Essex Young Farmers - Spring 2022 by Duplexity Artwork

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS SPRING 2022

Cover Image: Chloe Gridley, Colchester YFC

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CONTENTS

INSIDE... SPRING 2022 04

COUNTY CHAIRLADY

COUNTY PRESIDENT

ESSEX YF UKRAINE DONATIONS

COUNTY OFFICE

ASHDON & SAFFRON WALDEN CLUB REPORT

BRENTWOOD CLUB REPORT

CHELMSFORD CLUB REPORT

COLCHESTER CLUB REPORT

DUNMOW CLUB REPORT

HALSTEAD CLUB REPORT

Hey everyone,

MALDON CLUB REPORT

Welcome to the Spring edition of Essex Young Farmers magazine!

ONGAR CLUB REPORT

SOUTHMINSTER CLUB REPORT

WIX CLUB REPORT

COMPETITIONS

COUNTRYSIDE

SUBSCRIBERS

FUNDRAISING & ACTIVITIES

CHAPLAIN'S CHAPTER

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS SPRING 2022

THE EDITOR

Our clubs have been extremely busy since you last heard from them at Christmas, and I guarantee you’ll have an entertaining time reading all of the reports. Make sure to take note of their contact details if you’re interested in joining a club, I promise, they’re all very friendly. So grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy reading! Speak soon!

Erin T x

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS office@essexyfc.co.uk 01245 360442 www.essexyoungfarmers.co.uk Whitbread’s Barn, Chatham Green, Chelmsford, Essex, CM33LQ Magazine published by: Duplexity Artwork www.duplexity.co.uk ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

COUNTY REPORTS

COUNTY CHAIRLADY ELLIE GEMMILL

I cannot believe we are in April already, especially with Show only a month or so away! We kicked off the year in true Young Farmers style, starting with a Tractor Run on Plough Sunday. Plough Sunday took place in Thaxted Parish Church with a beautiful service packed full of joyous hymns, led by Rev. Canon Janet Nicholls. The Thaxted Morris Men were out in full force and even danced the old vintage plough down the nave, they never fail to put a smile on people’s faces! Shortly after the service, the tractors set off on their journey with Ollie Weavers leading the way from Thaxted to County Office and Ben Cove at the rear to round them up. Dan Low was route master and planned it with precision as they went through villages and towns for all supporters to see. We even had a small fan who recreated the tractor run at home with his toy tractors and, of course, the escort van! As the tractors were on the run, the barbecue was fired up ready to welcome them with burgers and drinks. We had Jack Waterfield and Josh Cook in charge of flipping the burgers and we didn’t hear any complaints the following day, so that’s always a good sign! We had nearly 50 tractors in attendance and all funds raised went to R.A.B.I and FCN (Farming Community Network) Next up was one of the biggest competitions in the calendar, Public Speaking. It must be the most dreaded competition in the year, but it’s the most useful and beneficial one to us all and, actually, it’s a bit of fun too! So due to storm Dudley or Eunice, Public Speaking took place in a dark County Office, also due to no electricity that meant no cups of tea. Heaven forbid! But we ploughed

on through and started the day off with the senior after-dinner speaking. I have to say it was rather entertaining packed with puns and jokes, especially the teams who had “The London Cab Drivers Club” as a topic of interest. Well done to Ongar for coming first place overall in the after-dinner speaking and also to Wix for winning Brainstrust. Ongar went through to Eastern Areas which was at Easton College in Norwich. I had the pleasure of participating in this round of afterdinner speaking. I was speaking on behalf of “The Society of British Dental Nurses”, my name One load donated to UK-AID was Floss Daley and my based at Newhouse Farm co-worker was Philippa Cavity. We managed to come second overall, and well done to Bedfordshire for making it ranging from bedding, toiletries, outdoor through to Regionals. clothing, bags full of baby wipes, baby We shared a proud moment when Colchester club spent the day at Autism Anglia’s Doucecroft School in March as part of the school’s career week. Colchester gave the students there an opportunity to look around machinery, pet some animals and even use an apple press and bread mill. Bringing a snippet of the Young Farmers Show to them! Now, you may have noticed that EYFC, along with Southminster, did a collection for Ukraine. On a personal note I would just like to thank everyone who donated and took part in helping to move and transport all the goods to the places we distributed them to. We collectively managed to fill two horse trailers, three vans and my VW Polo full of items

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

formula and baby clothes. It was when I loaded that last box into my car that I realised it’s times like these that I am proud to call myself a Young Farmer, helping those in need who need it most. Coming up we have our Prelims weekend on 10th April, which means the Show is just around the corner and I’m on my final stretch of County Chairladyship. So I hope you’ve all got Sunday 22nd May in your diaries and fingers crossed for dry weather! Have a Happy Easter and I look forward to seeing you all soon at the Young Farmers Show!

