On Sunday, 25th November 2018, over 130 members of Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs took part in a variety of Public Speaking competitions. The day was kindly supported by Reaseheath College of Nantwich. A spokesperson for the college said ‘Reaseheath College, one of the UK’s leading land-based colleges, is delighted to continue to build on our existing relationship by supporting Staffordshire Young Farmers. Engaging with all areas of the farming community is something we take very seriously at Reaseheath and nurturing young talent through young farmers is essential as they are the future of the industry.’
In the first competition of the day, Junior Reading, each team, comprising of three members aged 10 – 14 years read out three chosen passages from “Private Peaceful” by Michael Morpurgo. The winning team was from Chase YFC, in second place came Leek YFC and in third place it was Uttoxeter JNFU. The other competition held for younger members was the Junior Speaking, where members aged 10 – 16 years form teams who act as a Chairman, Speaker and Proposer of the Vote of Thanks. Winning that competition was Eccleshall YFC, closely followed by Leek YFC in second place and Uttoxeter JNFU in third place.
For members aged 17 – 21 years, the Situations Vacant Competition was held, based on the members applying for a job of their choice, competitors had to submit a CV and covering letter prior to the competition and then participate in a ‘mock’ job interview. Amy Boothby of Uttoxeter JNFU came first with Eden Gray of Lichfield YFC coming second and Kate Mollatt, also of Uttoxeter JNFU took third place.
The Intermediate members took part in a County Brainstrust Competition and after eight teams competed the overall results were Eccleshall YFC in first place with Abbotsholme YFC and Leek YFC taking joint second. This competition involves the team debating questions which are topical at the time. Each team chairman has a selected batch which contain six question topics, three of a general nature and three on rural affairs, from which they select three for discussion by the team. One question must be selected from each section plus one other. The Chairman has no prior communication with the team about the questions they have selected to be discussed. The competition makes for a great debate with subjects including Brexit and the effect on Agriculture, HS2 and Social Media amongst many others.
The first and second placed teams in these competitions will go forward to represent Staffordshire at the West Midlands Area Finals in on 24th February, which is this year being hosted by Staffordshire.
Also, on Sunday, the County round of the including Member of the Year (17 and Under) and Male and Female Member of the Year (18 and Over) were held. Toby Hall of Abbotsholme YFC was the winner of the 17 and under Section. Toby has been an active member of Abbotsholme Young Farmers for seven years and he has held the role of Club Chairman during this time. Competitors were required to complete a Synopsis Form giving details of their activities within YFC over the previous 12 months as well as information about school, career aspirations, and activities outside YFC. An informal interview and power point presentation also took place on the day. In second place was Maisie Tinwell of Leek YFC and in third place was Alice Boothby of Uttoxeter JNFU.
Both Toby and Maisie will go forward to represent Staffordshire YFC at the West Midlands Area round being held on Sunday 3rd March 2019 at Oakengates Theatre, Telford.
The Female Member of the Year was won by Gemma Brookes a past Club Chairman of Uttoxeter JNFU. Gemma has been a member of Staffordshire YFC for eight years. Awarded second place was Beth Walford, currently the Club Secretary of Chase YFC. Beth has been a member of her local club for two years. In third place was Izzy Proctor of Leek YFC who has been a member for three years and currently the Club Secretary for Leek YFC.
The Male Member of the Year as won by Johnathan Wilson of Uttoxeter JNFU for the second year running. Johnathan is 26 years of age and has been a member for 13 years. Rob Mollatt also of Uttoxeter JNFU came second and Dan Moseley of Eccleshall YFC was placed third. Senior competitors were required to complete an information sheet giving details of their experience with Young Farmers and attend an interview with the competition judges on the day. All the judges on the day commented on the high standard of competitors and felt that the federation had some very enthusiastic and confident members to take on roles in their clubs in the future.
Johnathan and Rob will also represent Staffordshire YFC at the West Midlands Area round on Sunday 3rd March at Oakengates Theatre, Shropshire.
