Eight teams travelled to Midlands Karting, Fradley for the popular Go Karting Competition. Following a morning of racing the results went to:
1st – Eccleshall YFC 2nd – Cheadle B YFC 3rd – Lichfield YFC
Eccleshall YFC take 1st place
Photos from the day can be found HERE
Staffordshire YFC were very disappointed not hold their Rally in May this year and even more so when Leek Show was cancelled, as they had planned to have a very busy marquee displaying lots of competition entries from members across the county and were looking forward to supporting this local traditional show. However, YFC members are not afraid to be adaptable, especially after the past year and so the Competitions Committee quickly decided that the “competitions must go on!” Static Competition classes due to be held at the Rally/Show have now been moved and will be pre-judged after 9th August at the YFC Centre with results on display at their Pre-Show Reception on 17th August and then inside the YFC Marquee at the County Show at the end of August.
Competitions for members aged 27 and under to enter, include “Upcycled Item from a Bottle”; “Pets at Play” and “Lockdown hit me Hard” Photography and the very popular “Pimp my Pedal Tractor” which members hope to be able to race before the show! Any members who want to get involved can contact their Club Secretary for details. The competitions have been very generously supported by twenty sponsors – Agri Reso, Agrii, B & B Tractors, British Wool Marketing Board, CBI Security, HJ Lea Oakes, HFB Trailers LTD, Howsons Chartered Accountants, HSKS Greenhalgh Accountants, Ian Harvey Fabrications, Lambert Leonard & May, Morris Corfield Ltd, Leek NFU, West Midlands NFU, Pickering and Butters Solicitors, SWP Talbot, W Burton & Son, Wells Farm Dairy, Wynnstay Group PLC and Youngs Animal Feeds.
Having fun, learning new skills and getting stuck into new opportunities is what being a member of Staffordshire YFC is all about and the last few weeks are starting to see the return of all these activities and more. On Sunday 25th July YFC members took part in a County Go Karting Competition at Midlands Karting, Lichfield with eight teams entered. Fastest behind the wheel on the day were Eccleshall YFC, closely followed by Cheadle YFC and in third place it was local club, Lichfield YFC. Later that day, the county had also organised a Car Treasure Hunt starting and finishing at The New Broom, Checkley. Twelve cars enjoyed an evening of seeking the answers to the clues and finding items along the way including a nettle, spiders web and picture of Winston Churchill! The winners on the day were the Wilson family from Gayton, closely followed by a trio of members from Cheadle YFC.
Looking ahead to August, as well as the County Show Competitions, the Competitions Committee are also organising a Floral Art Competition which is being held on Sunday 22nd August, where skilled members will be creating displays to the NFYFC Competition themes of “My Favourite Sport” for the Juniors, “My Sporting Hero” for the Intermediates and “Sporting Pursuits” for the Senior age category. Winning displays will be shown inside the YFC Marquee at the County Show.
To get involved in Staffordshire YFC and to become a member, if you are aged between 10 – 28 years (the age range increases to 28 years from 1st September 2021), please contact Julia Taylor, County Organiser on 01785 248645 or email organiser@staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk for more information. Staffordshire YFC organises a programme of competitions and events for all ages and abilities throughout the year. All elements of YFC incorporate teambuilding, boosting confidence, leadership and fun and all you need to become a member of this organisation is a willingness to get involved, learn new things and enthusiasm!
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After such an unusual twelve months of virtual activities in Staffordshire YFC, including online Rally competitions and a virtual “Shoe Box Show Floats” Competition in 2020, members of the YFC clubs are all getting ready to enjoy the actual Staffordshire County Show this year.
The Federation is planning to host its usual and ever popular Pre-Show Reception, kindly supported by Abbotsholme School, HSKS Greenhalgh Accountants and RBA Wealth Management on Tuesday 17th August and at the reception, the YFC members from around the clubs will put on “YFC’s Got Talent” which has in the past included sketch show acts, synchronised swimming and some very funny comedy antics. Clubs will be also showcasing their achievements during the year, including Uttoxeter JNFU who will be presenting a cheque to The Farming Community Network following their Sky Dive and Ashley YFC who have supported the charity, CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) throughout the year. The reception is usually attended by much valued sponsors, supporters, members and invited guests of the Federation.
The following week, on Wednesday 25th August and Thursday 26th August, at the County Show, Staffordshire YFC will be displaying just what being a member of their organisation is all about inside their marquee which is erected to the side of their purpose-built office on the showground. The marquee is always a hive of activity, and the theme has been decided by the members, as “The Best of Staffordshire YFC” for 2021. Displays will include all the activities that the federation usually holds, what is coming up in the future, 70th Anniversary celebrations in 2022 and details of the forthcoming Christmas Shopping Evening and Christmas Tractor Run as well as looking back at how members showed great resilience, community spirit and continued enthusiasm throughout the pandemic over the last twelve months.