Ellie x

COUNTY REPORTS

PRESIDENT’S REPORT JANE CAREY

IT IS AN AMAZING EFFORT BY ALL CONCERNED AND SOMETHING THAT EPITOMISES THE WORK ETHIC AND SOCIAL AWARENESS OF OUR MEMBERSHIP, YOU SHOULD ALL BE VERY PROUD OF YOURSELVES, I AM PROUD OF YOU

Things are slowly getting back to normal, I am glad to say. Our membership is nearly 300, so that’s good news, and all clubs now seem to be having regular meetings. Firstly, I must congratulate Colchester on becoming National YFC Club of the Month and also Eastern Area Club of the Year - what an achievement, so well done Ollie Weavers who was Chair at the time. I know you worked very hard to keep the club going through COVID. Club training has taken place and I can’t emphasise enough to members, especially those of you that want to hold an officer position in your club next time, that attending these training sessions is so helpful. Maldon held a quiz night on 10th December and as one of the guests on my table said, “it was nice to hear laughter after such a long time”. We did not win, unsurprisingly, but it was a great, fun night and very well-attended. Maldon raised about £200 for their chosen charity, congratulations to them. Competitions have started again with Ongar winning the hockey, the 5km run was won by Jack Garwood (Southminster), a dog walk took place at the same time although I was several thousand metres behind Jack! Colchester took the dodgeball competition played at Writtle College. I am convinced there was some vendetta against me that day as the ball kept zinging in my direction, it was only my ‘lighting-fast reactions’ that saved me, and I was only spectating! Public speaking went ahead even though we had no heating or power at the County Office, but well done Ongar and Wix for winning the after-dinner speaking and Brains Trust... thank you Ed and Laura Ford and Christy Willet for judging. If you get a chance to take part in public speaking, although it may seem daunting at the time, it’s a great competition and you never know when you will need to speak in public. Even in later life it’s a good life skill to have. The Tractor Run took place on 16th January, commencing with a service at Thaxted church led by Rev. Canon Janet Nicholls. 40-plus tractors trundled and tooted their way back to the County Office via some picturesque, and dare I say not-so-sleepy, Essex villages. It was good to see so many members, friends and relatives at the event. A socially-distanced barbecue was served afterwards in the car park back at Chatham Green, it was chilly but fun nonetheless. Thank you to all those who took part and to those that manned the barbecue, good job! In the run up to the festive season, several clubs sold Christmas trees and then offered a collection service afterwards. Very enterprising, and in doing so they raised about £11,000 for their charities. It is an amazing effort by all concerned and something that epitomises the work ethic and social awareness of our membership, you should all be very proud of yourselves, I am proud of you. In January, the F&GP (not ‘The Fun and Games Police’) committee held their AGM, where Jack Anger took over as Chair from Lewis Rabett. Thank you Lewis for all your hard work and helping to steer Essex in the right direction, I know you have not had an easy couple of years. The Young Farmers Show is going ahead this year and I know Ben Cove and his committee have been exceedingly busy getting things organised. I am looking forward to meeting as many people as I can at the Show in May, so don’t forget to order your tickets online! As I’m writing this I am aware of the events happening in Ukraine and my thoughts and prayers go out to all its citizens - we cannot imagine what they are going through.

Jane x ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

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FEATURE

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS

UKRAINE DONATIONS

WORDS: Issy Rouse

Along with the rest of the world, Essex Young Farmers were heartbroken to hear that Russia had instigated war on Ukraine towards the end of February. It is estimated that around two million people have had to leave their homes, with this number increasing every day. People have had to leave their whole lives behind and flee for their lives with only the clothes on their backs. The situation is simply dreadful and, as a county, we thought that something must be done. So it begun, the collection for donations to help those in need in Ukraine. On Sunday 6th March, Southminster opened the doors at County to accept your generous donations. From energy bars to pet food, deodorant and tents, we were so grateful for every item. Later that evening, we received a call from All Saints Church in Maldon saying they had a lot of donations and wondered if we could help. A lot was an understatement! After filling a trailer and multiple cars of donations, we took them all back to the County Office, only too happy to help. County was also open throughout the rest of the week in order to take in even more donations. Now all your donations have been distributed and, when you’re reading this, they should be on their way, or will have made it, to where they’re needed most. I must also thank all the volunteers who helped usto move donations and gave up their time. Wix Young Farmers also spent their club night collecting and did really well. Together, with the public and our subscribers, Essex Young Farmers have really made a difference to those in need and we stand with Ukraine. Thanks again, Issy

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

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COUNTY REPORTS

COUNTY OFFICE MATTERS JENNY MASKELL

LAST MONTH I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SUPPORT COLCHESTER YOUNG FARMERS AND TAKE A MINI-SHOW TO DOUCECROFT SCHOOL COLCHESTER, A SPECIALIST COEDUCATIONAL SCHOOL

