Junior Reading
1st – Uttoxeter – Abi , Heidi, Henry
2nd – Eccleshall – Charlie, Edward, Barney
3rd – Leek – Molly , Daisy, George
Junior Speaking
1st – Eccleshall – Austin , Heather , Edward
2nd – Abbotsholme – Michael, Mya, Eva
3rd – Uttoxeter – Abi, Heidi, Ed
Intermediate Call My Bluff
1st – Chase A – Kate Oakes, Robbie Nilsen, Billy
2nd – Cheadle – Harry Large, Ellie Platt, Thomas Whilock
3rd – Uttoxeter – Abi , Toby Hall, Vincent Whalley
Senior Brainstrust
1st – Uttoxeter – Polly Baines, Toby Hall, Rob Mollatt, Beckie Phillips
2nd – Cheadle – Sarah Bourne, Tom Whilock, Meg Hallam, Beth Allen
3rd – Eccleshall A – Cath Johnson, Beth Poynton, Will Sammons, Natalie Bradley
Under 17yrs MOTY
1st – George – Cheadle
2nd – Molly – Eccleshall
3rd – Abi – Uttoxeter
18yrs over MOTY – MALE
1st – James Freeman – Chase
18yrs over MOTY – FEMALE
1st – Polly Baines – Uttoxeter
2nd – Hollie Kelly – Chase
3rd – Charlotte Goodwin- Uttoxeter
16-21yrs Situations Vacant
1st – Kate Oakes – Chase
2nd – Natalie Bradley – Eccleshall
3rd – Lucie – Uttoxeter
22-28yrs Situations Vacant
1st – Beth Poynton – Eccleshall
2nd – Lucy Hockenhull – Eccleshall
3rd – Catherine Johnson – Eccleshall
The Gwen Earp-Haward Award – 1st – Uttoxeter JNFU, 2nd – Eccleshall YFC & 3rd – Cheadle YFC – click HERE for a copy of the marksheet
Please click HERE to see photos from the day
Waterhouses YFC had three teams who headed to the 2022 national finals of the Tug of War and their male team celebrated pulling to victory for a third consecutive year in August.
Following success in wet and windy conditions at the Staffordshire County Showground in 2021, the teams represented Staffordshire and went head to head against teams across the country, with County Durham and Yorkshire in the final stages.
For the men’s team, which was made up of members from Waterhouses YFC, it was the third time they have won the trophy in recent years. The club also had a ladies’ team and a junior team in the national Tug of War finals.
Team captain George Goodwin said the men’s team had been training two to three times a week ahead of the competition and had felt confident about winning again. “You have to go there hoping to win, thinking you have done enough and you can take everyone on,” said George who was even more delighted to have won in his final year of competing with YFC. “It was good to get back to a full crowd at the Tenbury Show, which makes for more of a spectacle around the final. We went out in high hopes and we didn’t come back disappointed.”
The competition, which involved 28 teams, is one of the most popular in the YFC competitions programme, which George believes is down to the camaraderie the competition creates.
“It brings you together as a team, as a club and you train together. Whatever you put in at training, you get out in results. In this case, we got a trophy, which is always better,” explained George.
The junior team from Waterhouses were delighted to come away with third place, with many of the members on the team taking part in this type of competition for the first time.
Waterhouses YFC meet on Monday evenings at Onecote Village Hall, 8pm. For more information about joining their club, head to their facebook page by clicking here.
Following their success at the Staffordshire YFC Tug of War Competitions held earlier in the year at the Annual Rally and County Show, Waterhouses YFC took all three of their Tug of War teams (Men’s, Ladies and Juniors) to the West Midlands Area rounds of the competition, held at Ledbury Rugby Club, Herefordshire on Sunday 26th June. Pulling against the highest placed teams from clubs in the neighbouring counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, the teams from Waterhouses YFC all came out victorious after a hard day of pulling.
The Juniors aged 12 – 17 years, many of whom were taking to the competition for the first time this year, didn’t lose an end against any of their fellow teams and then pulled their way to victory against Shropshire YFC in the final. In the Ladies category, the team only lost two ends in the whole competition and then they took on Herefordshire YFC in the final and came out with the first place. The Men’s team, who were the reigning National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) Champions in 2021, also didn’t lose an end and they took first place after a tense final against Shropshire YFC as well.
Speaking on behalf of the Club, Chairman, Bertie Clowes said “We are so proud to be in Waterhouses YFC and especially for the new junior members who have never taken part in Tug of War before this year. To take first place in all three competitions in amazing and the time and dedication put in by the members has really paid off. The teams would not be where they are without the team coaches who give such a lot of time to help train the teams too, so we extend a big thank you to them all too. We wish the teams the best of luck in the finals – we are sure they will make us proud no matter what the result.”