Shires Vets will be joining Staffordshire YFC inside the marquee and goody bags containing straw hats, air fresheners, sunglasses and pens will be available to visitors. The YFC members will also be serving refreshments to visitors at the show as well as selling catalogues on behalf of the show society.
Amy Boothby, County Chairlady said “After 14 months of a completely disrupted YFC calendar, we are super excited to hear that the Staffordshire County Show will be going ahead once again this year. The County Show is always such a huge highlight for our clubs and members will be extremely glad to return to some normality over the summer. The later timing of the show in the year will fall perfectly for our clubs, who will be looking to recruit members for the forthcoming membership year which will begin on 1st September 2021. Myself and the team of County Officers along with our clubs are all very excited to showcase the best of Staffordshire YFC during the week.”
As well as fully packed marquee, Staffordshire YFC members will also be taking part in their Annual Male and Female Tug of War Competitions on the Wednesday evening and then taking to the main ring on the Thursday with the traditional and ever-popular Show Floats Competition. Clubs are building their floats for this competition to try and win the top prize money of £125 as well as £75 for entering the competition, which is sponsored by BD Fuels of Hixon.
Clubs are now starting to meet on a weekly basis within their areas with main programming activities including Show Float Building, Sports evenings, and BBQ’s, taking into account covid awareness at all times. As the Staffordshire YFC new membership years starts in September and all clubs will be looking to recruit new members aged between 10 – 28 years to come and get involved in the largest rural youth organisation in Staffordshire. Each club offers unique opportunities on their weekly programme of events which is organised “by the members, for the members”. In addition to this, the County federation, Staffordshire YFC organises a programme of competitions and events for all ages and abilities throughout the year. All elements of YFC incorporate teambuilding, boosting confidence, leadership and fun and all you need to become a member of this organisation is a willingness to get involved, learn new things and enthusiasm!
For information on becoming a member or details of your local Club, or details on any of the YFC activities, please come and visit the YFC Marquee at the County Show where we will have many of our members who’d be happy to talk to you. Alternatively call 01785 248645 or email organiser@staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk for further information. Our website at www.staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk has updated information about Staffordshire YFC and the local clubs, including recent event photos. You can also follow the latest updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Chase Young Farmers Club (YFC), affiliated to the Staffordshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) became the first club to have a Rural+ training session delivered to them online this week, with three-quarters of their club membership in attendance. The session has been developed by The Farming Community Network (FCN), The DPJ Foundation and National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, supported by the Westminster Foundation.
The training, designed for 10-26 year old YFC members and 16-25 year old agricultural students, focuses on understanding stress and anxiety; managing personal mental wellbeing; how to talk about mental health; seeking support; building their resilience and supporting others. Afterwards, the members gave their thoughts about how the training can help you think about your own mental health and wellbeing and consider things you might not have otherwise. Club Chairman, James Freeman said “Our members really enjoyed the Rural+ evening. It was very useful to have an open discussion about mental health and how we can all look out for each other as well as looking after our own mental wellbeing.”
Chase Young Farmers continue to provide vital youthwork services which enable young people living in the rural area where they meet to have somewhere to go, learn new skills and make like-minded friends for life in current times and for future generations. Anyone interested in joining Chase Young Farmers can contact their Club Chairman, James Freeman on 07863 687117.
Uttoxeter Young Farmers have been missing holding their usual annual fundraising events during the last year which would normally include a Christmas Buffet and Pig Race. The Club Officers really wanted to ensure that they raised some valuable funds for their chosen charity, The Farming Community Network as well as bringing in funds for themselves to keep the club running. After discussions, they decided to put aside the usual sponsored bike rides and raffles, instead taking to take the plunge with a sky dive from 15’000 feet!!
Toby Hall, Club Chairman; Kate Mollatt, Club Secretary; Eddie Phillips, Club Treasurer along with Francis Mollatt, Club President, nervously headed over to Skydive Hibaldstow in Lincolnshire on Wednesday 5th May. They took to the skies and once they had reached the summit of 15,000ft where it was minus 25c, they all braved the jump, peaking at speeds which were approximately 120mph when free falling and falling 10k feet in about 60 seconds.
Toby Hall, Club Chairman said “Releasing the parachute to drift back to earth made us realise how cold we were and how beautiful north Lincolnshire was. We could see all the gorgeous landmarks such as the Humber estuary, the coastline and Scunthorpe Steel works! We all enjoyed the experience with varying levels of excitement and enjoyment and can safely say we are all safe and sound with all feet firmly planted on the ground.”