Hi - spring is definitely in the air, daffodils are out and lambs are jumping around the fields, which appears to mean its countdown to the Show! Being another first for me there’s lots to learn, but with the support of a great Show committee, we are getting there. Exciting times ahead, with a new website and the clock counting down, it won’t be long until the gates are opened and the day will start - hopefully I will finally get to meet you all. Last month I was lucky enough to support Colchester Young Farmers and take a minishow to Doucecroft School Colchester, a specialist co-educational school for children and young people with autism and additional complex needs aged 3-19 years. I am not sure who enjoyed it the most - the children, the staff at the school or us lot! It certainly was a rewarding day to give something back to the children that most of us take for granted every day. One little boy proudly informed me that there were 28 lights on the tractors and then went off to count the tread – he never did come back with the answer. We managed to have something there for everyone from two orphan lambs, a combine, tractors, a gator, a drill, nap sack sprayer, overalls for the children to dress up in, chainsaw helmets, apple press and apples – yes, they only made apple juice, wheat and a flour mill and various grains for them to plant and watch grow. More recently, we opened the office up for donations for Ukraine, and wow, thank you all so much. The pile in my office rapidly grew into a mountain and the cart lodge was fairly full too with everything from clothes to bedding, toys, food and even cat food. Hopefully, by now, they have made their final destination, are being put to use and things are looking brighter for them all. Finally, I wish you all a Happy Easter and I’ll see you at the Show.

Jenny x

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

ASHDON & SAFFRON WALDEN

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRMAN Hamish Beaton

Hi everyone! I hope you are all well, spring is finally upon us! In the first weekend of January, Ashdon and Saffron Walden Young Farmers’ Club held their annual Christmas tree collection. Our members set out in their numbers to help collect a massive 600 trees which had all been pre-booked in from Saffron Walden and surrounding villages. We also had help from ambassadors from the charity MENCAP. It is my pleasure to announce that we have broken our annual record and raised a massive £5,600! This will be split between FCN and MENCAP. A huge thank you for another fantastic year to all of our drivers and collectors - it could not be possible without you! Other activities so far this year have included a cinema trip, pub socials, a lambing tour and a talk from MENCAP who are one of our chosen charities.

LUCY HITCHCOCK

OUR MEMBERS SET OUT IN THEIR NUMBERS TO HELP COLLECT A MASSIVE 600 TREES... IT IS MY PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE BROKEN OUR ANNUAL RECORD AND RAISED A MASSIVE £5,600!

Coming up in the social calendar we have our Club Efficiency, a joint-tour with Dunmow around Little Linton Farms and a tour around Tuckwell’s, so there’s lots to look forward to if any new members fancy joining us! A lot of Ash & Saff members will be making their way to the County Ball on April 2nd and, of course, not forgetting the long-awaited Essex Young Farmers Show which is making its big comeback in May! We can’t wait to see you all there!

Lucy x The team at the Christmas tree collection

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

BRENTWOOD

YF CLUB REPORT

JOE ANDREWARTHA

CLUB CHAIRMAN Joe Andrewartha

We have been really busy at Brentwood in the months since the last issue of the magazine and have also seen a large surge in memberships and new member interest which is a great sign that Young Farmers are getting back into what it’s all about! We’ve been having some really busy and fun-packed Monday night club meets, including a car treasure hunt, axe throwing, stock judging practices and, of course, the obligatory pub meets... and these are just to name a few! I know for a fact that our upcoming programme is looking even busier as we head towards the summer! On top of our busy programme, our members are all looking forward to the long string of balls, parties, competitions and everything else that the next few months will bring!

Joe

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

CHELMSFORD

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRMAN Dan Low

Hi all! It feels like an absolute eternity since my last report and Chelmsford has certainly been busy over the past few months. With spring upon us now, things are really starting to pick up momentum as we approach the all-important 2022 Show!

DAN LOW

We’ve had some really good meetings in that time and we kicked off the new year with some bowling, which was certainly a fierce competition between some of our members... even if there were a few stray bowling balls! We also had a fascinating tour around Chelmsford Brew Co recently for which we joined up with the Halstead Young Farmers. It was really good to have a couple of brewskis and see what these guys do as a micro brewery, and I would definitely recommend trying some of what they offer. Some of the members enjoyed another few rounds of golf at Backyard Golf in Chelmsford which is always a really good laugh and things definitely get competitive where the winners even got on the podium for a photo finish. We also had a pre-stock judging talk/tour with Ongar which was very kindly hosted by Duncan Padfield. This was certainly an interesting look into his enterprise as well as a good introduction for our newer members into stock judging. As well as all of this, we’ve still been having plenty of meetings in our usual pub, The Rose and Crown, just so we can all have a good catch up! There are plenty more interesting things to come as we go into the busiest time of the year for Young Farmers, so we’ll look forward to telling you all about it in the next report! Ciao for now!

