Melton Mowbray Young Farmers Club are county champions again

Melton Mowbray Young Farmers Club have triumphed at the Leicestershire Young Farmers Club Annual County Rally for the first time in 12 years.
Victorious at last! PHOTO: SuppliedVictorious at last! PHOTO: Supplied
Victorious at last! PHOTO: Supplied

The club fought off the competition at South Croxton competing against 11 teams in a series of 80 trials such as home crafts, sports and tug of war.

For young farmers, the annual county rally is the biggest day of the year.

Leah Poulter of Melton Mowbray Young Farmers Club said: “Winning the rally this year has been an incredible achievement, we have worked tirelessly to take back the top spot.

The ladies tug of war teams PHOTO: SuppliedThe ladies tug of war teams PHOTO: Supplied
The ladies tug of war teams PHOTO: Supplied

“Considering the club was close to folding three years ago because of decreasing membership, this is a huge accomplishment.

“The club hasn’t won since 2008. Back then, we were the club to beat, and had a winning streak of eight years, so it was super important for us to take back the title.”

Melton Mowbray Young Farmers Club is now the biggest club in the Leicestershire and Rutland area with 82 members.

Leah added: “We realised that we needed to do something to attract members, and so in 2017 we had a big push to gain new faces, and have successfully done so through hosting various meetings and activity days specifically aimed at gaining new members, we have also stepped up our game on social media meaning that members are kept more informed about what we are up to on specific weeks.

The junior tug of war team PHOTO: SuppliedThe junior tug of war team PHOTO: Supplied
The junior tug of war team PHOTO: Supplied

“Some of the meetings we have had this year have included tours at various farms, talks and tours at local businesses such as Ferneley’s Ice Cream parlour, falconry evening, games nights, road safety evening at Melton Fire Station, an activity day at Rutland Aqua Park and so much more.

“We also do a lot of fundraising for the club by hosting an annual hog roast and Christmas party. Each year we choose an external charity to fundraise for and put all of the profits from our chilli and bingo evening towards it.

“This year’s choice was the Kidney Care Appeal in support of our leader Dave Meakins, who lost his mother last year.”

The club meets every Tuesday at around 7pm. Their meetings vary from place to place. For more details contact them on Facebook or at [email protected]

The junior tug of war team on the rope PHOTO: SuppliedThe junior tug of war team on the rope PHOTO: Supplied
The junior tug of war team on the rope PHOTO: Supplied

The club would like to thank their chairman Emma Haywood, who has been at the helm for the past two years, the voluntary committee and sponsors Mole Country Stores, Melton Mowbray Market, Belvoir Sawmill and RES Tractors.

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