GFYFC Year Book 14.15

GLOUCESTERSHIRE
FEDERATION
OF

YOUNG FARMERS’
CLUBS

YEAR BOOK 2014/15

Contents Page 3
Page 5
Year Book Editors Report Page 7
NFYFC Presidents Report Page 11
GFYFC Presidents Report Page 17
GFYFC Country Chairman’s Report Page 20
GFYFC County Organiser’s Report Page 21
Lynne Parkes Thank You Page 23
GFYFC Finance & GP Report Page 27
GFYFC Activities & Development Report Page 31
Three Countries Bike Ride Page 34
GFYFC Rally 2015 Report Page 37
Hatches, Matches & Catches Page 43
NFYFC Travel Report Page 47
SWA Junior Activities Weekend Report Page 51
Three Peaks Challenge Page 81
Gloucestershire Club Reports Page 82
John Smiths Trophy Page 83
The J Gready Recruitment Trophy Page 84
The Rally Scores Page 85
The Beaufort Trophy Page 87
Useful Contacts
GFYFC Lottery

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Year Book Editors
Report:

Another year has passed and I have had an
enviable task of creating this year’s yearbook. To
help remember all the best bits throughout the
year. What a fantastic year Gloucestershire
Federation of Young Farmers has had! From
dominating the carcase stock judging at the Winter
Fair in November to retaining the jump rope
national title in Torquay in May.
This year’s Yearbook has taken a different format
than previous editions. So as you can see the
yearbook is in a handbag friendly A5 format. Also
you may be reading the digital flipbook for the first
time. To bring Gloucestershire YFC fully into the
digital age.
Many events throughout the year would not have
happened without the generosity of numerous
companies. Who kindly sponsor our Rally,
Yearbook, Charity Challenges and even our prize
cards. Without your unrelenting support
Gloucestershire YFC would not be in the strong
position it is today, so GFYFC would like to thank
you.
On the subject of giving thanks I have a few
people to thank myself. Katie Hall, your pictures

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have told a thousand words numerous times
throughout the yearbook without them it would
look very sparse! Georgina Gilder who has
supported me throughout with her opinions and
advice. Without your help, support and guidance
this year book would not have been printed!
Lynette & Carrie thank you for all your hard work
securing the adverts for the year book and all of
your help. Also thank you to everyone who has
contributed to this yearbook.
Good luck to next year’s editor 2015-16
Charles Day - Yearbook Editor
Winchcombe YFC

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NFYFC Presidents
Report:

Letter from the President Spring 2015
Dear members,
It is a great pleasure as president of
the National Federation of Young
Farmers' Club to represent such a
dynamic and active organisation.
Throughout my time as president, my wife and I
have had the honour of visiting so many great club
and county activities and we are always blown
away by the amazing work that is done by
volunteers
Now that the membership year is in full swing, I am
sure you are all gearing up for the many
competitions that you take part in. NFYFC offers
members the opportunity to take part in a varied
programme that not only provides the pleasure of
taking part but also of succeeding on so many
different levels. The skills learned through
competitions and many other NFYFC programmes
allow members to apply these skills in many other
areas of their lives outside of YFC and hence to
succeed.

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I was recently asked to judge one of the area
rounds of Member of the Year. I was so impressed
by the knowledge and commitment that each and
every one of the finalists demonstrated. It is great to
witness the enthusiasm of members, not only for
their clubs and counties but also for the
organisation as a whole. It is good to know that the
future of the organisation is in good hands going
forward.
At present, we are all aware of the challenges that
lay ahead for NFYFC. It is a difficult time financially
but there are many positive steps being taken to
ensure the longevity of the organisation. It is good
to see so many positive and open discussions
regarding the increase of the levy. It is this open
discussion and positive manner that will ensure the
progression and enhancement of NFYFC going
forward.
Thank you for all your hard work over the last
number of months. I am proud to represent such a
forward thinking and proactive organisation. Best
of luck for the coming months.
Poul Christensen
National Federation Young Farmers President

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GFYFC Presidents
Report:

Young Farmers,
I am extremely honoured and
privileged to hold this position.
What a year you have had! It
has absolutely flown by once
again with many, many
memorable moments.
Richard and I were delighted when Katie was
elected as your County Chairman, she has
achieved so much, and the county officers, clubs
and members appear to be working and
supporting each other and long may this continue.
We were fortunate to have Poul Christianson –
NFYFC President to speak at our AGM, a true
Ambassador for Young Farmers. The quality of the
speeches and the presentations given by you – the
members were impressive, this was remarked on
once again by many of our guests.
There have been many competitions and these
have all been well supported - I have enjoyed
attending and have seen first-hand all your talents
are – talking of talent, ‘Whatever happened to the
Pantomime Sheep’. Congratulations to our