Following the dive, these brave club officers have currently raised over £1600 which will be split equally between the Club funds and The Farming Community Network, a national voluntary organisation and charity that supports farmers and families within the farming community. Messages of support and thanks have been flooding into the Club’s Facebook pages as the video of their experience was posted, making their fellow members and supporters very proud of their achievement.
Uttoxeter Young Farmers continue to provide vital youthwork services which enable young people living in the rural communities of Uttoxeter and the surrounding area have somewhere to go, learn new skills and make like-minded friends for life in current times and for future generations. Anyone interested in joining Uttoxeter Young Farmers can contact their Club Chairman, Toby Hall, on 07972 189021.
Staffordshire YFC are offering all their clubs the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £300 to assist their club in promoting themselves to the public and recruit new members/rejoining past members. The funding for these grants is being used from the SCFYFC Supplementary Fund, which has been generated over the years by the external bars which the SCFYFC Bar Team have supplied.
These grants will be available until 31st December 2021.
What can be funded?
How do Clubs apply?
Ring the YFC Office and speaking to Julia on 01785 248645 or email over the idea if you are not sure it fits in with one of the above activities. Please complete and follow the procedures on the application form which can be downloaded here
Staffordshire YFC looks forward to supporting all of its clubs as the easements in lockdown continue over the summer and looks forward to seeing some great promotions by Club Officers and members.
Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) have taken full advantage of the very dry and sunny April weather, by covering over 1300 miles across the beautiful countryside in the county with YFC members from many of the active clubs, aged 10 – 26 years. The campaign, which was launched by the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC), “Give it Some YFC Welly Relay” has helped to raise over £1000 to help to continue to deliver the much-needed service to young people in the rural communities across Staffordshire.
The County Federations’ funding was affected during the last membership year following the cancellation of all its spring and summer fundraising events. Despite continuing to deliver services to members in a virtual manner, including a two Virtual Rally’s and a Virtual County Show, the impact of the pandemic has been greatly felt, with only 33% of members re-joined for the current membership year. With face to face events and activities still on hold this fundraising effort has been very important to bring members together.
Staffordshire YFC took on the challenge and planned to cover 500 miles from 1st – 30th April, a target which they smashed in the first week. The total miles covered was 1318 and clubs who covered 35 miles or more will benefit from this fundraising campaign. Club Chairlady, Amy Boothby said “Completing the #GiveItSomeYFCWelly challenge has been a great opportunity for the members, clubs and supporters of Staffordshire YFC to join forces to raise some much-needed funds for Staffordshire YFC and its active clubs. It has also doubled up as a chance for members to meet and interact with one another in an outdoor environment, something which we haven’t experienced for many months. Having completed 1318 miles between us all, I’m incredibly proud to be the County Chairlady of Staffordshire YFC in such unprecedented times. I know we will come back from covid stronger than we were before, and I look forward to continuing to lead the federation during this time. I personally have really enjoyed being out and about in the beautifully Staffordshire countryside, something which I didn’t fully appreciate before partaking in this challenge.”
The members in Staffordshire covered the miles by walking, biking, horse riding and one member, Henry Walker of Ashley YFC, even took to the water and clocked up nautical miles on his sailing boat. Local beauty spots including Dimmingsdale near Alton, the canal at Weston and Marshes Hill in Brown Edge provided some great viewpoints, frosty mornings, perfect sunsets and sunny daytime strolls. One of the Federation’s Vice Presidents, Claire Palmer even took a stroll around the County Showground to map out a “Y F C” outside the YFC County Office.
Staffordshire YFC has been faced with a situation that has not happened since the Foot & Mouth outbreak in 2001 when clubs were again unable to meet face to face. The federation recovered from this period and are determined to do the same again following Covid 19. Each affiliated club in Staffordshire YFC, (Abbotsholme, Ashley, Chase, Cheadle, Eccleshall, Leek, Lichfield, Stone, Uttoxeter and Waterhouses) usually meet on a weekly basis to bring their members together to take part in competitions, talks, fundraising events, learn new skills and training, mental wellbeing sessions, socials and so much more. Despite members enthusiasm during the pandemic, Clubs and the County have faced great challenges but are now looking towards a more active summer programme of face-to-face activities including a Rounders Match evening, Scavenger Hunt and planning activities and competitions at the rescheduled Staffordshire County Show due to be held at the end of August.