Teams also took part in the West Midlands Area round on Sunday from Cheadle YFC and Eccleshall YFC. Staffordshire YFC will now be represented by Waterhouses YFC in all three National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs finals for Tug of War. They will take on teams from across England and Wales on Saturday 6th August at Tenbury Show in Worcestershire.
To view photos from the day, please click here.
Staffordshire YFC has re-started its new membership year with a great influx of new and returning members aged 10 – 28 years joining one of the ten clubs across the County. The County would love to reach 601 members, the “magic” number in the YFC world as this will then secure two teams heading to the next round of competitions in the NFYFC Competitions Programme for 2022-23, giving more members opportunities to compete in skilled competitions including Public Speaking, Tug of War, Floral Art, Cookery and Stockjudging. This is looking highly likely as new members enquiries and joining up forms are becoming a daily occurrence.
Toby Hall, County Chairman said “A huge thank you to everyone in clubs and the County Office for making this happen. To reach 592 members is fantastic and we should definitely be reaching 601 soon. Its great to see Staffordshire YFC making huge progress following the pandemic, which is testament to everyone’s hard work and enthusiasm for our organisation.”
YFC Clubs have been busy recruiting their members since 1st September, the start of the YFC Membership Year and have been able to provide a full programme of weekly activities including talks, visits and social meetings, all ran in accordance with latest covid safety at the time. The federation saw a drop in membership during 2020 – 21 as a result of the pandemic, which meant many clubs had no meeting place and no connectivity, due to their rural locations, for online activities either. With the support of past members, Club Leaders, Club Advisory , County Officers and the Staffordshire YFC Office, each club is successfully rebuilding, which is great news as Staffordshire YFC is celebrating 70 years of running in 2022 as well.
For more information on how to join your local club, please email organiser@staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk or call 01785 248645.
Guidance is available for all our Clubs from NFYFC when planning a Bonfire or Fireworks event. Please download the document here to work from to ensure that your event is held in keeping with the NFU Insurance Policy.
“Festive tractors take to the road”
The Staffordshire countryside will see around 100 festive tractors take to the road in a charity Christmas convoy on Sunday 5 December 2021. Arranged by South Staffs Water and Staffordshire Young Farmers Clubs, this will be the second time a cavalcade of tractors will travel the 20-mile route through the villages of Hamstall Ridware, Blithbury, Abbots Bromley, Blithfield, Colton and Hill Ridware in aid of charity. The first event was held in 2019, with 80 tractors joining the convoy. The tractors were lit up with Christmas lights, inflated Santas and one had a rotating Christmas tree. The 2019 event raised £4,138 which was split between three worthy charities, and was due to be repeated in 2020, before COVID struck.
This year’s event will be raising money for two charities; Staffordshire Young Farmers Clubs and Midlands Air Ambulance.
Nina Yiannoukos-Benton, senior catchment advisor at South Staffs Water, said:
“We work really closely with the Staffordshire Farmers, to ensure we maintain good wholesome drinking water for our customers so it’s amazing to be involved in the tractor run. We were so pleased at the numbers that took part in 2019 and to see the smiles on the people’s faces as we drove by was wonderful. We’d love everyone to get involved and watch the convoy along the route.”
Julia Taylor, County Organiser at Staffordshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, said:
“The Christmas Tractor Run was a first of its kind for us to organise, working alongside South Staffs Water. We were completely overwhelmed by the amount of people who came out to support and give generously in 2019. The feedback from the tractor drivers, general public and all those involved has been really positive which is a very good for the agricultural industry. We’re taking booking for tractors to join this year’s event, visit our website for all the details.”
Booking forms to enter tractors can be found on the Staffordshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs website https://staffsyoungfarmers.org.uk/calendar/2021/12/christmas-tractor-run-2/ or call 01785 248645. The closing date for entries is 20 November.
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
As Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) and the rest of the country are taking small steps towards slight ease in the members are still organising fun evenings to bring together their current members and stay in touch. Last week saw the turn of Cheadle YFC who hosted a talk by local vet, Hannah Fitzsimmonds of Lambert, Leonard and May.
Sarah Bourne, Club Chairlady of Cheadle YFC said “Last week Hannah gave us a talk about on ‘A life of a Staffordshire farm Vet’ talking about what it’s like to be a vet and then gave us a little talk about calf husbandry. We had lots of members attend the meeting, and it went down really well. Hannah gave us a really good inside of how she became a vet and what day to day life was like as a vet, answering any questions that we had and gave us lots of information about calf husbandry.”
Cheadle YFC was reformed back in 2017 and despite Covid 19, still managed to recruit over 25 active members in September who meet regularly on Zoom.