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Gloucestershire team – SWA and then the National
Semi-Finals. Stu Nixon was made for the role of
dame-he almost looked too comfortable in his/her
dresses and gold wellies! Victoria Hicks is extremely
talented as a writer and director etc and her team
supporting her brilliantly. With many hours spent
rehearsing, and then the Gloucestershire Showcase
in the Forest of Dean –it was fantastic to see so
many people attending – a really great evening-
well done to you all.
Another highlight – the NFYFC AGM this year in
Torquay, with Vicky and Katie proposing and
seconding that Eric Freeman be elected as a Life
Vice President – truly deserved. Wootton and
Dursley winning the Jump Rope final again, and
Gloucestershire coming 2nd in the Dance final – a
superb end to a fantastic weekend.
The challenge set this year was ‘The Three Peaks’,
Allison & I met them at the bottom of Snowdon –
they were soaking wet, tired & emotional – but
what an achievement for them all - once again
YFC teamwork at its best.
I would also like to mention the support and advice
we receive from partner organisations, sponsors &
friends, this is much valued and we are very
grateful. If you haven’t already joined our Lottery
Club – you will find all the information within the
yearbook – please do join – you could be the
winner!

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Thank you to Lynette and Carrie in the office and
Allison Ractliffe for your help, company and
generally keeping me in line & in touch – it is much
appreciated. I would also take this opportunity to
thank Lynne Parkes for her 15 years as our Treasurer,
she has kept us in the black and has constantly
motivated and supported Gloucestershire YFC.
Richard and I are VERY proud of Katie, she has
worked tremendously hard for Gloucestershire this
year, we dread to think how many miles she has
done, but she couldn’t have achieved this without
her team from all over our county that have
supported & encouraged her – no names (you
know who you all are) thank you all so much.
Young Farmers is all about team-work and this year
we have had it in bucketful’s, good luck to the new
team for 2015/2016 and I look forward to talking
and being with you all soon.
Best wishes
Brigette Hall
County President

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-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 10

GFYFC County
Chairman’s Report:

Well what a year it has been
again for GFYFC, and what
year I have had as County
Chair with so much going on
again. It’s hard to write it all
down in a report. The year
started with our annual Harvest
Festival at Gloucester
Cathedral again very well attended by members,
parents and dignitaries alike. We then organised a
junior only carcase judging practise where we were
overcome with members which is brilliant to see.
October came upon us quickly and saw the junior
and senior stockman of the year which was very
kindly hosted by the King Family who we thank
again for their continued support.
Through October and November there were Club
Balls a plenty and saw lots of members attending
and supporting other clubs which is brilliant. Middle
of November saw us take a team of stock judgers
to English Winter Fair in Stafford to compete against
other counties in the South and we took home
mostly red cards and some blues and took home
the Carcase Judging Team Trophy which is brilliant.