Staffordshire YFC Clubs and County will continue to provide the vital youthwork services which enable young people living in rural communities to have somewhere to go, learn new skills and make like-minded friends for life in current times and for future generations. Anyone interested in supporting Staffordshire YFC and their Give it some YFC Welly campaign can visit the JustGiving page as there is still time left to donate. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/staffordshire-yfc
Staffordshire YFC hosted the West Midlands Area of YFC’s Public Speaking Competitions, all via zoom during the week 6th – 11th April 2021. After some great competition, with judges praising all members for getting involved and embracing the “virtual format” so well, the results for the Staffordshire members were as follows:
Situations Vacant – 1st Amy Boothby, Uttoxeter JNFU; 2nd Beth Poynton, Eccleshall YFC
Junior Reading – 2nd Jamie Beardmore, Cheadle YFC; Abi Palmer, Uttoxeter JNFU and Molly Sammons, Eccleshall YFC
Junior Speaking – 2nd Eccleshall YFC (Molly Sammons, Olivia Darvill & Louisa Tyler); 4th Uttoxeter/Leek (Tara Barnes, Ed Townsend & Abi Palmer)
Inter. Brainstrust – 2nd – Uttoxeter JNFU (Toby Hall, Rob Mollatt, Kate Mollatt & Will Whitehurst); 3rd Ashley YFC (Liv Larsson, Charlotte Roxborough, Bella Lucas & Henry Walker)
Senior Debating – 2nd – Eccleshall A (Annie Bradshaw, Catherine Johnson, Dan Moseley, Rosanna Moseley & Aimee Smith); 3rd Eccleshall B (Emily Cartmail, Serena Gough, Beth Poynton, Will Sammons & Molly Sammons)
Good luck to Amy Boothby who will represent Staffordshire YFC in the NFYFC Finals of Situations Vacant!
Staffordshire YFC is taking part in a national Give it Some YFC Welly Relay to help raise funds to help to continue to deliver a much-needed service to young people in the rural communities within the County.
The County Federations’ funding was affected during the last membership year following the cancellation of all its spring and summer fundraising events. Despite continuing to deliver services to members in a virtual manner, including a two Virtual Rallys and a Virtual County Show, the impact of the pandemic is being felt, with only 33% of members re-joined for the current membership year.
Staffordshire YFC have decided to start fundraising, with the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) campaign which has been running since October 2020. After two false starts trying to get involved in this fundraising campaign, due to the lockdowns at the time, Staffordshire YFC’s members are now keen to get involved, with the virtual Welly landing in the county on 1st April from Herefordshire YFC. Staffordshire YFC Clubs are then being challenged with covering 35 miles each and the county as a whole is planning to cover a total of 500 miles. YFC Supporters, past members and sponsors are all encouraged to get involved and clock up some miles too. All clubs who get involved in the campaign with their members, will all receive an equal share of the funds raised, which will also be split with the County Federation.
NFYFC President and world-renowned rugby referee Nigel Owens said: “Young Farmers’ Clubs are incredibly important in rural areas – helping young people make social connections, learn new skills and support their rural communities. We must do all we can to ensure this vital youth service can continue and I’m encouraging every YFC to back their County Federation and Give it Some YFC Welly!”
Members in Staffordshire have decided to cover the miles by any form which does not involve an engine, so will be walking, running, biking, horse riding and possibly even kayaking in order to reach their goal. A running total will be kept by County Chairlady, Amy Boothby who will be striding out on the first walk heading from the YFC Centre on the County Showground into Weston and Sandon to cover the first six miles of the challenge.
Amy said “I am very excited to be kickstarting our 500-mile challenge during the month of April to raise some much-needed funds for Staffordshire YFC and the clubs within. The last 12 months has been difficult for everyone, so it is reassuring to be able to launch the #giveitsomeyfcwelly challenge which I think will be a great opportunity to bring our members together again. It also encourages everyone to exercise in the fresh air to them to help with their mental wellbeing, which in YFC we all know is so important.”
Staffordshire YFC has been faced with a situation that has not happened since the Foot & Mouth outbreak in 2001 when clubs were again unable to meet face to face. The federation recovered from this period and are determined to do the same again following Covid 19. Each club (Abbotsholme, Ashley, Chase, Cheadle, Eccleshall, Leek, Lichfield, Stone, Uttoxeter and Waterhouses) usually meet on a weekly basis to bring their members together to take part in competitions, talks, fundraising events, learn new skills and training, mental wellbeing sessions, socials and so much more. Despite members enthusiasm during the pandemic, Clubs and the County face great challenges in the coming months, as much needed fundraising events are currently on hold and looking unlikely for any clubs or the County Federation to be able to hold anything during this membership year.
Staffordshire YFC Clubs and County hopes to continue to provide the vital services which enable YFC members to have somewhere to go, learn new skills and make like-minded friends for life for the current members and future generations. Anyone interested in supporting Staffordshire YFC and their Give it some YFC Welly campaign can visit the JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/staffordshire-yfc