To round off a great day of Competitions, there was also a Ballroom Dancing Competition in which Ashley YFC took first place with their choreographed routine which followed the NFYFC Rules, where teams had to perform a Show Dance to open a show (like Strictly Come Dancing). The Team had to perform two genres from Ballroom, and two genres from Latin. In second place was Eccleshall YFC and Chase YFC came third.
Another NFYFC Competition held at the end of a very busy day was the Show Choir which again is part of the National Competitions Programme for YFC this year. In this competition, Uttoxeter JNFU sang their way to first place with their rendition of “Stand by Me” followed by “Meet me on the East Side.” In second place was Eccleshall YFC and Chase YFC took third place.
Teams placed first and second in the Ballroom Dancing and Show Choir will also go forward to the West Midlands Area round which is being hosted by Staffordshire YFC on Sunday 24th February.
The day of competitions held on Sunday is a great example of the opportunities which all YFC members have to develop their public speaking skills, take up new competitions and meet like minded young people from across the county.
On Sunday 25th November 2018, over 160 members competed in 8 Competitions, Full results from the day can be found below:
Mark Sheet – Ballroom Dancing – 2018 – 19
Mark Sheet – Brainstrust (21 & Under) 2018 – 19
Mark Sheet – Choir (26 & Under) 2018 – 19
Mark Sheet – Member Of The Year (17 & under)- 2018-19
Mark Sheet – Member Of The Year (18 & over) – 2018-19
Mark Sheet – Public Speaking (16 & under) – 2018-19
Staffordshire Young farmers proved the future of livestock farming in the county is in safe hands after their award-winning performances at National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) Live and Carcase Judging competition finals at the English Winter Fair in Staffordshire this weekend. Following a great day on the Saturday judging Live Beef and Live Lambs, kindly provided by the exhibitors, competitors returned on the Sunday judging lamb and beef carcase, kindly provided by Messrs Bradshaw Bros. The facilities in the carcase hall and the Show, provided by the English Winter Fair committee ensure that this competition can be held with the highest quality of stock and meat to judge.
The Overall Team Award, and the much coveted The John Spear Trophy was awarded to Staffordshire YFC members Harriet Wilson, Robert Mollatt, Emily Cartmail and Jake Manning, after their efforts on the weekend took them 9 points ahead of the runner up team, Lancashire YFC. Staffordshire YFC also won this award in 2013 and 2015.
Taking home the coveted Bob Williams Trophy for the highest placed senior team in the competition was Harriet Wilson of Eccleshall YFC along with her team mate, Jake Manning of Lichfield YFC. They were a clear 19 points ahead of the team from the runner up team, Cumbria. Harriet said “I am over the moon. I have enjoyed being involved in this competition so much and made so many friends through it.” Harriet also credits the competition with influencing her career in meat retail as she is now ALDI’s Corporate Responsibility Manager with responsibility for farming, fish, deforestation and fair trade. “It has always been my favourite competition if I hadn’t got into Stockjudging, I wouldn’t have joined young farmers and as a result ended up working in the meat industry. Stockjudging really set me on my path for what I wanted to do.”
In The Mark Madders Trophy, which is awarded for the Beef and Pig Live and Carcase Judging, Aimee Smith of Eccleshall YFC and Meg Barnes of Leek YFC took third place. Meg also took second place for her position in the Intermediate Pork Live and Carcase Judging.
Staffordshire YFC members were not only competing in the NFYFC competitions over the weekend. They also had two full teams in the English Winter Fair YFC Stock and Carcase Classes and achieved very highly in these too. In the Overall Stockjudging Team, members Johnathan Wilson (Uttoxeter JNFU), Phil Wilson (Uttoxeter JNFU), Maisie Tinwell (Leek YFC) and Peter Cotton (Waterhouses YFC) took first place. The team then also took second place in the overall Sunday competitions, after Warwickshire YFC took first place again this year.
Members came home with an array of awards individually on Sunday as follows:
Intermediate Live Lamb Stockjudging – Peter Cotton, Waterhouses YFC.
Live Lamb Stockjudging Team – Peter Cotton, Waterhouses and Johnathan Wilson, Uttoxeter JNFU.