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The end of November saw
the annual county skittles
match at Salmon Springs
which always brings out the
competitiveness between
the clubs which always a
good way to start the year,
then the beginning of December is always a
brilliant time of year for members to find their inner
travel bug and attend NFYFC Discovery interviews
which is an amazing opportunity for any member
to travel all over the world. Four of us attended the
interviews and four of us got spaces on trips which
is brilliant.
This was then followed by the annual County Sports
Day which included cross country running,
dodgeball and in true glorious British weather we
had every kind thrown at us throughout the day.
The weekend before Christmas saw the back room
of the county office having a true over haul and
saw the county officer team working hard putting
down new carpet and painting the walls. In
between Christmas and New Year saw our
amazing and now annual Glitter Ball where Chris
Stark of Radio 1 entertained the masses and with a
record crowd everyone danced the night away to
Soul’d Out.
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Beginning of January saw the county ten pin
bowling competition at Merry Walk shopping
centre in Stroud. This competition is a particular
favourite with the members and on the same
weekend we had the Public Speaking competition
at Ag House which was attended by lots of clubs-
there are some definite future prime ministers
amongst us. The end of January had the gruelling
junior and senior quiz at Gloucester Gala Club
which is a brilliant venue.
The end of February was upon
us and saw the members
attend the Spring Fling, they
never cease to amaze me with
the fantastic fancy dress they
drag out. The end of February
saw the pantomime and dancing dress rehearsal
at Bushley Cricket Club where parents, friends and
anyone else were invited to watch the brilliant
pantomime – Whatever happened to the
pantomime sheep? Which was directed and
written by our very own Vicky Hicks. Can I just say
Stuart Nixon never looked so attractive as Barbara.
Somewhere through the year, Fran Smart came up
with the bright idea to do ‘Three Peaks Challenge’
as the chairman’s challenge for this year and so we
sought out both keen and stupid members to take
part and they came in their droves and so training
commenced! Beginning of March saw our annual
pilgrimage to South West Area which again was
brilliantly attended by members down in Weston
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Super Mare where we entered every competition
and a special mention goes to the Pantomime
team who came second going through to the
national southern final, the dance team and the
jump rope team who won respectively and go
onto the national finals at AGM. With the Southern
finals of pantomime just a couple of weeks after
South West Area there was a lot of blood, sweat
and tears poured into the pantomime and they
went to southern finals and I can confirm absolutely
smashed it with the best performance I have seen
and our very own Abbey Smith getting a mention
for best female actress. A massive congratulations
to the pantomime team.
This was swiftly followed
by carcase judging again
hosted kindly by the King
family and saw
certificates going all over the County which in my
opinion is brilliant. Then a swift and very quick two
weeks flew by and National AGM was upon us
down in Torquay and a very proud moment for
GFYFC ensued with Eric freeman – a true hero
being crowned a National Life Vice President of
YFC, thank you goes to Vicky Hicks for planting the
seed and making it happen. The big moment for
our dance and jump rope teams came on Sunday
afternoon and with a very nervous county
chairman and car loads of supporters the dance
team took to the stage and with Cate Mace at the
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helm smashed out their
dance piece with a look of
pride and how did they do
that? The results were
announced and in my opinion they were robbed
so a huge congratulations to Cate Mace, Abbey
Smith, Ronda and Marita Warner-King and Kate
Edgington. Then came the defending Jump Rope
Champions Wotton and Dursley and they wowed
the crowd with a fantastic performance and once
again became champions in their own right a
massive thank you to Tracey Morgan for coaching
them, Sam Adams, Tess Bateman, Debbie
Millington and Dan Whincup for giving their all.
Then the busiest time of the year was upon us, Pre-
Rally and Rally and with a fantastic Rally Chairman
and committee at the helm it was one the biggest
entries the County has ever seen. Which is brilliant
and a true milestone for GFYFC, A massive thank
you to the Marsh family for holding Pre-rally and in
my opinion a perfect location, and to the Day
family for holding the Rally the best rally site ever –
more concrete than you can ever imagine.
The rally then lead on as always to Royal Three
counties competition at Malvern and was brilliantly
attended by all members and again had all types
of weather over 3 days and we were just pipped to
the post by Worcester to come in third.
With less than a week and no time to breath GFYFC
held the SWA competitions day at Hartpury college
and with brilliant weather and a record crowd the
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place was lit up with members competing for the
top crown and id to thank the BBQ girls who did a
cracking job feeding everyone on such a busy day
and the county officer team for working so hard
towards it.
July and August are always a quiet time for YFC
and well deserved breather is needed, as many
clubs attend local shows GFYFC is ever present in
Glorious Gloucestershire.
Thank you for taking the time to read my whistle
stop tour of the GFYFC calendar all I can say I’ve
had an amazing time being county chairman and
have loved every single second of it and just want
to thank my amazing mum Brigette Hall who yes is
county president, and my wonderful dad who has
had phone calls saying can you just and can I
borrow at all times of the day and has never
faltered or said no! I couldn’t have done it without
you!!!
The Final thank you goes to the amazing officer
team and the wonderful ladies in the office who
without them I wouldn’t know which way was up. I
also can’t forget the wonderful Charles Day who
has made this yearbook happen thank you. Finally,
I’d just like to wish the future officers the best of luck
in 2015/2016 and in my opinion GFYFC is in the best
position it has ever been.
Katie Hall
County Chairman

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GFYFC County
Organiser’s Report:

I would like to start by congratulating all
the members of Gloucestershire
Federation for such a fantastic year.
There has been such a strong and
enthusiastic team in the County
Officers, who as always have put their
all into making the past year so
successful.
The year started with Katie Hall taking over as
County Chairman. She has been determined to
make her mark and she has gone beyond what is
expected of someone in this role with so much
drive, enthusiasm and dedication.
It was with sadness that we had to say goodbye to
our County Administrator Lynn Edwards, who had
been with us for over four years, but we were very
fortunate to find Lynette Wilcox to take her place.
Lynette is not a stranger to Young Farmers, having
been a past member of South Beaufort YFC, and
now has two sons who are part of Wotton & Dursley
YFC.
The Year started with the Harvest Ball at Bingham
Hall in Cirencester, which was a great success.
November saw many of our Stock Judges going to
the English Winter Fair. We truly did show the other
counties that GFYFC are not to be beaten, as

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Kimberley Daniels (Sodbury Vale YFC), Marita
Warner-King (Painswick YFC), Grace Smart and
Harriett Price (Westbury YFC) were the winning
Carcase Judging Team. The Live Stock Judging
team also did very well and came 5th. Well done to
you guys, and keep up the good work.
The Glitter Ball in December at Cheltenham Race
Course had an even better year than the previous
year, and it is great to see so many members from
surrounding Counties supporting us. Let’s hope
every year sees an increase in numbers.
The South West Area weekend in Weston-Super-
Mare saw Gloucestershire win the Jump rope and
2nd in Commercial Dance. Both teams went on to
compete at the Annual Convention in Torquay with
the Jump rope coming 1st and the Commercial
Dance team. That is a massive achievement. In the
case of the Pantomime which came 2nd at SWA
going on to come 4th at the Southern area finals.
Congratulations to all of those who took part.
It was our year to host the South West Area
Competitions Day, which we held at Hartpury
College. It is such a great venue, and I would like to
say thank you to the Principle, Russell Marchant,
and Jonathan Stout, Head of Agriculture for
allowing us to use the Venue. As a County we
came 4th overall, but it was a great day made all
the better by the sunshine.
In 2014 some of our members competed in a 330
mile charity cycle ride. This year some of our
members got together once again and took on the

