A County Antrim farmer who lost his entire herd to bovine TB has said joining the Farmers' Choir helped him cope with the loss.

Mervyn Kelso, from near Portglenone, lost his first batch of cows in November 2021, and by March 2022 all 120 adult cows had been removed after the Department of Agriculture decided to buy out the herd. He said the empty fields and quiet milking yard were difficult to bear.

His sister suggested he join the Farmers' Choir when it restarted in Ballymena in autumn 2022. Kelso, who sang in church, decided to give it a try. His wife Ruth also joined. She said the choir came at the right time and was a great lifter during a hard period.

Kelso said farming is lonely and dangerous, and being involved in a choir or any social event outside farming is good for mental health.

The choir's musical director, Barkley Thompson, who grew up on a dairy farm, said the choir helps fill a social gap in rural life as farming becomes more automated. He said social isolation and loneliness are not often talked about in rural communities, and the choir provides friendship as well as singing.

In 2023, nine choir members, including Mervyn and Ruth Kelso, sang as part of the King's Coronation concert. They met the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and Mervyn met Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, whose father was a sheep farmer. Thompson said membership grew after the coronation appearance.

The choir is the only one from Northern Ireland, and the only rural one, nominated for the Making Music UK volunteer group of the year award.

Kelso has largely handed over the farm to one of his sons, and they began rebuilding the herd in summer 2022 with heifers arriving from Denmark. He said singing always makes him feel better.