Dan x

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

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CLUB REPORTS

COLCHESTER

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRMAN George Paterson

Hey everyone, me again! Well, what can I say… Colchester has grown unbelievably as a club, with nearly 50 signedup members! It’s safe to say this is the most members we’ve had in a long time, and we cannot thank everyone enough for the support. With the influx of new members at the start of this year, one of our first club meetings was speed dating! This proved to be a great way of getting all our new members talking to each other, as well as the older members of the club. We would recommend this to other clubs looking to get their members mingling.

ERIN THOMAS

Following on, we went to Ringo’s at Suffolk Ski Slopes, had public speaking training, had several pub socials and even had an EGM to vote in some new committee members. Massive thanks to one of our Subscribers, Gerald Ketley, for providing us with a very informative Stock Judging demonstration, ready for the upcoming competition. The most popular club night we’ve had since Christmas has definitely been our trip to Go Bananas! Their slogan “Number One for Kids Fun” may need some slight tweaking as it is 100% young adult/adult fun too! We all let off some steam and got competitive with the relay activity, as well as hide-and-seek in the dark! Another great recommendation for other clubs.

Chairman George in his natural habitat!

Headway charity talk

Our Chairman, George, organised and attended Doucecroft Special Education School in Colchester on Thursday 10th March, with some members from the club and county, to take the Young Farmer Show to them. We know they will all treasure their excitement of seeing a huge combine, tractors and even sheep on their playing field. In terms of competitions, we came first place in the County Dodgeball competition, so a huge well done to the team. We had a team take part in the football competition and two teams took part in Stock Judging. We didn’t place in either of these as a team, but a huge well done to our member Mabel Frost who came joint-first individually in the Cattle Judging. We are all looking forward to start competing with our boys and girls tug of war team - they have been training twice a week and are ready for some proper live ends. We have also just taken delivery of our lovely new club clothing, so thank you to Foxes Farm Produce and Farmer Brown’s for being generous sponsors of the clothing.

Tug of War taster session

We have had the pleasure of welcoming one of

Stock Judging demo from Subscriber, Gerald Ketley

our charities for the year, Headway: The Brain Injury Association, to one of our club meetings to give us a talk on the charity and how our fundraising will help. We have already raised a lovely sum of money through our Christmas tree sale/collection and the Santa sleigh ride. We have also hosted our annual Muck Run in aid of the Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation. Some of our members also headed to Colchester United Football Club to support their Game For Ukraine. We will have welcomed Honiton YFC from Devon to Colchester during our exchange weekend on 25th-27th March and can’t wait to show them how it’s done in Essex. I will update you on our events in the next magazine. On Saturday 2nd July 2022 we have our 75th Anniversary Ball, which is set to be a huge night. We’ve sold 35 tables meaning 350 attendees, ranging from current members, ex-members, ex-chairmen, local farmers and many more. We cannot wait to celebrate the special evening with everyone who has or has had a relationship with the club. We are still after more table and raffle sponsors though, so get in touch if you are interested. Once again, please keep up the support, get involved and get in touch with our new members reps or George directly using the contact details below. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram and if you, or anyone you know, would like to join us as a member or as a subscriber… we welcome anyone and everyone! Chairman George Paterson, 07715489598, georgepat98@ gmail.com New Members Lucy Butcher, 07508952119, lucy.bea.butcher@ gmail.com and Issy Harrop, 07903871849 That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

Erin xx

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

DUNMOW

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRLADY Isla Wendelken

Hiya everyone, I hope you all have an amazing New Year filled with fun! Dunmow has had a great start to 2022, with lots of events, parties and competitions. To start off 2022, we have had our annual Christmas tree collection on January 8th. With our record number of trees, we managed to raise £1,813 for Jasmine Kenney’s charity in aid of the British Army mental health. Whilst doing this, we were thrilled to receive all the amazing support from everyone who generously donated from the Jack Petchey Foundation, as well as a member collecting their tree in Canary Wharf. A big thank you to ALD who allowed us to drop off all the trees with them to be recycled, and a massive thank you to the team and all who were able to help that weekend.

SOPHIE

During January and February Dunmow have taken part in many great competitions and club meets, such as joining Chelmsford Young Farmers at the Escape Rooms in Chelmsford… luckily, we managed to escape! We have also taken part in hockey placing second and dodgeball, placing fourth. Well done to everyone who took part and had a go and to the people that supported the team. Furthermore, Dunmow had been training to enter the county public speaking competition in the debate section, so well done to Tilly, Charlotte, Issy and Frank from Maldon Young Farmers for taking part and representing Dunmow. On February 1st, we held our annual subscribers’ drinks. It was a wonderful evening meeting with our subscribers finally, having not been able to hold the event for the past two years - we had a great turnout with both old and new members! All of the Dunmow Young Farmers would like to thank Dawn Trembath for hosting a wonderful evening. It was fantastic to see everyone there. In addition, we’ve had some other fantastic meets such as a tour round Boydell’s Farm in Wethersfield, which everyone found extremely informative learning about the different animals they have and the milking of them. Thank you to the staff at Boydell’s Farm for having us there. We celebrated Pancake Day at Tilly’s which everyone enjoyed getting involved in, and especially tucking in to eat them! Dunmow held their annual Valentines Party with an Après ski theme. We had a huge turnout of over 150 people! Thank you to all the bar staff, everyone that helped set up and tidy up and to everyone that came to make the night one to remember. As a club, we have taken the decision to postpone the 75th Anniversary Ball until 2023 to give us more time to ensure it is a fantastic evening following the delays caused by lockdown, as it should have been celebrated back in 2020. This Ball we shall be calling our 80th Ball. As a friendly, fun-loving club we are always looking to welcome new members and, as we have the best weather yet to come, if there is anyone keen to join, please do not hesitate to get in touch! Until next time,