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Challenge of walking The Three Peaks in 24 hours,
raising money for charity as well as raising
awareness for the Organisation. It was one hell of a
hike, but all the members completed the
challenge, and raised loads of money, so well
done to all of you.
I must say a big thank you to all our judges,
stewards, advisory and everyone who helps out
behind the scenes. We wouldn’t be able to
achieve half of what we do without you. Well
done and congratulations to all of you who have
taken part in not only club and County events, but
in the SWA and National Competitions too. Please
keep going. Your enthusiasm and talents are
amazing.
Carrie Bonnel
County Organiser

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Lynne Parkes
Thank You:

This year after 16 Years Lynne has
decided to leave the role of
County Treasurer. Her service to
GFYFC has been immense and
we cannot accurately quantify
the work she has done over the
years. From balancing the books
to running the tug of war
competitions.
Without Lynne’s hard work and
guidance GFYFC would not be in the strong
position it is today. She has been everybody’s
auntie throughout her time and has been to all the
social events.
Auntie Lynne is always giving her support to the
members during the ups and downs. We look
forward to welcoming your grandchildren into
young farmers in the future. So thank you Lynne for
all that you have done for GFYFC you are a true
hero.

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GFYFC Finance & GP
Report:

2015 has been a fantastic year
financially for the Federation!
Having a County Chairman who is
obsessed with money has been a
bonus!
Despite the continued lack of
funding from grants, we have had
a staggering amount of support,
both financially and non-financially, from our
sponsors and we are extremely grateful to each
and every one of you.
You, as the members have also played a huge part
in raising money for the Federation this year. The
parties run this year have been some of the best so
far. We started the year by overhauling the
Halloween Ball, which had been struggling, and
replacing it with the very successful Harvest Ball. We
continued the precedent set in 2013 with Glitter Ball
being bigger and better than ever, Chris Stark
drawing in the crowds. Rally was also a great
success and a huge thanks goes to all those who
made it so.
In addition to the party side, members have
excelled themselves with their fundraising efforts for
both the County and other amazing Charities,
through both the Three Counties bike ride at the

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end of last year and more recently the Three Peaks
Challenged! A big well done to the teams!
Reading the 2012 F&GP Chairman’s Report makes
me appreciate how truly lucky I’ve been this year
with the books and I hope the success of the
county continues for many years yet.
I was also fortunate enough to have worked with
Lynne Parkes in her final year as Treasurer. Despite
being a very busy lady she was never more than an
email away to help with my many questions. Thank
you! Whoever is taking on her role next year has
some pretty big shoes to fill… Oh wait, that’ll be
me! Wish me luck folks!
Kate Edgington
Finance & GP Chairman

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GFYFC Activities
& Development
Report:

WOW what a year! This Young
Farmer’s year stated with a new event for
Gloucestershire young farmers, where we launched
the Harvest Ball, a black tie event, held at Bingham
Hall in Cirencester. It was well supported by 200
current and ex young famers who enjoyed a
fantastic three course meal and danced the night
away to the band ‘The Abstracts’. A huge thanks
you to; Rob Herring and George Harris and the rest
of the committee and county officers who helped in
the running and organisation of the event, I couldn’t
have done it without you.
The Glitter Ball is a growing success! This year over
900 people donned their finest evening wear to
show that young farmers can scrub up well at
Cheltenham Race Course. The night was full of fun,
laughter and plenty of dancing with entertainment
provided by Soul’d Out and Radio 1’s very own Chris
Stark. This event is constantly expanding and
developing and was a huge success, achieving a
larger than expected profit. I would like to thank the
finance committee who supported and had faith in
providing a healthy budget for such a fantastic
event.

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Our members’ knowledge was put to the test in our
annual county quiz held at the Gala Club in
Gloucester. We had the largest attendance at this
event for many years, which provided a great
atmosphere especially with our quiz master Ex
county Chairman Chris Bateman!
Sport day this year showed the competitive edge to
young farmers. With Rugby, Netball, Dodgeball, and
Kwik cricket and cross county there was plenty to
get involved in. With teams from all over the county
keen to show off their sporting prowess the winning
teams in all categories went on to represent
Gloucestershire at South West Area.
South West Area Weekend in Weston – Super-Mare,
as always was a huge success. Gloucestershire
Young Farmers defiantly made their presence
known especially in the competitions! With the
Pantomime cast of ‘Whatever Happened to the
Pantomime Sheep’ coming 2nd who went onto
compete at the southern finals, particular thanks
must go to Victoria Hicks who wrote and produced
it and to the whole cast and crew to their total
dedication to the production. A HUGE mention to
the dance team ‘Regiment 5’ and the Jump rope
team who both came 1st at SWA and went onto
compete at the National AGM.
The National Annual General Meeting was held in
Torquay, for me the highlights were on the Sunday
with our Ex-county President Mr Eric Freeman
receiving ‘The Life Vice-Presidency Award of
National Federation of Young Farmers’. Along with

