Shropshire's new YFC chairman looks forward to fundraising

I often get asked what Young Farmers' is all about and what we do. Well, YFC is a rural youth organisation run by the members for the members in our county.

We have 18 clubs and just under 1,000 members who work hard to raise funds to run the organisation and also donate lots of money to other charities through many different fundraisers, from carol singing, to muck-lugging, to beer festivals, to tractor-pulling.

Members also learn lots of very valuable life skills and make some great friends along the way.

Finally, the thing I get asked regularly is 'do you have to be a farmer to be a young farmer?'

The answer is simply no.

YFC is open to everyone between 10 and 26. You just need to want to get involved and, from experience, I have found the more you put into the organisation the more you gain.

I am currently busy planning my year and just a few of the things I really want to do are to educate schoolchildren as to where their food come from and also what farmers do to produce it.

I also want to raise money for cancer charities as these are very close to my heart.

Details of the events will be released later, so please keep a look out for this.

I'd finally like to invite you to our annual Carol Service which will be held at Pontesbury Church on December 19 at 7pm followed by mince pies and mulled wine.

I look forward to seeing many of you there.