PRESS RELEASES
This article was printed on April 26 2008
Power Pedal Challenge - Young Farmers set for 115-mile
charity ride
25
of Shropshire’s Young Farmers will cycle from YFC County Office in Shrewsbury to the National YFC AGM in Blackpool
to help raise thousands of pounds for charity.
The
energetic cyclists, all members of the County Young Farmers Clubs (YFC), will begin the 115-mile ride at 7am on Wednesday April 30th 2008, stopping in Haycock for one night before continuing the rest of the journey.
Once
in Blackpool they will join more than 5000 other Young Farmers at the organisation’s annual conference.
County Organiser Megan Jones, hopes to smash the group’s £3,000 fundraising target and said charities to benefit from their efforts are Motor Neurone Disease Association, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and Severn Hospice.
“We
have had some amazing support from local businesses and we
really could not have done this so effectively without them” she
said. “obviously their invaluable help means we can raise even
more money for our chosen charities.”
Particular “Thank You’s” to:-
-
Dale Brothers Ltd (Haulage) of Shawbury
-
R Breeders of Cleobury Mortimer
-
Shukers Landrover in Ludlow
-
Budgen Motors Peugeot in Shrewsbury
-
Trailers and Components in Craven Arms
-
Shropshire Building Supplies of Craven Arms
-
Mid Wales Embroidery in Welshpool
-
Morrisons in Shrewsbury and Preston
-
Tuffins in Craven Arms
“All
the riders have been tasked with collecting £100 so at the very
least we will have £3,000, although I have a sneaking feeling it
could be a lot more than that.”
The
two-wheeled team, split in to three groups for safety, will set
off from Walker House in Shrewsbury at 7am on April 30th.
They aim to arrive in Blackpool by mid afternoon on Thursday 1st
May to be greeted by the National YFC President, Lionel Hill,
and National Chief Executive, James Eckley.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the group’s charity cycle can
ring the YFC’s County Office on 01743 254689.
This article was printed on 26th April
2008
This article was posted on April 23, 2008 at
11:49 am.
Young farmers ‘the driving force’
Shropshire’s young farmers are the driving forces behind an
upturn in fortunes for Britain’s agriculture industry,
writes Rural Affairs Editor
Nathan Rous.
Far from wallowing in the misery of soaring costs of feed and
production, the next generation are ready to deliver new riches.
That was the message from Gaz Davies, chairman of Shropshire
Young Farmers’ Clubs, who said the challenges faced by the next
generation of farmers provided untold opportunities.
“It’s a time of immense change and one we are looking forward
to,” he said.
“The people that are in that meeting tonight are going to be the
driving forces of farming in the future.
“My personal philosophy is that we will always need food and
therefore, given the rising population, farming is going to
become one of the most important industries on the planet.”
Mr Davies said he was not daunted by the prospect of increased
demand, rising costs and tough working conditions.
He said: “The younger generation of farmers are crying out for
these opportunities to show how good they are. Now it’s up to
everyone to give them a chance.
“Farming has been dogged with tradition and a lot of the farmers
are very set in their ways but we have to move forward if we are
to retain the initiative.
“Diversification was good for a time but there are only so many
farm shops you can build.
“We need to concentrate on what we do best and that’s being the
primary producers.
“There have been problems in the industry as everyone has seen
but it’s only served to make the industry stronger.”
More than a hundred farmers of all ages packed the Sovereign
Suite at Shrewsbury Town Football Club to listen to six speakers
from a host of rural organisations talk about the importance of
their futures.
Nigel Pearson, from the NFU, told the audience: “You are no
longer just farmers but business people.
“There will be opportunities out there because anyone in the
food chain will have an increasing value in the world community.
“The world needs bright people to deliver an environmentally
sustainable food chain and there is nothing like a crisis to get
the brain working at its best.”
This article was posted on April 23, 2008 at
11:49 am.
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