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this momentous award our Jump Rope and Dance
team ‘Regiment 5’ provided flawless routines, with
the Jump rope team retaining their title coming 1st
and Regiment 5 coming 2nd in Commercial Dance.
Well done to everyone who took part your
dedication and hard work paid off!
It was Gloucestershire’s turn to host the South West
Area competitions day, which was held at Hartpury
College. It was extremely well supported by all
counties and as always was a fun filled day with an
extremely competitive edge!
After the success of the spring fling last year we were
set for another sell out, unfortunately it clashed with
other events making the attendance low, but a
good night was held by all, the highlight was seeing
our county chairman, Katie Hall dressed as a Smurf!
I would just like to say a huge thank you to; Carrie
and Lynnette for all the help this year; Emma Mullins,
who has been a great Vice Chairman and I wish her
all the best for next year, I have a feeling the events
will go from strength to strength. All the County
officers who have been a great support; the judges,
stewards, parents and helpers, without you we
couldn’t run our events and develop the skills of the
young farmers, thank you for your continuous
support and contributions to Gloucestershire
Federation of Young Farmers.
Lucy Ractliffe
Activities and Development Chairman

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Three Counties Bike
Ride 2014 Report:

After thinking about a fund raiser for the county
and a charity for a while, I put pen to paper and
thought of doing a three counties bike ride across
Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire
after initially asking the other 2 counties to get
involved as well, which they weren’t keen on it was
decided that Gloucestershire would fly the flag and
do the 330 mile bike ride across the 3 counties
without them, the next thing was to find people
who were keen to get involved in the bike ride. So
a memo was sent out amongst the members to get
an initial reaction and a few people were keen, so
we settled on a date and it was to be bank holiday
in August after weeks and weeks of training and
preparation ensuring that all of our bikes were up to
standard and our now vice president on board with
leading the pack the brilliant Mike Manning, we
were ready or so we thought, with Katie Hall driving
one vehicle following the cyclists at all times and
Debbie Millington and Charlotte tuck going ahead
and setting up camp in the various village halls,
outdoor centres and rugby clubs that we had
booked. The Friday came around and with a 6am
meet at the Three Counties Showground before
setting off and a selection of the vice presidents

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and our president in attendance we set off waving
and smiling not knowing what was ahead of us.

The first day saw us head into Pershore across to
Evesham and up onto the Cotswolds where we
saw some 1:4 in hills which were a killer but those
wheels kept rolling! We stopped at the Moreton in
marsh show office to see the famous Aunty Lynne
and her co-workers and then continued towards
Tetbury and finally finishing up at Chipping Sodbury
rugby club where after a hot shower and some
grub we bedded down for the night.
Day two with an early rise and lots of aching limbs
the team battles on through and left the rugby
club to head towards the Severn bridge to cross
into Herefordshire the team stopped for a quick
selfie on the bridge only to wait 10 minutes the
other side as Kate had taken the wrong bridge and
was heading for who knows where! After a feed,
water bottle fill and a doughnut with Poppy
Stephens we headed through the beautiful Wye
Valley to be greeted by our second visitor that day
Harry Cole’s mum who refilled Harry’s basket of
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sweets! After a massive
downpour that saw us all get
soaked we headed for Hay
on Wye with a long stretch
along a straight road and a
side wind it was tough going
but the team stuck together
and pushed through and we
made it to Hay on Wye and another visitor Alison
Ractliffe who clapped us all in after another hot
shower and a massive feed of spag bol brilliantly
made by Charlotte and Debbie it was bed time.
Day 3 with aching limbs and lots of ‘do we have to’
we said goodbye to beautiful hay on wye and
headed for Droitwich which was a beautiful scenic
view and through Kington where we stopped for
ice cream and another visitor Ben Johnson who
cheered everyone up massively and kept the team
moral up the last part of the day saw the team
head for their nemesis which was Clows Top a
missive mountain to climb in Worcestershire
however we did have another visitor James and
Gill Griffths, James supported everyone going up
the hill along with Ben whilst Gill sorted out knee
and ankle niggles at the top of the mountain which
there were quite a few. Then on the home stretch
into the activity centre we were staying in we had
our first crasher Stu Nixon that just took the corner
too quick but walked away un scathed however
we did have another Visitor Mr and Mrs King which

