Helston & St. Keverne YFC Secretary’s Report 2023-2024
Here we are at the end of another club year, and what a successful 75th year it has been for Helston & St. Keverne YFC. I am immensely proud to have been a part of the club and its achievements as it has gone from strength to strength during such a special Anniversary year.
We hit the ground running with the Western Area Ploughing Match on 21st October. Lots of members pulled together to provide items for, and set up two Home and Farm Produce display entries. Thanks to Pui Yu Liu’s invaluable expertise on the displays and fantastic observations from previous year’s and everyone’s fabulous baking efforts, we finally came 1st with our Home Produce display, for the first time since 1987. A huge thank you must also go to Chris Hosken for once again providing all of the vegetables and helping to set up the displays.
We went on to kick the club fundraising and events calendar off with a bang, as we were kindly hosted by the Jenkin family at Higher Trenower Farm on 2nd November, for our Annual Bonfire and Fireworks Night. A fantastic number attended, and members pulled together to ensure that the evening was a success, with an incredible amount being raised for charity.
9th November saw the West Indoor Sports Round take place at Humphry Davy School, where we arguably only just made it through to the final, held at Treviglas School on 25th November. After some team talks from our ever so slightly competitive Chairman, we ‘upped our game’ and came an exceptional 3rd place at the Final, truly starting the year as we meant to go on. We were very fortunate to have the support of our very dedicated Sports Captains, Annabel Nicholas and Jago Crapp, who did a great job at organising practices and teams for this.
Our ‘Carol Singing Pub Crawl’ on 22nd December was a huge success; the Black Swan, The Prince of Wales, and The New Inn were all bursting at the seams as hundreds of members of the local community came out to support and truly embrace the Christmas spirit. Not forgetting the usual Carol Singing Tour, which saw members visit the Jenkin and Bloomfield families, as well as the villagers in Traboe. The generosity was unwavering and a fabulous amount was raised for our chosen charities. These evenings were made even more enjoyable, thanks to our drivers, Ryan Benney and Martin Williams, and the Oates and Tyler families who very kindly lent us their shoot trailers for travelling between stops.
Helston & St. Keverne YFC’s first ever ‘Festive Tractor Run’ on 29th December was a huge success. The enormous amounts of organisation and planning involved were made extremely worthwhile with the immense response that was received, as spectators queued up to watch the procession of decorated tractors as they ventured through Helston and across the Lizard. We were not quite expecting such an amazing response, but to still be receiving positive feedback and Just Giving donations weeks after the event was incredible, and meant that we raised over £2,000. This would not have been possible without the
support of all of the Club and Advisory members during the evening and in the lead up, and our hosts, the Wallis family at Lamarth Farm.
We were once again invited to Sithney Church’s ‘Plough Sunday’ Service on 7th January. Ryan Benney, Nathan Collins, Georgia Collins, Lowri Lougher, Ed Hosken, Leeza Williams, Chris Hosken, Owen Williams and myself doubled their congregation size for the service, and they were delighted that we were able to join them again, making navigating the Club Plough up the church steps ever more worthwhile.
On 21st January, our club Public Speaking teams headed to Wadebridge to compete in Cornwall YFC’s Annual Speaking Day. The MACE Debating Team, consisting of Chelsea Gilbert, Tom Pearce, Lowri Lougher, James Bloomfield, and Ed Hosken came an amazing 2nd place, with Tom Pearce also winning the ‘Best Speaker’ award. This meant that their next stop would be the South West Area round in March.
Rhiannon Willey and myself entered the Senior and Intermediate Situations Vacant Competitions, with Rhiannon coming 2nd and myself, 3rd.
Our Junior Public Speaking Team (William Osborne, Charlotte Gilbert, and Annabel Nicholas) came 4th, and were a huge credit to the club, especially being a first time for William and Charlotte. The future of public speaking for the club is looking bright, and I would truly urge all members to give it a go at some point throughout their YFC career; these competitions really do equip you with invaluable life skills, and are so rewarding to be involved with.
