freely admits, that fateful day he took a short cut which changed his life irrevocably. Now, after a courageous and long fight to continue to earn his livelihood from farming, and despite numerous efforts to scale down by reducing both acreage and stock numbers, he’s finally giving in to retire. Because that day, his life changed forever when the quad slipped off a grassy ledge in a sloping field, landing on top of him.

 

“I’m in pain every day of my life. Although it’s mainly manageable and I try not to give in to it, it’s completely debilitating and exhausting, which has inevitably had a huge effect on me and impacted on my family too.

 

“I’m obviously hugely grateful that thanks to a skilled medical team, I can still get around and do a certain amount of the lighter farm work, but I have to spend at least ten hours of every day lying down or asleep to give me the strength and stamina to carry on the next day.”

 

Roger has been in a share-farming arrangement with a local landowner at Pistyll Gwyn since the late 80s. In those early days it was a holding of 460 acres where the couple kept 1,250 breeding ewes and 50 suckler cows.

 

But in the ten years since the accident Roger, his wife Joanne and their two children, who were then in their early teens, have had to come to terms with the fact that life could never be the same, and they have had to significantly reduce both the acreage and livestock numbers.

 

Fortunately, that fateful day, Roger had a mobile phone on him and just before his body went into complete shock, he had managed to call both 999 and Joanne.

The next few hours are clearly imprinted in his brain forever. He relives Joanne arriving on the scene first, quickly followed by locally-based paramedics who told him they were sending for an air ambulance.

 

“I hadn’t realised how serious it was until I saw the air ambulance land close-by.”

 

Roger was flown to Hereford County Hospital, but the team there quickly moved him to a Coventry hospital which had a unit specialising in the type of bone-crushing injuries he had sustained.  Although the skilful medics there managed to pin together his shattered pelvis, enabling him to walk and drive again, despite the best efforts of numerous physiotherapists and rehabilitation experts, nobody has been able to remove the pain which is now an ever-present reminder of what happened.

 

“You just get on with things,” says Joanne, adding that those early weeks of not knowing if or when Roger would even walk again, were the most harrowing.

 

“I had a huge amount of help from friends and family, including my son, now in his mid-20s and farming nearby, and our daughter, who recently graduated with a first-class honours degree from Harper Adams University.

 

“I couldn’t have managed without them but the first few months were very hard both physically and emotionally, especially since we had weekly six hour round trips to visit Roger in Coventry,” says Joanne.

 

Since the first eighteen months of his initial recuperation period, Roger has continued to make slow but steady progress. He generally walks unaided but can only move at one speed and it takes huge effort to walk straight, without veering to one side. His recovery and non-complaining acceptance of pain is probably down in no small part to his indefatigable spirit, which matches Joanne’s.

 

“You just get on with things and do the best you can,” says Roger with a smile, but ten years down the line, he feels he can no longer face the daily demands of farming. Fortunately, he and Joanne have been steadily building up two successful caravan sites in the locality and he hopes that managing these will be less physically exhausting but provide the family with a replacement income.

 

But before Roger retires, he wants to offer farmers everywhere some advice.

“A quad bike can be a farmer’s best friend, but it can be his enemy too!

 

“Every year, thousands of farmers have accidents on quad bikes, usually because they’re under pressure, rushing and take unnecessary risks.

 

“Many accidents go unreported because farmers either walk away in one piece or it’s an injury that they know they will recover from, but as I know first-hand, you’re not always that lucky.

 

“Look after your life, safeguard your livelihood and drive your quad safely.”

 

The Wales Farm Safety Partnership, a collaboration of all the key agricultural organisations in Wales, is working with Farming Connect to arrange a series of regional half day workshops ‘Saving lives and livelihoods’ starting this May. For dates and locations and to book a place at one of these events, call the Farming Connect Service Centre on 08456 000 813 or visit www.gov.wales/farmingconnect  where you can hear Roger’s story first hand and also download a farm safety information booklet.

For more detailed advice on farm health and safety, visit www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture

Video: Here’s a link to Roger James’ story.