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 29

again brightened the team spirits and after a pub
dinner the team went to bed tired but happy.
Day 4 – The final day after lots of aching, eating
flapjack and drinking Lucozade the final day was
upon us! With a nice little ride down from Droitwich
back to 3 Counties Showground we all went
outside and the rain was horrific and non-stop but
the troops got on their bikes and true to form got
on with the job in hand! We came into the 3
counties showground at lunchtime to a roaring set
of applause and a champagne and homemade
scone reception despite the pouring rain. Everyone
was there to meet which was brilliant. Can I thank
everyone who sponsored us, made us a cake, and
came out to spur us on? A humongous thank you
to Debbie and Charlotte for making beds, cooking
tea and setting everything up in front of us. Also
now writing this a huge congratulation to charlotte
on the birth of her baby boy! Thank you must go to
Mike Manning for being an amazing leader and
map reader and finally
the team – Stu Nixon,
Poppy Stephens, Fran
Smart, Harry Cole and
Lucy Ractliffe it was a
mean feat but we really
put Gloucestershire on
the map!
Lucy Ractliffe

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 30

GFYFC Rally 2015
Report:

This year’s Rally started with
Carcase Judging kindly hosted by
Kings. This saw the biggest turn out
in recent years, it was great to see
so many members there
competing for their clubs.
The pre rally was held at Pardon Hill Farm, hosted
by The Marsh family. The day was well attended by
all clubs. The competitive streak came out when it
was time for the highly anticipated tug of war, this is
when months of hard work and training was put
into action!
As soon as pre rally was completed it was time to
think about Rally Day itself. After months of
preparation it was finally here. This year’s venue
was Cullabine Farm, kindly hosted by the Day
family. It was an early start but soon the
competitions were well under way. The sun was out
and so were the members in full force! It was great
to see all the members in their club shirts getting
stuck in. This year we were treated with
synchronised swimming, jump rope, sports comedy
commentary and lots of singing and dancing. The
day was a great success and it was great to see

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months of planning come together. As soon as the
members had left it was time to set up for the rally
party. It was a hell of a night dancing to DJ Tom
Herring who the crowd went crazy for. It even
finished off with the drunk stragglers grabbing a
broom to help tidy up, which was done in no time.
None of this could have been done without the
help from Katie Hall, but there are also so many
other people I need to thank, the list is endless, but
it wouldn't have been possible without each and
every one of them.
I had a great time organising it, Good luck to next
year’s rally Chair, 2015 will be hard to beat!!
Sarah Albutt
Rally WP Chairman

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 32

OUR FARM INSURANCE
PROTECTS THE VERY THINGS
YOU DEPEND ON TO EARN
A LIVING

Peace of mind you have the right cover for your farm.
Call your local o ce for a quote or pop in:
Gloucester 01452 382272
Wotton-under-Edge 01453 842193
Moreton in Marsh 01608 651781
Cirencester 01285 654754
Thornbury 01454 414000
Cinderford 01594 827722

NFU Mutual is The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited (No. 111982). Registered in England. Registered Office: Tiddington Road,
Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7BJ. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and
the Prudential Regulation Authority. A member of the Association of British Insurers. For security and training purposes, telephone calls may be
recorded and monitored.

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 33

Hatches, Matches &
Catches:

Hatches
Will Hewlett & Maddy Sharp

Baby Lily 01/09/2014
Pete & Julie Hewlett
Baby Harriet 01/02/2015
Kate Williams (Ractliffe) & Tom Williams
Baby Charlie19/08/2015

Matches
Simon Dennis & Katie Walker

Got Engaged

Catches
Fiona (Chamberlayne) & Ryan Keepin

Got Married 2015
Emma (Mullins) & Sam Adams

Got Married 2015
Zoe (Ractliffe) & Tom Gifford

Got Married 2015

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 34

GFYFC Panto

“What ever happened to the pantomime sheep?”

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 35

GFYFC Jump Rope &
Commercial Dance

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 36

NFYFC Travel
Report:

On Thursday 23rd July
2015 I was lucky enough
to travel to Manitoba,
Canada as part of my
exchange for 3 weeks
and 4 days on a
homestay discovery trip,
representing the National Federation of Young
Farmers Club. For the 3 weeks which I spent in
Manitoba – Canada, I was hosted by Katelyn and
her family for the duration of my stay. However, I
spent several days with other families who also lived
in the prairies of Manitoba which gave me the
opportunity to experience a variety of farming.
Prior to this Katelyn spent a month in the UK in
different Counties, ending her stay with my family in
Westbury-on-Severn. She is a member who is an
active beef society.
Landing at Saskatoon airport we embarked on the 5
hour drive to my host family’s home, located in
Manitoba – Swan River. The distance proved to be
a trek in itself compared to English mileage and the
relative closeness of our geographical locations.

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My first weekend, was spent at
the ‘North West Roundup
Exhibition’. This was a 3 day
Rodeo weekend which
consisted of Bareback, Tie down
Roping, Saddle Bronc, Steer
Wrestling, Ladies Barrel Racing,
Team Roping, Bull Riding, Wild
Pony / Horse Race and Mutton
Busting. To welcome me to
Canada in true Cowgirl style, the Rodeo team
organised for me to parade the grand stand in a
Chuckwagon and ride one of the few English horses
prior to the races, whilst the commentator explained
the 4 – H Discovery programme to the audience. I
declined the offer of riding a Western horse as after
a practice I decided my seat wasn’t the best and
went against the English technique which I have
been brought up with! Throughout the weekend I
was shown around ‘Down on the Farm’ which was
organised and run by 4 – H members. I was able to
obtain an insight into what the 4 – H members
calendar consists of throughout the year, and the
differences in comparison to National Young
Farmers (of which is more social, rather than projects
which 4 – H members undertake on a yearly basis).