Sophie xoxo 16

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

HALSTEAD

CLUB CHAIRLADY

YF CLUB REPORT

Paige Mitchell

Hi everyone, Well, 2022 is definitely flying by! In fact, it always amazes me how long January feels but then how quickly the rest of the year seems to disappear! They do say, however, that time flies when you’re having fun and, to that extent, we’ve certainly been keeping ourselves busy at Halstead Young Farmers over the last few months - so, of course, there is plenty to share with you about what we’ve been up to!

CHARLOTTE THORNTON

FROM BOULDERING AND A POOL COMPETITION TO FLIPPING PANCAKES, WE’VE ALL HAD A BIT OF A LAUGH AND CONTINUED TO WELCOME SOME NEW FACES TO THE CLUB TOO

We got 2022 underway with our usual Christmas tree collection, which we used as an opportunity to support our official charity for the year, Home Start. The final tally stands at 75 trees and roughly £500, all of which will go straight to helping Home Start help families in need. We’re really proud to be supporting Home Start this year, who we recently hosted for an evening to help us understand more about the charity; the work they do and why it is so essential. Our weekly club socials have been pretty diverse recently too, which has been really good fun. From bouldering and a pool competition to flipping pancakes, we’ve all had a bit of a laugh and continued to welcome some new faces to the club too. We also recently joined Chelmsford for a tour of Chelmsford Brewing Co. which was a good bit of fun. We’re now starting to get ready for a busy summer of competitions with a couple of members set for stock judging and lawn mower racing. Our girls are also preparing to get back on the rope for the first tug of war competition of the year too. As Halstead has traditionally had a reputation for being rather good at tug of war, we’re looking forward to seeing how they all get on this year. Before I sign off, our famous Mr Essex party will finally be returning on Friday 3rd June, so expect to hear more about the theme and venue soon! Stay safe, keep well, and have a great Easter.

Charlotte ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

MALDON

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRMAN Tom Carr

Hi all, it’s Katie here again with a quick update on what Maldon Young Farmers have been up to! Following on from the last magazine issue, (most) prospective events to look forward to that we mentioned have now happened. Our annual Christmas tree sale was an outstanding success, raising over £2,000 for our chosen charity, Crohns & Colitis. Fantastic support from the local residents, as always, and even a few old member faces came and showed their support on the day which is always fantastic to see and greatly welcomed! Our quiz night was also another way of us supporting our chosen charity, raising further funds and spreading greater awareness as to what the charity stands for.

KATIE GOFF

Going into 2022… we have had quite the busy start with a diverse range of meetings! From top golf and joint club manhunt to interactive talks from the Dog’s Trust and lambing demonstrations there really has been a meeting for everyone! In other news, Maldon finally managed to have their Christmas meal… three months later. To some it may be considered late, to others we may just be very keen for Christmas 2022! In both of the most recent competitions, dodgeball and public speaking, Maldon has placed in a respectable third so well done to everyone that participated! On the note of competitions… much like other clubs, Maldon’s tug of war training is in full swing. Training has really ‘pulled’ the club together, more so than ever and with lots of new member faces, the enthusiasm is really evident everyone has got a real ‘get stuck’ in attitude (too many puns?). Hopefully we will come out strong ahead of prelims day, so watch this space! Just like before, we’ve got a couple of big events coming up in the next few months. One that goes with a bang every year is our Annual Clay Shoot in April. This is promising to be a really good day and after great reviews from previous years, it will be held on the spectacular Layer Marney Tower grounds again. Another event that I’m sure everyone will be looking forward to is Maldon’s St Paddy’s Party! Throw your craziest green outfits on and get ready to celebrate in true Young Farmers style… we’ll be shamrocking into the night! That’s it from me for now! We hope to see you very soon! If you want to join Maldon Young Farmers, please get in contact with Chairman Tom Carr on 07514 015654 or via our Facebook page.

Katie

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLUB REPORTS

ONGAR

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRMAN Will Spanton-Coates

Despite the challenges faced in the last few months for Young Farmers, this most definitely did not stop Ongar Young Farmers.