Penderfyniad un ffermwr o Bowys i gymryd y ffordd gyflymaf ar ei feic pedair olwyn wedi arwain at ddeng mlynedd o boen – bellach mae’n codi ymwybyddiaeth o ddiogelwch ar y fferm

Mae deng mlynedd wedi mynd heibio ers i Roger James, ffermwr o Bowys, gymryd y ffordd gyflymaf i fyny llethr serth, i arbed ychydig o funudau yn hytrach na gyrru ar hyd y ffordd hiraf ar ei feic pedair olwyn. Ar y bore Sul heulog hwnnw, roedd eisiau asesu sut roedd y glaswellt yn tyfu i weld a oedd hi’n bryd symud ei wartheg o un cae i’r llall.

 

Roedd Roger, sydd bellach yn 58 oed, yn gyrru yn union fel yr oedd wedi gyrru bob dydd ers nifer o flynyddoedd heb unrhyw anffawd ar Fferm Pistyll Gwyn, Llanllŷr.

 

Ond fel mae’n cyfaddef, ar y diwrnod tyngedfennol hwnnw, dewisodd y ffordd fyrraf a newidiodd hynny ei fywyd yn llwyr. Bellach, ar ôl brwydr hir a dewr i ddal ati i wneud ei fywoliaeth drwy ffermio, ac er gwaethaf nifer o ymdrechion i ysgafnhau’r gwaith trwy leihau nifer yr erwau a’r stoc, mae bellach am roi’r ffidil yn y to ac ymddeol. Yn sgil y diwrnod hwnnw, newidiodd ei fywyd am byth pan lithrodd ei feic pedair olwyn oddi ar borfa lethrog gan lanio ar ei ben.

 

“Rwyf mewn poen bob dydd o fy mywyd. Er fy mod yn gallu ei reoli ac yn ymdrechu i beidio â rhoi i mewn, mae’n flinedig ac yn fy ngwanychu’n llwyr. Mae hynny’n anochel wedi cael effaith enfawr arna i ac ar fy nheulu hefyd.

 

“Yn amlwg rwy’n hynod o ddiolchgar i dîm meddygol medrus fy mod yn dal i allu symud a gwneud peth o’r gwaith fferm ysgafnach, ond rwy’n dal i orfod treulio o leiaf deg awr bob dydd yn gorwedd neu’n cysgu i gael y nerth a’r stamina ar gyfer drennydd.”

 

Mae Roger wedi bod yn rhan o drefniant ffermio cyfran gyda pherchennog tir lleol ym Mhistyll Gwyn ers diwedd yr 80au. Yn y dyddiau cynnar hynny roedd yn ddaliad 460 erw gyda 1,250 o ddefaid magu a 50 o wartheg sugno.

 

Ond ers i Roger gael y ddamwain ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, mae ei wraig Joanne a’u dau o blant, oedd yn eu harddegau cynnar, wedi dod i delerau â’r ffaith na fydd bywyd byth yr un fath, ac maent wedi lleihau nifer yr erwau a’r stoc yn sylweddol.

Yn ffodus, roedd gan Roger ffôn symudol ar y diwrnod tyngedfennol hwnnw, a chyn i’w gorff fynd i sioc lwyr, llwyddodd i ffonio 999 a Joanne.

 

Mae’r ychydig oriau nesaf wedi’u serio ar ei gof am byth. Mae’n cofio Joanne yn cyrraedd gyntaf, ac yna yn fuan wedyn daeth y parafeddygon lleol a ddywedodd wrtho eu bod yn ffonio’r ambiwlans awyr.

 

“Doeddwn i ddim wedi sylweddoli mor ddifrifol oedd pethau nes i mi weld yr ambiwlans awyr yn glanio gerllaw.”

 

Cafodd Roger ei hedfan i Ysbyty Sirol Henffordd, ond symudwyd ef oddi yno’n gyflym i Ysbyty Coventry lle’r oedd uned yn arbenigo yn y math o anafiadau yr oedd wedi’u dioddef. Roedd wedi chwalu ei belfis ac er i’r meddygon medrus yno lwyddo i roi ei belfis yn ôl at ei gilydd gyda phinnau, a’i alluogi i gerdded a gyrru eto, er gwaetha ymdrechion y ffisiotherapyddion a’r arbenigwyr adsefydlu, does neb wedi llwyddo i gael gwared ar boen sy’n ei atgoffa drwy’r amser o’r hyn a ddigwyddodd.