My host family had a mixture of both horses and
cattle and a grain farm which accumulated to 1,000
acres. In Canada it is common to have fairly big
farms and for the farmers to have two jobs unlike
Britain. I was lucky enough to see moose (Canada’s
national animal) roaming the fields and roads on the

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 38

odd occasion throughout the day and evening.
Buffalo are farmed on a large scale in Canada, this
was evident from the 400 head of buffalo safari
which I toured, and I was fortunate to sample the
buffalo burger which was the local delicacy across
the country, seeing it from field to fork!
In between farm tours and sightseeing I found time
to visit The Royal Saskatoon Museum, the University
of Saskatchewan where I had a tour of the extensive
university and the dairy research barn, had a road
trip to Yorkton where I toured ‘Kangro’ a hydroponic
garden centre, as well as touring a John Deere
Dealership where I was privileged enough to drive a
2015 plate combine..! To take in even more of the
beautiful Canadian picturesque scenery I went on a
mule trail ride, spent the day at the lake, trekking
around multiple lakes, tubing, fishing and ending the
day by relaxing in the Jacuzzi. This was a good day
spent meeting other 4 – H members.
With a few days left of my
trip in Canada I thought it
would be worthwhile to visit
Toronto. Whilst there, I went
on a day tour to Niagara
Falls on the ‘Hornblower’
Niagara Cruise, which is
known as ‘Maid of the Mist’
to view the spectacular U.S.
Falls and Canadian
Niagara Falls. The CN Tower
was another attraction

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 39

which I visited being
447 meters above
Toronto, with views
showing the
complete contrast
from the prairies of
Manitoba and the
city of Toronto.

Overall my month spent exploring Canada was
incredible, breath-taking, and a once in a life time
opportunity. Thank you to my host family, NFYFC and
Canada 4 – H for making this discovery trip to
Canada a memorable lifetime experience and it’s
fair to say I’ve met likeminded friends for life even
though they live 3,800 miles away.!

I would highly recommend travelling on a Discovery
Programme through NFYFC, as it offers you the
chance to experience another way of life by living
it. See new places, make new friends, soak in
another culture, and make memories that will last..!
It's an adventure that will pay off for the rest of your
life. All I can say is get applying as you won’t regret
it..!
Poppy Stevens

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 40

NFYFC Travel:

Katie Hall also travelled to Rural Youth Europe Rally
in Lamback in Austria and was chosen as Team
Leader. Here are a few of her best bits …

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 41

JJ FARM SERVICES LIMITED

Massey Ferguson, Lely, Sumo, Warwick & KRM
Suppliers of all leading makes of farm machinery (new and second-hand)

TEL: 01242 620631
Email: [email protected]
Far Stanley, Gretton, Cheltenham, GL54 5HF

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 42

SWA Junior Activities
Weekend Report:

On Friday 14th August, Grace Smart, Henry Turley
and myself met the coach at Magor service station
and made the remainder of the trip in company of
the other SWA young farmers to the Brecon
Beacons.
On arrival we were shown to our accommodation
which had been updated not long before we
arrived, from old dated caravans to new wooden
pods. Juniors were assigned pods, mixing up clubs
to integrate the children with 5 in each.

The new pods and communal area
As I took on the role as a responsible adult for the
weekend I shared with another adult. Our pods
were more ‘luxury’ much to the junior’s annoyance,
with only two beds per pod as our accommodation
-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 43

had its own toilet, small kitchenette, table and
chairs and a TV!
Once we got the juniors settled into their pods that
afternoon was spent doing dry activities at the
acorns second site located a mile walk away
through sheep fields and a quaint village. The
juniors were spilt up into 4 groups (which stayed the
same over the entire weekend) to make
completing activities easier.
Daily routines were well structured waking up
around 7.30 to get to breakfast at 8.30, followed by
a bit of personal time to get ready for the morning
activity. Morning activities on both days were in the
water, either kayaking or raft building which was
made bearable as the typical Welsh weather
holding off well for the weekend.