Senior Lamb Carcase Judging – Katie James, Leek YFC
The weekend has been a great event with young farmers across the country coming together to compete in these important competitions which develops members skills in Stockjudging and public speaking.
Warwickshire YFC members were 17 points ahead of their fellow West Midlands Area county, Staffordshire YFC taking the top spot for Overall Team at the English Winter Fair YFC Stock and Carcase Judging Competition held on Sunday 18th November. The members, from the Hall Family and Jeye Family, fought off a very high standard of competition from over 130 young farmers’ members across 19 teams entered into this year’s English Winter Fair YFC Stock and Carcase Judging classes. The one-day competition was hailed a great success with members praising the venue, organisation and format of the competitions thanks to Staffordshire Young Farmers members and supporters who all give up their time to judge, steward and assist on the day. Staffordshire YFC County Organiser, Julia Taylor said “We had 19 teams entered from 13 counties across England and Wales this year. The popularity of our competitions is high amongst the members and they enjoy the quality stock and carcases available to judge as well as the facilities at the County Showground in Stafford.”
The English Winter Fair took place at the weekend, 17th – 18th November and the YFC classes were kindly sponsored by AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) with very generous prize monies on offer. Young Farmers were able to judge Live Lamb and Beef classes and Lamb and Pork Carcase Classes thanks to support from the show organiser, Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society along with AHDB.
In the Live Lambs class, judged in Bingley Hall, with the lambs kindly provided by Mrs Madders & Mr Johnson, the highest scoring Senior Competitor was Becky Smith of Worcestershire YFC with 97 points and in the Intermediate Section, it was Peter Cotton of Staffordshire YFC with 95 points. The highest scoring team in this class was awarded to Harry Watson and Becky Smith of Worcestershire YFC scoring a combined total of 188 points.
The Live Beef class was judged in the stalls, with some fine cattle provided by the exhibitors at the show. The highest scoring Senior Competitor was Matt Price of Shropshire YFC, scoring 97 points. In the Intermediate Section, Ella Harris of Radnor YFC came first with 81 points. As a team, Radnor YFC took first place in this class, with members James Nixon and Ella Harris scoring a combined total of 171 points.
The Carcase Classes were all judged in the excellent Carcase Hall facility with carcasses very kindly provided by Messrs Bradshaw Bros. In the Lamb Carcase class, the Overall Senior Competitor was won jointly by Georgia Thatcher of Worcestershire YFC and Katie James of Staffordshire YFC, both gaining a total of 93 points. The Overall Intermediate Competitor was also a joint win for Gemma Price of Radnor YFC and Martha Bland of Derbyshire YFC with 85 points. The Overall team in this section was won by the Radnor team, members Will Lewis and Gemma Price had a combined total of 176 points.
The final class of the day was the Pork Carcase Class. The Overall Senior Competitor was won by Fred Allen of Shropshire YFC with 96 points. The Overall Intermediate Competitor was Tom Garlick of Herefordshire YFC with 93 points. The Overall team in this final class was won by Fred Allen and Joe Brassington of Shropshire YFC with a combined total of 188 points.
The Michael Bradshaw Award for the Overall Stockjudging Team was awarded to home team Staffordshire YFC with Warwickshire YFC in second place and Brecknock YFC in third place. The Michael Bradshaw Award for the Overall Carcase Judging Team was awarded jointly to Radnor YFC and Warwickshire YFC with Becknock YFC in the runner up position.
After a full day of judging, The Birmingham Agricultural Exhibition Society Silver Challenge Cup, awarded for the Overall Team on the day went to Warwickshire YFC after they gained a whopping 677 points in all the classes. This same team won the award last year. They were followed by Staffordshire YFC in second place with 660 points and in third place, Radnor YFC with 654 points.
Stockjudging and Carcase judging competitions remain a very important and competitive sector in the Young Farmers Federations across the country, as this day has demonstrated so well. The facilities at the English Winter Fair are ideal for YFC to showcase this. Next year, the English Winter Fair committee will continue to host these competitions for YFC members and looks forward to welcoming the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs again, to take part in this very successful show, with their Live and Carcase Judging Competition Finals, which were also held again at the Show this year.