HANNAH GILES

We ended last year picking up a number of public speaking awards, winning all four matches at the hockey tournaments and raising a superb amount of money during our Christmas tree collection for our chosen charity, Yellow A few of many creations at our pottery evening Wellies. Despite the testing times that surrounded us all at Christmas, Ongar Young Farmers headed to the White Hart in Moreton for our annual Christmas meal. It was safe to say a good time was had by all and we can’t thank Carla and Dean enough for providing such a brilliant evening. We ensured that we kept all members and those around us safe through COVID testing, allowing us to appreciate some form of normality once again. Those brave enough the following day took part in a 5k fun run, which despite the sore heads, pulled out the bag a second and fourth-place finish for the boys and a joint-first spot for the girls! 2022 was most welcomed and will be a year full of exciting events for all of the Young Farmer members to look forward to, particularly with it being our 80th anniversary as a club and with the likes of our upcoming celebratory ball coming up. To kick off the new year, we had a successful day playing dodgeball at Writtle College where we placed fourth, followed by a well-deserved beer at the pub. A popular club night for the start of the year was pottery painting at Ceramics on the Hop in Writtle. Despite the arts and crafts theme, there was an incredible turnout for the club and saw members paint plant pots to tractors. As a club, it was agreed that we’d all like to return one evening again.

Cattle tour and stock judging practice

Ongar Young Farmers hockey team

Ongar Young Farmers are proud of its tight-knit community and club nights hosted by club members, whether past or present, are not an uncommon occurrence. With thanks to George Padfield and Emily Diamond, we were warmly-welcomed to Great Tawney Hall in February for an insightful evening on lambing and all the hard work that is put into it. Another animal-themed club night was with thanks to Anne and Duncan Padfield who are long-standing supporters of our club and are regularly seen cheering us on from the sidelines at the likes of public speaking events. The evening not only taught us about the history of their farm, but also allowed us to increase our stock judging knowledge for the upcoming competition later on in the year . After last year’s string of competition successes, the end of February saw us participate in the senior public speaking challenge of which this year’s theme was after-dinner speaking. Members James Padfield, Charlotte Pegrum, Jonathan Hockley, Emily Jerram and Henry Tinney went on to win the public speaking competition which led to us even more success in the Public Speaking Eastern Area Competition, coming home with a fantastic second-place finish. It was a great boost for the club’s competitions after ending last year on such a high. As a club we are always pleased to see new faces join our Young Farmers family! We are a mix of boys and girls ranging from 16-28, and not all from a farming background. We meet every Tuesday night and if no activity is in place, just having a sit down and a laugh over dinner in the local pub is just one of the many things we do for fun and new faces are always welcomed. If you’d like to join Ongar Young Farmers after reading this, please feel free to call or message Ellie Jemmett on 07985 245454 or via our social media pages.

Public Speaking Eastern Area Comp

Emma & Hannah x ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

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CLUB REPORTS

SOUTHMINSTER

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRLADY Issy Rouse

Well hello! I’m back at the old typewriter and enjoying the fact that we have survived the winter fairly unscathed, despite Eunice giving us her best shot! Since we were last here, Southminster has had a wild and varied programme. The year started steadily due to a certain pandemic but we have certainly made up for lost time! For our first proper meet up, we got creative at Cow Pot Pots to paint our own pottery and, suffice to say, some were looking better than others!

JACK GARWOOD

A shocking shot from Nathan!

We had a darts and pool evening, and well done to everyone that took part, Nathan for winning the pool and Jodie for winning the darts. Thanks to the White Horse in Mundon for hosting. We’ve also enjoyed a spot of balloon-tying courtesy of Dale, Modelling our balloon-tying skills our President, a hidden talent he’s been hiding! Thank you to Dale for his tuition and hosting and thank you to Dunmow for making the journey to join us. It was then our turn to head off the Dengie and join Brentwood for stock judging - I can now confirm I know which end of the cow is which! Thanks to Andrew and the Sell family for having us.

Scrambled pancake anyone?

Unfortunately, our venue cancelled the next meeting that was planned, but it will take more than that for us to miss out on pancakes! So, after a quick ring round, Katie very kindly hosted us and a flipping good time was had by all. As well as all of our own meets we’ve really enjoyed seeing everyone from across the county at events from public speaking to stock judging and football to dodgeball. We can’t wait to get involved with our upcoming events and, dare I even say, seeing everyone at this little Show that’s coming up in May, though I’m sure you’ll hear all about that in due course. If you’re not a member and reading this and think that Young Farmers sounds like a bit of you, then you can contact Issy on 07814 166028 or southminsteryfc@gmail.com. Until then, Our upcoming 24-hour bike ride