After the morning activity there was time for much
needed showers to be followed by lunch and
spare time to play on the basketball court and
-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 44

chat on the
picnic benches
around the pods.
The afternoon
activities were up
at the second
site, including
archery, zip wire,
high ropes
(gladiator, leap
of faith and crate stack) and climb and abseil.
Even though juniors were split into groups who
completed different activities at different times
over the weekend, everyone was given the same
experience regarding the activities offered.
Afternoon activities finished at 5 and then the walk
was made back to the acorn centre, to be
followed by free time and tea time at 6.
We were provided 3 hot meals a day, with
availability to fruit, hot and cold drinks 24/7.
Evening activities were put on by staff, ranging
from a camp fire, rounder’s and quizzes. These
finished around 9 and juniors got ready for bed and
retired to their pods.
Even though my role for the weekend was as a
responsible adult I was still able to join in all
activities and have as good a time as the juniors. I
found this weekend to be a great experience,
completing every activity thrown at me (much to
my surprise) and have a good laugh with other
young farmers along the way! I enjoyed talking to

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 45

different juniors from around the south west and
hearing them share their love for the weekend, with
many returning year after year and making friends for
life.

The team building challenge to make one large
raft!

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 46

Three Peaks 2015
Report:

After the success
of Last year’s
bike ride and
vowing never to
get on a bike
again I decided
that GFYFC
should do 3 peaks as their chairman’s challenge
this year which involved going up and down Ben
Nevis in Scotland, Scaffel Pike in England and
Snowdonia in Wales all in 24 hours, which when
thinking about it is completely nuts with the drive in
between etc but this is what I wanted to do so
that’s what we decided to do and with a charity in
mind – CLIC Sargent the planning started taking
place.
With our first initial meet up planned on the 1st
March at British Camp, the memo had gone out to
all the members and as it turned out there were
some stupid enough to turn up to Malvern to get
involved. After a 2 hours hike and a Sunday lunch
everyone went away quite happy that the
challenge was achievable. Our second practise
was very kindly organised by Sarah Pugh and so we
met bright and early at a car park near Pen Y Fan

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 47

and discovered our leader that day was a trained
mountaineer and an all-round athlete and let’s just
say he really put us through our paces pushing us
the whole time. The third and final practise was
booked in for the 7th June at Scaffel Pike in
Cumbria and with 3 cars of people we set off the
few miles to have a go! The step section of Scaffel
pike nearly killed some people and definitely did
others it was a real eye opener for many members
of the team but this was as close to the real thing
as we could practise for!
Then with a bang the actual 3 peaks was upon us
with our drivers, guides and team members sorted
we started the long haul to Oban in Scotland. We
had Rich Carter, Ben Johnson, Katie Hall and Stuart
Nixon as drivers and then Carly Watkins as media
manager in charge of twitter and Facebook and
all other forms of communication to the outside
world. The walking team were – Jonny Day, Charles
Day, Georgina Gilder, Sophie Hilleard, Rob King,
Adam Shayle, Georgie David, Sarah Pugh and
finally myself (Fran Smart). With our guides, Mike
and Alan there to help us every step of the way!
We started with dinner in an Italian on the Friday
night which was a very civil affair and then an early
rise to eat breakfast and get ready for what the
next 24 hours had to offer us. At 10.30 am on

-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 48

Saturday 26th June 2015 at
the bottom of Ben Nevis and
what was going to be the
hardest 24 hours of anyone’s
lives, we waved goodbye to
the support team and
started walking up, and up it
went after walking for 3 hours straight we finally hit
the summit of Ben Nevis and the coldest place
ever! With ankle deep snow around us we had a
picture and then turned round to start walking
back down for the next leg, when we eventually
reached the bottom after 5 hours of solid walking it
was a quick change, toilet break and re-feed, for
our drivers to do their bit and get us to Scaffel Pike
in the quickest time but also still in one piece and in
my opinion after 6 hours of solid driving the drivers
did their job and we arrived at the bottom of
Scaffel pike at 21.30. With one hour of light left
everyone wanted to make the most of it and
cracked on up the mountain whilst the support
team were left to make bacon sandwiches and
coffee for when we returned and at 1.30am we did
return to jump back in cars and the drivers to work
their magic getting us out of Cumbria and onto
Wales which looking back now is completely crazy
as we were ALL knackered all ready. So after
driving through the night and playing eye spy on
the radios with horrific weather to drive in we all
arrived at 4.30am at the bottom of Snowdonia for
the final part of the puzzle. However with any
-Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Yearbook 14/15 | 49

puzzle the final part is always the hardest with
sideways rain and horrific winds we cracked on
anyway and whilst many other walkers turned
round saying it was too dangerous, as per usual the
members of GFYFC laughed in their faces and
pushed on making it to the top and then the
descent began. To get to the bottom with the
team arriving back with 3 hours to spare and being
met with some asleep drivers and a very excited
President and Vice President and a mum and dad.
Everyone knew that GFYFC had conquered the 3
peaks and showed them who was boss.
I can just say on everyone’s behalf it was one of the
hardest things we have ever done and without
each member of the team we wouldn’t have been
able to smash the 3 peaks in 24 hours and raise
£3500 for charity and Gods County of
Gloucestershire. A humongous congratulations to
all involved and massive thank you to anyone who
donated, wished us well, made a cake or generally
told us we could do it which is what we did! I can
honestly say 3 peaks you were slayed by GFYFC!!
Fran Smart

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