To view a full set of photos from the day, please click here
To view the full results from the day, please click here and for a list of Awards, please click here.
On Friday 9th November, Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (YFC) held their County AGM in the Ingestre Suite, County Showground, Stafford. The evening was kindly supported by Pickering and Butters Solicitors, a firm of Staffordshire Solicitors who were founded over a century ago, with offices based in Stafford and Rugeley. The County AGM was attended by over 250 invited guests and members of the Federation and is the most prestigious meeting of the Staffordshire YFC year.
Richard Mottershead, gave his County Chairman’s report on last year of activities. Richard, a member of Ashley Young Farmers said “It has been an absolute honour to have been the Staffordshire YFC County Chairman over the past twelve months. I don’t think I’ve paused or had a night off since being elected but I have loved every minute of it. Even before I began my year, I knew I had two things I wanted to achieve. The first was to hold a large charity campaign that involved the whole county; the second was simply to enjoy the year, getting along with as many members as possible in as many clubs as possible. Standing here now, I would like to thank each and every one of you for both getting behind the Oatcake on Tour campaign for Young Minds, and for making me feel so welcome at everything I was able to attend. Because of that, I am thrilled to say, I achieved my aims, and I couldn’t be prouder of the year we have had together.” During Richard’s reported, he presented a cheque for £307 to The Farming Community Network following monies raised during the recently held Harvest Festival Service and then went on to announce that the final total raised for Young Minds from the Oatcake on Tour was £7120.
It was reported during the meeting that Staffordshire YFC has 680 members aged 10 – 26 years. The members have benefited from taking part in some amazing charity work and playing an active part in their local communities. From Eccleshall YFC raising over £11,000 for the Dan Moseley Rehabilitation Fund to Leek YFC walking 26 miles in 28-degree heat raising money for ‘Young Minds’. These are just two examples of the many ways in which the eleven clubs in Staffordshire, all of whom are charities themselves, take time and plan events in order to raise funds for other charities across the Country. In total this year, the Clubs in Staffordshire have raised over £34,000 for worthwhile causes.
David Heminsley was elected as County President for the third year. David, a past member of Uttoxeter JNFU since 1988, is a very active volunteer in the Federation, he leads in all things “Health and Safety” and regularly helps with the upkeep and maintenance at the County Office. He is a past Club Chairman of Uttoxeter, past County Chairman and more recently, was the Club President of Uttoxeter JNFU. David works for JCB as a trainer. David said “I am proud to be re-elected for the coming year and look forward to seeing what is in store for Staffordshire YFC.”
Philip Bourne was elected the Senior Deputy President. Philip originates from Newcastle Under Lyme, became involved in Stone YFC when two of his daughters joined the club. He has served on the advisory committee supporting Stone YFC and is currently serving as their Club President. Philip is now retired after a career in Electro Mechanical Engineering! Philip said “I am very much looking forward to this role, and it is an honour to have been asked.”
The presentations of awards were made by Mr Peter Stone, Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society Chairman, to the following Clubs and Individuals:
Most Outstanding County Officer: Becky Fowell, Development Chairman
David Palij Award: Awarded to the Club that has done the most for charity/community work during the last 12 months
Joint Winners: Eccleshall YFC, Leek YFC & Stone YFC; Joint Runners up – Eccleshall YFC & Uttoxeter JNFU
Manifold Marketing Award: Awarded to the Club who best promotes their Club and engagement in Club, County & Community Events.
Winner: Stone YFC, Runner-up: Cheadle YFC
Scrapbook Award: Awarded to the Club who produces the most interesting and unique scrapbook based on the activities of their own Club over the past membership year.
Winner: Stone YFC, Runner Up: Ashley YFC
Most Improved Club – Competitions Cup: Awarded to the Club that has achieved the highest improvement in points for competitions from the 2016/2017 year
Winner: Stone YFC; Runner Up: Chase YFC
Small Clubs Trophy: Awarded to one of the five smallest Clubs in the County with regard to membership, that has achieved the most points throughout the year for competitions.