Jack ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

CLAAS in GRASS Come and see us at our working demonstration on 28th April 2022

Don’t miss this exciting new event for CLAAS and MANNS. The full line up of CLAAS Green Harvest equipment will be demonstrated with a range of CLAAS tractors. Call your MANNS Essex Field Sales Managers to book your place. Eric Rippingale 07836 345875 Chris Scott 07710 904610 claas-manns.co.uk facebook.com/claas.manns

MANNS

CLUB REPORTS

WIX

YF CLUB REPORT

CLUB CHAIRLADY Tamsin Sprawling

How time flies! Just like that, we are well into a new year and kicking on towards summer. Here at Wix our members and committee are flat-out planning for our Spring Ball, Free Booze Party and the many exciting club meetings we have planned as the nights are drawing out. Whilst on the topic of upcoming events, our Spring Ball will be held on Saturday 7th May and, although we are sold out at the moment, we are holding a waiting list should any tables become available.

JAMES FOXON

WE WERE TREATED TO TWO VERY DIFFERENT FARM TOURS IN FEBRUARY; A BRILLIANT, HANDSON TOUR OF THE LAMBING SHEDS AT HUTLEY’S FARM, KINDLY HOSTED BY JANE AND ANDREW HUTLEY, AND A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE, INDEPTH TOUR OF THE STOURGARDEN ONION PACK HOUSE AND FARM

Wix blew away the Christmas blues early on in January with our Christmas tree collection. A small army of members spread out across the Tendring District with any vehicle that could carry a tree enlisted. After a weekend of collecting over 145 trees, and as always some very generous donations from the collections of our subscribers’ trees, we managed to raise a tremendous £916.70, so again a big thank you to our members, the general public and, of course, our subscribers!

Connor Wordingham, pictured with Baa-rack Obama

Wix learning the intrinsic difference between red and white onions

It has not been all work for Wix’s members, there has been some play with many exciting club meetings to fill our members’ Thursday evenings. After a couple of pub socials to see in the new year, Wix headed off to a local driving range to test our golf skills, with a very good turnout and some questionable golf abilities! At the end of January we had a practice for the upcoming County dodgeball competition, which fortunately had far less implications when being hit with a ball. This practice seemed to pay off as we came second in the County dodgeball competition. February was another busy month, kicking off with a public speaking introduction and practice session, which helped to assemble our crack team of speakers. A big thank you to Fiz Marshall for coming along to show us the ropes on this one. The training was certainly worthwhile; our Braintrust team which included Connor Wordingham, Izzy Fairley, Cameron Young and Will Black came first and our after-dinner speaking team of Cameron Young, Tom Fairley, Izzy Fairley, George Howe and Tamsin Sprawling came second - Cameron was even awarded best speaker. Following on from this, we were treated to two very different farm tours in February; a brilliant, hands-on tour of the lambing sheds at Hutley’s Farm, kindly hosted by Jane and Andrew Hutley, and a highly informative, in-depth tour of the Stourgarden Onion Pack House and Farm, kindly hosted by the Rixs. Coming up, Wix has lots more exciting club meetings to look forward to, particularly now the evenings are starting to look a little lighter and we’ll very soon be dancing away at both our Spring Ball and Free Booze Party.

James ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

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COUNTY REPORTS

COMPETITIONS JAMIE MARSHALL

I decided to try something new and hold a mixed football competition on a Friday night. This was a very well-attended event which had very positive feedback.

HALSTEAD

MALDON

ONGAR

SOUTHMINSTER

WIX

Jamie DUNMOW

Football Hockey Dodgeball 5k Run Pool night Darts After-Dinner Speaking Brainstrust Stockjudging Prelims Prelims TOW Mens Prelims TOW Ladies Lawn Mower Racing Maldon Clay Shoot Show TOW (Mens) Show TOW (Ladies) EA TOW Qualifier (Mens) EA TOW Qualifier (Ladies)

Coming up we have Prelims which is always set for a good day and on April 24th, Maldon Young Farmers will be hosting the Young Farmer competition for clay pigeon shooting.

COLCHESTER

In preparation of the public speaking competition we held a ‘just a minute’ fun session to give people an insight of what public speaking is all about. This led to the proper competition which was held on February 20th. It was a challenging start to the day due to storm Eunice taking the

CHELMSFORD

EVENT

We kicked January off with dodgeball which was held at Writtle College, there was great turnout with a total of five teams taking part. Congratulations to Colchester for taking first place.

BRENTWOOD

DATE

11/03/2022 28/11/2021 30/01/2022 19/12/2021 28/01/2022 26/11/2021 20/02/2022 20/02/2022 13/03/2022 10/04/2022 10/04/2022 10/04/2022 10/04/2022 24/04/2022 22/05/2022 22/05/2022 TBC TBC

electricity out of the County Office, but in the usual Young Farmers’ spirit, we powered on! Well done to Ongar for taking first place in the after-dinner speaking.