Staffordshire YFC has members aged 10 – 26 years across ten clubs in Staffordshire and helps to keep young people in many rurally isolated areas connected and provides a much-needed social life. Club meeting nights usually run on a weekly basis, with a wide range of activities available for members of all ages including sports, public speaking, cinema and bowling trips, quizzes and farm walks. Although not all members are from an agricultural background, the clubs in Staffordshire are based in rural communities and provide new skills and learning opportunities, for any young people, with an interest in rural life and activities. The Covid 19 situation has meant that Staffordshire YFC has had to adapt the youthwork service it provides to its members and clubs to an online delivery.
As Staffordshire YFC looks to the future, with the prospect of the lockdown easements over the summer, the federation hopes to be able to plan events to bring together members and rural community together at some of its competitions and social activities, taking into consideration, the latest covid guidance at the time.
Whilst Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) are gearing up for the slight ease in lockdown and hoping to re-start covid-secure face to face outdoor meetings later this month, the members are still organising fun evenings to bring together their current members and stay in touch. This week saw the turn of Ashley YFC who created “The Ashley YFC Mash Up” consisting of six fun rounds of activities – A Marble Race, Scavenger Hunt and Kahoot Quiz which included rounds entitled “Where am I in the World?”; A Picture round and a Sports round.
Jack Salt, Club Chairman of Ashley YFC, who currently have 34 active members, said “I really enjoyed hosting the Ashley YFC Mash up this week. Everyone had a good time testing their brainpower and their legs. It was great to catch up with members from across Staffordshire after the meeting and see how we are all getting on too.”
After twenty members got stuck in on the night, the winning team was the Poynton Family from Eccleshall, closely followed by Kate Mollatt of Uttoxeter and in third place was Emily Cartmail of Eccleshall.
Staffordshire YFC has members aged 10 – 26 years across ten clubs in Staffordshire and helps to keep young people in many rurally isolated areas connected and provides a much-needed social life. Club meeting nights usually run on a weekly basis, with a wide range of activities available for members of all ages including sports, public speaking, cinema and bowling trips, quizzes and farm walks. Although not all members are from an agricultural background, the clubs in Staffordshire are based in rural communities and provide new skills and learning opportunities, for any young people, with an interest in rural life and activities. The Covid 19 situation has meant that Staffordshire YFC has had to adapt the youthwork service it provides to its members and clubs to an online delivery.
As Staffordshire YFC looks to the future, with the prospect of the lockdown easements over the summer, the federation hopes to be able to plan events to bring together members and rural community together at some of its competitions and social activities, taking into consideration, the latest covid guidance at the time.
Despite Lockdown3.0, Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) are still organising fun evenings to bring together their current members and stay in touch. To help the leaders of each club, the federation has joined forces, with each club taking a turn to host a “takeover” evening for everyone. Following the success of Chase YFC who took members around an IceCream Farm and Cheadle YFC who kept everyone fit with an online workout, it was the turn of Uttoxeter Young Farmers to host last week. The Club hosted a “Would I Lie to You” evening and saw over thirty members attending. It was held in keeping with format of the popular TV Show and hosted by Toby Hall, Club Chairman of Uttoxeter Young Farmers, who was sporting his favourite outrageous shirt which put a smile on everyone’s face. Toby’s fellow Club Officers, Kate Mollatt and Eddie Phillips both confessed to embarrassing truths from their past. The determined Kate took five attempts to pass her driving test and Eddie revealed that he once sank his teeth into another child in a ball pool – thankfully he was much younger and did say that it was by accident!
The next club to host an evening is Ashley Young Farmers Club who have a “Quick Fire Mash Up” night planned to bring current members of all ages together online. Ashley YFC have been very active throughout the pandemic with supporting their local community with shopping and prescription deliveries. They also raised over £1300 for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and themselves as a registered charity, back in December with their “Covid-19 Day’s of Christmas” campaign which included a raffle, duck race and quiz.
Staffordshire YFC has members aged 10 – 26 years across ten clubs in Staffordshire. Club meeting nights usually run on a weekly basis, with a wide range of activities available for members of all ages including sports, public speaking, cinema and bowling trips, quizzes and farm walks. Although not all members are from an agricultural background, the clubs in Staffordshire are based in rural communities and provide the much needed social life, new skills and learning opportunities, for any young people, with an interest in rural life and activities. The Covid 19 situation has meant that Staffordshire YFC has had to adapt the youthwork service it provides to its members and clubs and so many are now embracing the new normal with zoom nights until restrictions ease.
As Staffordshire YFC looks to the future, the federation hopes to be able to plan events for later in the year, including competitions, the Annual Rally and also be involved in the Staffordshire County Show.