Winner: Chase YFC; Runner Up: Lichfield YFC
Mr Ken Unwin MBE Memorial Cup: Awarded to the Club who most improves in Public Speaking, Stock Judging, Carcase Judging and Tug of War.
Winner: Lichfield YFC; Runner Up: Stone YFC
Overall Competitions Cup: Presented to the club with the most points for the Competitions that have been held for the last 12 months:
Winner: Uttoxeter JNFU; Runner Up: Eccleshall YFC
W.H.D. Hobson Cup: Awarded to the Club with the highest increase in membership.
Winner: Stone YFC, Runner Up: Ashley YFC
Newsletter Shield: For the best contribution to the Young Farmers’ Book of the Year
Winner: Leek YFC; Runner Up – Cheadle YFC
Mr & Mrs W.A. Taylor Merit Award: Awarded to the most outstanding individual at Club or County level was presented Natalie Roe of Stone. Natalie has worked extremely hard within her own club, consistently supporting the top table in their role as a Club Leader. She has attended just about every club night, encouraged and helped all members to get involved and have got stuck in themselves. County President, David Heminsley said “Natalie is an asset to their club and a great example to new members of what being a YFC member is all about.”
Junior Merit Award: This is presented to the most outstanding junior individual at Club or County level was presented to Lucy Clayton of Uttoxeter JNFU. Lucy is an enthusiastic, cheerful and dedicated young member who has taken part in absolutely everything in their first year in the club. Club Chairman 17/18 of Uttoxeter JNFU, Emily Philips described Lucy as “personification of what a Young Farmer should be.”
YFC Travel Certificates are awarded to club members who had travelled through the YFC Travel Programme. Certificates were awarded to: Eve Phillips (Uttoxeter JNFU) – Nepal, Emily Phillips (Uttoxeter JNFU) – Nepal, Mike Grigg (Uttoxeter JNFU) – Scotland Homestay, Emily Cartmail (Eccleshall YFC) – European Rally – Scotland, Beth Dennis (Chase YFC) – Austria Homestay, Amy Nicholls (Ashley YFC) – Budapest
YFA Travel Award – Amy Nicholls of Ashley YFC, for her report and presentation following her visit to Budapest.
Oxford Farming Conference: The Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society kindly sponsor two places for the Conference held in January 2019, and following applications made by members, describing in no more than 500 words, why they should be chosen to attend. The two members awarded the places were: Annie Bradshaw of Eccleshall YFC and Robert Mollatt of Uttoxeter JNFU.
Junior Stockjudging Cup: The joint winners were Leek YFC & Lichfield YFC and the runners-up were Uttoxeter JNFU.
Intermediate Stockjudging Cup: The winners were Uttoxeter JNFU and runner-up was Waterhouses YFC.
Senior Stockjudging Cup: The winner was Uttoxeter JNFU and the runner-up was Eccleshall YFC.
Overall Stockjudging Cup: The winner was Uttoxeter JNFU and the runner-up was Lichfield YFC.
The final awards of the evening are the most prestigious to receive and are judged throughout the year as a “Club Efficiency” Competition, which encapsulates all aspects of a YFC Club. The aim of the competition is to encourage members and Club Officers to work together as an effective team for the benefit of all. Judges look for all aspects of how the clubs are run and hope to see good club administration and record keeping, strong leadership and governance and active promotion of the clubs through publicity and community engagement. They also want to see teamwork, ideas and enthusiasm from all club members. From this competition, the following awards were presented:
Most Outstanding Chairman: Winner: Emily Phillips, Uttoxeter JNFU, Runner-up: Will Freeman, Chase YFC
Most Outstanding Secretary: Winner: Sarah Bourne, Cheadle YFC, Runner-up: Becky Roe, Stone YFC
Most Outstanding Treasurer: Winner: Hannah Britland, Uttoxeter JNFU, Runner-up: Greg Large, Cheadle YFC
Most Outstanding Club Leader: Winner: Louise Crooks, Uttoxeter JNFU, Joint Runners-up: Natalie Roe, Stone YFC & Kat Clarkson, Cheadle YFC
Club Efficiency Shield: Winner: Cheadle YFC, Runner-up: Stone YFC
David Heminsley, County President said “Congratulations to Cheadle YFC, in their first year have wowed the judges with their enthusiasm, getting to grip with how a YFC club should run, work as a team and take a full part in YFC life and all that it offers. This club will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.”