 

“Rydych yn dal ati,” meddai Joanne, gan ychwanegu mai’r wythnosau cyntaf hynny pan nad oedden nhw’n gwybod a fyddai Roger hyd yn oed yn cerdded eto, oedd y rhai mwyaf pryderus.

 

“Cefais lawer iawn o gymorth gan ffrindiau a theulu, yn cynnwys fy mab, sydd bellach yn ei 20au ac yn ffermio gerllaw, a’n merch, sydd newydd raddio gyda gradd dosbarth cyntaf o Brifysgol Harper Adams.

 

“Fuaswn i ddim wedi gallu ymdopi hebddyn nhw ond roedd y misoedd cyntaf yn anodd iawn yn gorfforol ac yn emosiynol, yn enwedig gan ein bod yn gyrru chwe gwaith yr wythnos i Coventry ac yn ôl i fynd i weld Roger,” meddai Joanne.

 

Ers y deunaw mis cyntaf o’i gyfnod yn dod dros y ddamwain, mae Roger wedi parhau i wneud cynnydd araf ond cyson. Ar y cyfan mae’n cerdded heb gymorth ond mae’n araf ei gerddediad ac mae’n cymryd ymdrech fawr i gerdded yn syth, heb wyro i un ochr. Mae’r ffaith ei bod yn gwella ac yn derbyn y boen yn heb gwyno yn deillio o’i ysbryd a’i ddycnwch, yr un ysbryd ag y mae Joanne yn ei feddu.

 

“Rydych yn dal ati ac yn gwneud y gorau y gallwch,” medd Roger gyda gwên, ond ar ôl deng mlynedd, mae’n teimlo nad yw’n gallu wynebu gofynion beunyddiol y fferm bellach. Yn ffodus mae Joanne ac yntau wedi bod yn sefydlu dau faes carafanau llwyddiannus yn yr ardal ac mae’n gobeithio y bydd y gwaith o reoli’r rhain yn rhoi llai o straen ar ei gorff ac yn dod ag incwm i’r teulu.

 

Ond cyn i Roger ymddeol, mae’n awyddus i gynnig cyngor i ffermwyr ym mhob man.

 

“Mae’r beic pedair olwyn yn gallu bod yn gyfaill pennaf i’r ffermwr, ond gall fod yn elyn hefyd!

 

“Bob blwyddyn, mae miloedd o ffermwyr yn cael damweiniau ar feiciau pedair olwyn, fel arfer oherwydd eu bod dan bwysau, ar frys ac yn cymryd risgiau diangen.

 

“Mae nifer o ddamweiniau’n digwydd na wyddom amdanynt oherwydd bod y ffermwyr yn dal mewn un darn neu oherwydd bod modd gwella o’u hanafiadau, ond rwy’n gwybod o brofiad nad ydych bob amser mor ffodus.

 

“Edrychwch ar ôl eich bywyd, diogelwch eich bywoliaeth a gyrrwch eich beic cwad yn ddiogel.”

 

Mae Partneriaeth Diogelwch Fferm Cymru, sy’n gynllun cydweithredol o’r holl brif sefydliadau amaethyddol yng Nghymru, yn gweithio gyda Chyswllt Ffermio i drefnu cyfres o weithdai hanner diwrnod rhanbarthol ‘Achub bywydau a bywoliaeth’ sy’n dechrau fis Mai. I gael gwybodaeth am y dyddiadau a’r lleoliadau ac i neilltuo lle ar un o’r digwyddiadau hyn, ffoniwch Ganolfan Gwasanaeth Cyswllt Ffermio ar 08456 000 813 neu ewch i www.llyw.cymru/cyswlltffermio lle gallwch glywed hanes Roger a lawrlwytho llyfryn gwybodaeth diogelwch fferm.

 

I gael cyngor pellach am iechyd a diogelwch fferm, ewch i www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture

Fideo: Dyma linc i fideo stori Roger James.