Farming Talk: Shropshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs
Hopefully you’re all excited to hear what an incredible variety of activities the Shropshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs have been up to since I last wrote.
Well, early February started off with clubs writing and adapting scripts ahead of the upcoming annual Performing Arts competitions.
It was amazing to see the unexpected stars from a rural youth group shine on stage at Whitchurch Civic Centre with acting, singing and dancing.
This year, the larger performance was an entertainment, which is a performance without a defined start or end.
It can have as much singing, dancing, sketches and humour as desired but, like making a cake, the best performances are balanced with a mix of the right ingredients.
As well as the larger entertainment competition, we also run another competition for the clubs with either fewer members or perhaps quieter members who would rather be involved in the ‘One Plus’.
As it says on the tin, the 'One Plus' allows clubs to enter between one and 10 members to perform in a six-minute sketch, allowing our younger members an opportunity to get a taste for performing arts.
With a varied calendar of activities, next we returned again to Whitchurch Leisure Centre for a Sunday morning of sports. This formed the Shropshire qualifier where our members have the chance to compete in the sports defined by National Young Farmers.
These chosen sports change annually, but each year the winners from each county get the opportunity to compete at the area and national levels representing Shropshire.
This year the sports were men’s rush hockey, ladies’ rounders and junior basketball.
Across the county, our clubs are still actively raising money for their chosen charities with a huge variety of events.
On February 26, Cleobury Mortimer YFC held a tractor run with 45 tractors raising £850 for the Midlands Air Ambulance and Severn Hospice. Both Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth Young Farmers are hosting Muck Lugs after taking the time to bag some donated manure.
And finally, there’s a charity event that I myself will be taking part in – the ‘Brown Clee Three Peaks Challenge’ on Saturday, April 22, in which 16 members set off from the bottom of Ben Nevis, walking up the three peaks in 24 hours.
This will see us walk Scafell Pike in darkness and then Snowdon in the early hours of Sunday Morning.
Brown Clee YFC members are walking for four charities that have touched the lives of members past and present, the chosen charities are Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, Midlands Air Ambulance, Severn Hospice, Shropshire Rural Support.
For details, see gofundme.com/f/brown-clee-yfc-take-on-the-3-peaks-challenge.
Our county chairman Bobby Brooker will also be taking on the mammoth task of a two-day charity challenge over the same weekend in aide of Lingen Davies Cancer Fund and in memory of SFYFC member Will Roberts who sadly passed away last year.
I am always so proud of what Young Farmers has to offer its members and hope the public can see the amazing variety of fun we have whilst helping to support so many other charities.
If you would like to get involved, Young Farmers definitely isn’t just for farmers, so visit SFYFC.org.uk to find your nearest club.
Article by Max Porter, SFYFC Vice County Chairman
