Kelvin and Liz Fletcher help judge national awards for young rural people 

The YFC Achiever Awards are now in their fifth year and are aimed at rewarding members and supporters of Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) for the work they do in the community, for enterprising initiatives, and for helping to develop other young rural people.  

Mr and Mrs Fletcher will help decide who should be named the Young Farmer of the Year, which is an award supported by The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies). 

Inspiring celebration of young talent

The category aims to highlight best practices in the sector and celebrates YFC members who are actively promoting and farming safely. 

Kelvin Fletcher: “We’re honoured to be part of such an inspiring celebration of young talent in agriculture.

“Liz and I are thrilled to join the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs awards as judges, and we look forward to witnessing the dedication and innovation of the next generation of farmers.” 

The Fletchers are among the top names from the farming industry who will help to choose the 2024 winners.   

Judges include best-selling author and award-winning entrepreneur Hannah Russell, farmer and agricultural influencer Ioan Humphreys, farmer, YouTuber and TikToker Joe Seels, farmer and founder of Agrespect Ben Andrews and vet turned farmer Holly Atkinson. 

Power of inclusive activites 

Ben Andrews, who is one of the founding members of Agrespect, a rural LGBTQ+ network, will help to judge the Club of the Year, which is supported by CFMOTO.  

This year, clubs will need to demonstrate how they are inclusive, as well as show their strengths in club programming and safeguarding. 

Mr Andrews said: “I’m looking forward to seeing nominations from clubs who are championing the ‘YFC is for Everyone’ message and offering a wide range of activities that are accessible to all.  

“It’s impressive how much work YFC members do to run their own small charities and these awards are a great way to recognise those achievements.” 

Making an impact

With NFYFC membership at its highest since 2019, there will be plenty of new members to be celebrated in the New Member of the Year category.  

The award recognises those who are making an early impact on their club. 

Author Hannah Russell is looking forward to reviewing the nominations. She said: “I’m delighted to be supporting the New Member of the Year category.  

“It’s great to see so many young people in agriculture making an impact and setting foundations for the future generation.”   

Enterprising young people will also be recognised in the Entrepreneur of the Year category, supported by KUHN.  

The judges will be looking for rural and farming initiatives that have been launched during the pandemic.

YFC members will also be rewarded for the leadership they show in their clubs and counties. Savills is supporting the Aspiring Rural Leader category and hopes to find examples of young rural people who are making their mark. 

Record number of entries 

There is also an award where the winner is determined by the YFC membership in an online vote.  

The Heart of YFC award is presented to the person that YFC members believe represents the true spirit of YFC. 

NFYFC’s new president John Lee OBE DL is among the judging panel who will shortlist five of the nominees for the Heart of YFC Award for the wider membership to vote on.  

He said: “The YFC Achiever Awards had a record number of entries last year, and we’re excited to see the nominations for this year. 

 “These awards celebrate the very best in our organisation and champion what can be achieved by being part of YFC. You learn skills for life in YFC and it’s only right that we recognise our members and the outstanding contribution they make to supporting their communities, their clubs and the industry. 

“If you know someone who deserves to be rewarded, please nominate them before the deadline.”    

Nominations can be made online here and entries must be submitted before the deadline of 9th June 2024. 

A national awards ceremony will be held in Birmingham at the National Conference Centre in November. 

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