As can be seen from the above young people between the ages of 10 and 26, experience fun and excitement, whilst enjoying competitions, discos, sports, travel, meeting new friends and learning new and different skills. If you are interested in joining them please contact Julia Taylor, County Organiser on 01785 248645 or email countyoffice@staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk for more information and details of your nearest Club.
Full photos from the evening can be found here
Staffordshire Young Farmers Clubs are pleased to announce that their Public Speaking Competitions Day which is held on Sunday 25th November, is being supported this year by Reaseheath College, one of the UK’s leading specialist land-based colleges based in Nantwich, Cheshire. The Competitions Day sees eight competitions organised by the Competitions Committee, for the members of the ten clubs across Staffordshire to compete in.
For the younger age group, there is a Junior Reading and Junior Speaking Competitions which for many of our members, is the first experience of public speaking they will ever have. Our Intermediate members aged between 17 – 21 years, will compete in a Brainstrust Competition, which involved a team of four working together engaging in a lively debate on topical subjects to impress the judges with their quick thinking and current affairs knowledge. As well as Public Speaking, The Member of the Year Competition will also be held, split into two age categories for members aged 17 and under and 18 and over. All members are asked to submit a synopsis form prior to the day and will then be interviewed by a panel of judges. The younger members are also asked to present a PowerPoint on their experiences both in YFC and outside of the organisation and for the older members, they have a “live” interview on stage by the judges as well. Situations Vacant is the final more “formal” competition of the day, which involves members applying for a job of their choice, completing their CV and submitting a formal application. On the day of the competition they are then interviewed for that job.
Reaseheath College said ‘Reaseheath College, one of the UK’s leading land-based colleges, is delighted to continue to build on our existing relationship by supporting Staffordshire Young Farmers. Engaging with all areas of the farming community is something we take very seriously at Reaseheath and nurturing young talent through young farmers is essential as they are the future of the industry.’
To round off a busy day of competitions, two more “entertaining” ones will be held. Firstly, a Ballroom Dancing competition, where teams will be practising to perform a Show Dance to open a show (like Strictly Come Dancing). The routine is to be between 3-5 minutes long and must contain four different dance genres. In addition to this, the dancing competition will be followed by The Show Choir Competition, where teams of up to twenty members will be singing two pieces to impress the judges with their finely tuned voices.
Richard Mottershead, County Chairman said “As a charitable organisation we are reliant on sponsorship and donations in order to continue to provide a great variety of competitions and opportunities to our members. Therefore, we really appreciate Reaseheath College chosing to support Staffordshire YFC, and the future generation of the rural community in this way.”
All results from the various competitions are announced on the day and awards will be made to those coming out on top. Each competition is part of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs Competitions Programme and the teams or individuals placed in first or second place will progress to the next round of competitions which is organised for the West Midlands Area, competing against four other counties.
For full details about the day including information sheets and a timetable, please click here
9 teams travelled to Leek High School to take part in the Mixed Hockey Competition, the results were:
1st – Lichfield YFC
2nd – Eccleshall YFC
3rd – Leek YFC
18 teams from around the County braved the rain and took part in the County Football competition at Powerleague. The results from the day were:
Male – 1st Waterhouses A, 2nd Eccleshall A, 3rd Uttoxeter A
Female – 1st Waterhouses, 2nd Eccleshall, 3rd Leek
This years competition was held by kind permission of Sargeants at Bramshall, results for the evening were:
Junior Team – 1st Waterhouses YFC, 2nd Chase YFC, 3rd Leek YFC
Intermediate Team – 1st Eccleshall A YFC, 2nd Leek YFC, 3rd Uttoxeter A JNFU
Senior Team – 1st Eccleshall A YFC, 2nd Uttoxeter A JNFU, 3rd Leek YFC
Overall Team – 1st Leek YFC, 2nd Waterhouses YFC, 3rd Uttoxeter A JNFU
Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) is about to join in a National celebration to shout about just what their organisation is all about! SCFYFC, who have been affiliated to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) since 1952, has ten active clubs across the county, and had a total of 680 members aged between 10 – 26 years of age during the year 2017/18. As the Clubs started their new membership year on 1st September this year, many evenings joining up new and existing members as well as Club AGM’s have been held. All the evenings have been extremely well attended with many clubs have more than one member standing for positions of responsibility.