Overall, the Speaking Day was very successful for the club. Thanks to Phil Bates and Lowri Lougher for their ongoing support with training the teams, and to the Members, Advisory, friends, and family who came to support.
Club Members and Advisory pulled together for our club night on 1st February and bagged an enormous amount of dung, for the Dung Run on Saturday 3rd and Saturday 10th February; who knew shovelling cow poop in the rain and cold could fuel so much laughter! Both the roadside selling and deliveries were once again a massive hit throughout the local community, and we are very grateful to all of the members who gave up their time to help with this, helping to raise another great sum for our chosen charities. Of course, this would not have been possible without the help of the Dark family at Trudnoe Farm for allowing us to use their yard and dung, and for providing the much needed refreshments.
This year, we decided to open our slightly belated Shrove Tuesday celebrations on 15th February up to the general public, in line with NFYFC’s ‘Tea Break’, which encouraged clubs across the country to host events to get members, supporters and the general public out talking. A fun evening was had by all, and we even managed to raise some money for our chosen charities. Who knew that Fin Kevern would be our Chief Pancake Tosser!
Porthtowan Village Hall was the place to be on 18th February, as Lowri Lougher, Shannon McMillan, Ed Hosken, James Bloomfield, and Ryan Benney showcased their performance of ‘Who Was That?’. It was a shame that there were no other Drama entries in the County round this year, but fantastic that we were able to pull a team together to display the talent and commitment of Helston & St. Keverne YFC. A massive thank you to Rachael Eustice for
once again producing a fantastic performance, and to Andrew Coulston for his support behind the scenes. This event also saw Lowri compete in the Senior Member of the Year Competition, where she came an amazing 2nd place, once again demonstrating the talents of our members.
1st March meant it was time for members to head to the annual South West Area Weekend, which this year took place in Newquay. Driving to Newquay would have been far too easy, so cycling it was for ten of our members, who embarked on our ‘Tour de Newquay’ and peddled thirty miles in three hours to attend the weekend, once again raising money for our chosen charities. Having conquered the Big Dipper in some serious hail, they were ready to take on the weekend!
The South West Area Weekend saw the Debating team compete once again, where they smashed it and came an incredible 2nd place, meaning that they were to head to Stafford later in the year to represent the South West Area at the National Finals.
Ollie Pearce, Rhiannon Willey, Lara Hennings, Mollie Chilcott, and myself competed in the Cornwall YFC Choir, where we came 3rd place; A fantastic opportunity to be a part of a County team, and lots of fun was had along the way.
With thirty eight members attending the South West Area Weekend, I must add that we were extremely relieved that the only issue we encountered was one broken gutter… The mystery remains unsolved, but I do regularly wonder if the mystery gutter destroyer has regretted their decisions slightly over the last eight months if they have watched the ongoing accommodation deposit drama unfold, having cost everyone a whole £10 of their very precious deposit!
On 16th March, Ollie Pearce and myself had the pleasure of attending some of the extremely informative mental health first aid training put on by Cornwall YFC, through Healthy Cornwall, using the funds raised through the ‘My Mind Matters’ campaign. The day was really enlightening and provided a great opportunity for discussions surrounding the mental health crisis that we are facing within the rural community, as well as equipping us with a greater level of understanding around how we can support others. This followed on from the ‘Supporting Our YFC Family’ event earlier in the year, which was attended by Chris Hosken, Frances Combellack, Jono Gilbert, Rachael Burchell, Owen Williams, and myself, aiming to equip clubs with some of the knowledge and resources they require to support members going forwards. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to utilise the resources available; I really would urge you all to take the free opportunities for mental health first aid training that Cornwall YFC continues to provide.
The infamous East Versus West Rugby Match took place on 28th March at Wadebridge Camels Rugby Club, with Club members Henry Ruscombe-King, Ed Hosken, James Bloomfield, Eddie Dark, Fin Walsh-Newton, Harry Walsh-Newton, Angus Williams, and Owen Williams representing the West. The East stole the win, with a score of 14-12. Our members made the club proud.