A&SW

I DECIDED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW AND HOLD A MIXED FOOTBALL COMPETITION ON A FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS WAS A VERY WELLATTENDED EVENT WHICH HAD VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK

We have had a busy start to 2022 trying to make sure we can get as much in as possible as we have missed out on so much.

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ESSEX ESSEXYOUNG YOUNGFARMERS FARMERS || SUMMER SPRING 2022 2021

COUNTY REPORTS

COUNTRYSIDE OLLIE WEAVERS

WE HAVE THE ANNUAL FARM VALUATION COMPETITION, WITH THE DATE STILL TO BE CONFIRMED. WE ARE ALSO RUNNING A SHEEP-SHEARING COURSE FOR THE KEEN SHEEP HANDLERS IN THE COUNTY, WHICH WILL BE TAKING PLACE IN THE COMING WEEKS

Hi everyone. After a surprisingly kind winter, we kicked off the spring with the annual Stock Judging competition. Obviously this was the first time we had organised the competition in two years, but it was great to see members new and old come and give it a go. We had 11 teams enter from across the county. Well done to the Ash and Saff/ Chelmsford mixed team for winning and going on to represent Essex at Eastern area. A big thanks has to go to Writtle University College and the judges, Teresa Pemberton and Cameron Farnan, for making the day happen. Moving on, we have the annual farm valuation competition, with the date still to be confirmed. We are also running a sheep-shearing course for the keen sheep handlers in the county, which will be taking place in the coming weeks. Well, that’s all from me for now but feel free to contact me for any questions. Until next time,

Ollie

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

COUNTY REPORTS

SUBSCRIBERS NATHAN SPRAWLING

Hi everyone!

PLEASE, IN THE MEANTIME, CHECK THAT YOUR PAYMENTS OR STANDING ORDERS ARE GOING TO THE RIGHT ACCOUNT AND ARE FOR THE RIGHT SUMS

We’ve been busy processing everyone’s subscriber payments; thanks to everyone who has paid up for their support, whether new or ongoing, and particularly to Jane Carey for helping sift through the incoming payments. We’re still hoping to implement direct debits down the line. Please, in the meantime, check that your payments or standing orders are going to the right account and are for the right sums. If you need to check this with us, please just contact the County Office; some seem to be being paid into the Show allocation, amongst other places, and there’s a significant number short of the current pricing! We will endeavour to contact who we can in this

regard but the contact details for many on record don’t seem to be perfect, so please do get in touch if you are in doubt so we can ensure that your subscribership (and Show tickets!) are secure. Going forward, we’re still hoping to run an event in the summer with you all and, of course, we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to the County Show, back after the covid-induced hiatus. I won’t tread on the toes of the Show Chair’s report too much, but rest assured that preparation is well underway and it’ll be back in full force. Thanks,

Nathan

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COUNTY REPORTS

FUNDRAISING & ACTIVITIES LUCY HITCHCOCK Hello readers!

WE SOLD OUT WITHIN A WEEK OF ADVERTISING SO, IF YOU DID MANAGE TO GET A TICKET, WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!

So, we have been fairly quiet up until now! We have our exchange party on March 27th which will be held in Dunmow. We can’t wait to see clubs from around the country again after a two-year break because of Covid! Also making a comeback is the County Ball which is on April 2nd. We sold out within a week of advertising so, if you did manage to get a ticket, we can’t wait to see you there! We will be doing a raffle on the night raising money for the RABI and the FCN, both of which are vital support lines for the farming community.

Lucy x

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CHAPLAIN

CHAPLAIN’S CHAPTER

REVD JANET NICHOLLS

How wonderful it was to see so many of you in Thaxted for Plough Sunday! It is always one of my favourite services of the year, but Plough Sunday 2022 seemed even more special than previous years. Perhaps it was a case of “absence makes the heart grow fonder”! We’ve all missed so many activities over the last two years. But there was something more palpable. I can only describe it as ‘hope’. From the church service to the tractor run, from the blessings to the barbecue, everyone seemed to be uplifted and fortified by a sense of hope for 2022. An injection of hope is a great motivating force for forging ahead with this year’s YFC plans. But the horrific events in Ukraine are casting a dark shadow over bright hopes for the months ahead. As I write, images of war and unimaginable suffering are filling the news screens. The future for the people of Ukraine looks bleaker and darker by the hour. It would be so easy to lose hope. I’m reminded of the words of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu: ‘Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.’ Yesterday, at the time of writing, I stood in the County Young Farmers’ office surrounded by bags of clothes and essentials ready to be delivered to Poland. The Essex Young Farmers’ collection for Ukrainians received overwhelming support. It might seem like a tiny drop of kindness in the fierce ocean of war but I pray that it might just bring a glimmer of light to the recipients that says: ‘We stand with you, deeply and truly hopeful that peace will return to Ukraine soon.’

Janet

Revd Canon Janet Nicholls, Agricultural Chaplain jnicholls@chelmsford.anglican.org

ESSEX YOUNG FARMERS | SPRING 2022

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