As a democratic and membership led organisation, SCFYFC can offer young people living in and around rural communities of Staffordshire a host of opportunities and competitions to get involved in, all for the princely sum of around £45 per year! And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a farmer – in fact you don’t have to know anything about farming, all you need is a sense of adventure and a love of the countryside! Our members come from all walks of life including Receptionists, Hairdressers, Dog Groomers, IT Consultants, Students, Teachers, Chefs… the list is endless! Led by young people, for young people, SCFYFC provides anyone aged 10 to 26 with a fantastic chance to meet lifelong friends, learn new skills, make a real difference to the local community and even travel the world!
During the year, Staffordshire YFC holds a varied Competitions Programme which can lead to Area and National Finals competing against fellow members across the county. Competitions on the calendar this year include Rugby, Football, Netball, Cookery, Darts, Fence Erecting, Floral Art, Raft Races plus many more. At the recent National Finals of the NFYFC Floral Art Competition, our winning senior member, Phillippa Bourne of Stone YFC took 3rd place in this highly competitive competition, which is a brilliant achievement. The highlight for many of the members in Staffordshire YFC, is the Annual Rally which is a day filled with over 40 competitions and the County Show where all clubs showcase themselves on a Show Float which is paraded in the main ring. There is also an exciting and unique YFC Travel programme, via the National Office, that includes homestays and working holidays – as well as a fun ski trip in January. Full support is given to any members wishing to apply for these opportunities. Training and learning opportunities also play an integral part of the YFC Calendar, with all clubs putting on evenings including Team Building, Good Communicators and Safe Driving.
Staffordshire YFC have certainly packed a lot of community work and fundraising into the last 12 months, with clubs coming together to raise funds for Young Minds, the leading mental health charity for young people. At the County AGM in November, County Chairman Richard Mottershead will be presenting a cheque for over £7000 to Young Minds, which was raised with various sponsored activities and events including Stone YFC who climbed to the top of Snowdonia, carrying the giant Oatcake Baton which has been parading around the County as part of the charity fundraiser.
Julia Taylor, County Organiser for Staffordshire YFC said “If you’re interested in becoming a part of this unique organisation, And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a farmer – in fact you don’t have to know anything about farming, all you need is a sense of adventure and a love of the countryside!”
Staffordshire YFC ten active clubs across the county are Abbotsholme YFC (Closed School Club); Ashley YFC, Chase YFC, Cheadle YFC, Eccleshall YFC, Leek YFC, Lichfield YFC, Stone YFC, Uttoxeter JNFU and Waterhouses YFC. Social media will be very active with all clubs this week as they celebrate #trueyfc during the National Young Farmers Week explaining just what YFC means to our members.
Sarah Bourne, who works as a Teaching Assistant is also the Club Secretary of Cheadle YFC for the second year running. She said “Growing up on a farm can be very busy, unfortunately I started young farmers at the age of 21… I so wish that I start at the age of 10! The amount of confidence it has given me and the opportunities have been amazing! Without young farmers, I wouldn’t know who I know now, wouldn’t have the skills or the knowledge. There are so many reasons why you should join young farmers… I wish I had joined earlier so I’m definitely taking the time now to make the most of my years of being a young farmer!”
For further details on joining one of the clubs, please do not hesitate to contact Julia Taylor on 01785 248645 or email countyoffice@staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk . The County Facebook page also has up to date information about forthcoming events across the clubs too.