This year’s Cornwall YFC Annual ‘WOTNOT’ Challenge took place between 8th and 11th April, and saw Ollie Pearce, Ed Hosken, Tom Pearce, Gracie Crapp, James Bloomfield, Chelsea Gilbert, and myself join forty one other members from across the County, to walk
eighty five miles across Ireland, in four and a half days for ‘Edyvean’s Expedition’. Conquering the Wicklow Way, from Clonegal to Dublin was no easy task, but our seven members took it in their stride, and had the most incredible week, consuming a few too many Gunisses’ and raising £14,000 for The Sensory Trust and The Sunrise Appeal- making the swollen feet and countless blisters worthwhile. Having personally completed the last two WOTNOT Challenges, I really would recommend taking the plunge and signing up to one of the challenges over the coming years- it is a fantastic opportunity to challenge yourself, raise enormous amounts for local charities, and meet friends for life- you certainly will not regret it!
As requested by members, we organised a coach trip to Sandy Park on 20th April, to watch an Exeter Versus Bath rugby match. This saw approximately 40 members, including some from Praze, St. Columb, St. Buryan, Camelford, and Wadebridge attend. Unfortunately, lots of members who had planned to come were unable to attend due to a sudden break in the poor weather which meant lots were working- a great time nonetheless, and after a lot of pushing, we managed to sell the majority of leftover tickets, keeping the financial loss to a minimum.
Cornwall YFC’s Annual County Competitions Day this year saw lots of members venture up to Merrymeet on Sunday 26th May. It was fantastic to have such a large number of keen members in attendance, who were all willing to give everything a go. This really did pay off, as the club came a brilliant 2nd place overall, with members winning countless individual prizes, and the club gaining cups for ‘Most Points in Stock Judging’ and ‘Most Points in Points Judging’, as well as Lowri Lougher coming away with the ‘Stockman of the Year’ cup.
After many nights in the shed at Medlyn, thanks to the Benney family, our Poldark cubicle finally came together, and it was time for the Royal Cornwall Show! The cubicle became an epic (and quite unexpected!) 3rd place. Although one of the busiest and most stressful periods throughout my year in office, we had a lot of fun along the way and I will forever be grateful to the truly committed team who turned up once, twice or three times a week during the months leading up to the show, and never failed to amaze with their hidden creative talents, helping to make my crazy ideas become a reality; Angus Williams’ lollipop stick boat is one that continues to astonish me! It did not stop with the Cubicle though, members once again pulled together to come an amazing 6th place overall in the Cornwall YFC Tent at the show, with highlights including Rhiannon Willey coming First in The Senior Lamb Stock Judging and winning the club the cup for ‘Most Points in Stock Judging’, Owen Williams winning the Senior Dairy Stock Judging, and Pui Yu Liu coming First in the ‘Outfit for An Awards Ceremony' competition. Lots of 2nd and 3rd prize cards were won by members too.
On 23rd June, Tom and Owen Williams took up the opportunity to travel to Lackham College, Wiltshire to compete in the South West Area Tug-of-War round, as part of a composite team with members from Camelford and Stratton. Owen made the most of the trip, and also competed in the Senior Stockman of the Year competition.
At the same time, lots of members were attending the Friends’ of St Martin ‘Fun on the Field Day’, and despite the poor weather, what a fantastic day it was, to remember two true legends of the local community and passionate supporters of the club, Brindley Hosken and Johnny Alston. Members rallied together to make up three tug-of-war teams, and lots of
members gave the Sheaf Pitching a go, with thanks to Glen Gilbert and Rob Hall for organising the Tug-of-War and Chris and Ed Hosken for organising the Sheaf Pitching.
6th July saw the club’s Debating team travel to Stafford, accompanied by Club Leader, Rachael Burchell, to compete in the National Final, where they came an incredible 2nd place, so the long journey was definitely worth it!
We kick started the Club’s 75th Anniversary celebrations in style with our Tea Party on 7th July, at the Cornish Camels. The afternoon was a huge success, and saw past, present, and future club members gather for a cream tea and a catchup- really emphasising the friends for life that so many have met through YFC. We are really grateful to have been so well supported for this event, with the Oates family very kindly lending the use of their venue, Roddas donating milk and cream, Trink Dairy donating milk, Claire Hosken taking the photos, Odds ‘n’ Sods providing entertainment, Caroline Hosken making the amazing Anniversary cake, Angela Wallis putting together the photo displays and donating flowers, Jess Clark doing the table decorations, and Kerra’s Catering donating food and equipment; not forgetting all of our dedicated members who worked tirelessly to ensure the day was a success.
12th July saw Logan Jones and Owen Williams head to the Great Yorkshire Show with the Cornish teams to compete in the National Dairy Stock Judging Finals, with Cornwall A coming 13th and Cornwall B coming 10th.
On 3rd August, the 75th Anniversary celebrations continued with the club’s ‘Rodeo Rave’ Summer Disco, kindly hosted by the Benney family at Medlyn Farm. The event was very well attended by members and non-members from across the county, and ran without a glitch. Thanks to all of the members who helped on the bar and door throughout the evening, as well as with the set-up and clear-up.
County Rally took place in Lanivet on Saturday 31st August Unfortunately, attendance from club members was quite poor for the morning’s competitions, meaning that the dedicated members who did turn up had a very busy morning, between them doing everything from makeup, to changing a car tyre, and sausage making. We still managed to come joint 4th place overall in the morning’s Practical competitions, and with a few more members around in the afternoon, we came 2nd in the Sports competitions. A great end to the day, with our Men’s Tug-of-War team winning and the Ladies coming a respectable Second place- the hard work and dedication of the teams this year paid off, and I cannot wait to see how the teams progress over the coming season. The success of the Tug-of-War teams of course would not be possible without the support of our amazing coaches, Glen Gilbert and Rob Hall. Unfortunately these efforts on the day were somewhat offset by a large number of static entries not being honoured- it was extremely disheartening for those who worked tirelessly on entries and throughout the day, to have more than fifteen points deducted on the day for this. Nonetheless, we came 10th overall.
After months of hard work, our Vice Chairman, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer pulled off another successful Club Ploughing Match on 14th September. A huge congratulations to Lowri Lougher, Martha Richards, and Tom Pearce for organising a fantastic day, and thank you to all of the Members, Advisory, and supporters who contributed
to making the day such a success. The day was well attended and ran smoothly, a testament to everyone’s organisation and dedication once again.
Cornwall YFC’s Annual Sports Day made a comeback on 15th September, at Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre, Truro. Annabel Nicholas, Ellie Lambrick, Chelsea Gilbert, Izzy Dark, Olivia Dark, Rosie Jane, and myself took to the Netball court, whilst Owen Williams, Fin Kevern, Ed Boaden, Tom Williams, and Matt Jenkin battled it out on the Football pitch. It was a great day, with our very own Martin and Leeza Williams refereeing and umpiring both sports, and the girls coming 5th in the Netball, and the boys 2nd in the Football, beating St. Columb which I’m yet to hear the end of!
With the Harvest Festival season in full swing, members attended Madron Church for Cornwall YFC’s Annual Harvest Festival on 27th September. The club banner had a close encounter with the candles hanging from the church's ceiling, and Owen Williams presented our offering of slate, with Ryan Benney presenting our Food Bank donations.
It was on to St. Keverne Church’s Harvest Festival to represent the club for Annabel Nicholas and myself on 29th September. Who knew when we were driving to the church that morning that we would be required to do a poetic rendition of an adapted version of ‘We Plough The Fields And Scatter’ on top of those we had already been given, but I think we pulled it off quite well, and the congregation were delighted for us to be a part of their service.
The last Club fundraiser was on 4th October, and it was great to have lots of keen Bingo players there to support in St. Keverne Parish Hall. Thanks to our fabulous Bingo callers, Phil Hosking and Brian Hosken for making the evening so entertaining… I did think Angela Wallis was joking at the last Advisory Meeting when she said “they’ll have you standing on your chairs”, but no, they had us running around tables too! Thank you to the Advisory members who provided teas and cakes throughout the evening, and everyone who came to support; it was a lovely way to end the year's events and fundraising.
This week saw my final County meeting as club secretary, with a trip to Wadebridge for Cornwall YFC’s AGM on 8th October. A fantastic way to end the year and look back at what the County federation has achieved over the past twelve months. Congratulations must go to Tom Pearce, for winning not one, but two of the public speaking cups, one for the most achievements in public speaking this year, and the other for his quite unique proposal of County Chairam, Jordan Edyvean or ‘the King’s’ Report on the night. Being the first proposal of the night, Tom did set the bar quite high with his Town Crier enactment.
Leading over seventy five club members for twelve months was never going to be an easy task, but it has been made a lot more manageable with the immense support that we have received from club members. You have been amazing (the majority of the time), and you have taught me so much, not least that I should have my phone on silent after 9pm, just in case someone gets the urge to spam the club group chat with memes, or vocalise their opinions on the South West Area Accommodation deposit for the 100th time. Although this has been rather frustrating at times, the support we have received from you all, organising events and participating in competitions has been incredible; an extra thanks to Rhiannon Willey, our competitions queen, who really has been willing to throw herself in and give absolutely anything a go!
I would like to thank our superstar of a Programme Secretary, Izzy Dark. You have been absolutely amazing, and I am so grateful to have had your support throughout the year. Your organisation and unwavering enthusiasm for everything we have done has been incredible, and you have organised a perfectly varied programme for members to enjoy.
Thank you to our President, Advisory Members, Club Leaders, Life Members, and supporters, who have always been on hand to help and give advice whenever required. As a club, we are very lucky to have such a strong support network, for that we are very grateful.
A massive thank you must also go to Martin and Leeza Williams and Chris and Sally Benney, who have all been there to provide huge amounts of support and encouragement throughout the year, whether that is through preparing 200 scones, carol singing, taxi driving, or flipping burgers until 2am, the list goes on!
I’d like to also thank my parents who have continued to support the club over the last twelve months. They have always been willing to lend lots of equipment, sponsor events, and share their invaluable events planning expertise, and more recently plan and host a mystery quiz night and bake off evening- we are extremely grateful to have your support, and it really has helped to make the year slightly easier.
This year would also not have been the success it has without the incredible support of the Oates family at Rosuick Farm. They have lent their amazing events space at the Cornish Camels for many of our club nights, and for our 75th Anniversary Tea Party, as well as hosting a farm walk. Without them we would have spent a huge amount on venues for club nights and been slightly stuck for a cost-effective venue for our Tea Party. We cannot thank them enough for all they have done throughout the year.
Finally, I’d like to thank Owen Williams and Ryan Benney for being the best Chairman and Treasurer team. We’ve had an extremely busy year, and there has been very few days in the last three hundred and sixty five plus, including our Ploughing Match officer year, when I have not either seen you both, sent nagging messages, or called you about what needs to be done, and on a few occasions, I’ve still ended up doing it myself! All jokes aside, we’ve had a fantastic year, and I would not have wished to do it with anyone else. Your enthusiasm and encouragement for all members and the officer team has been great, and you have never failed to take part in any competition or event that may be required. Here’s to a slightly less crazy year…
I’d like to wish every member taking on officer roles for the forthcoming club year the very best of luck, especially Lowri Lougher, Martha Richards, and Tom Pearce.
Betty Buchanan
Secretary 2023-2024
Helston & St Keverne YFC Income & Expenditure 202312024 Income Membership £3,949.01 £4,745.50 Bars £1,508.33 £2,098.28 D7nner & Dance 2023 £3,743.17 £3,846.00 South West Area £6,on.95 £5,446.35 75 Anniversary £935.98 £117.50 Ploughing Match 2023 £10,061.64 £2,669.98 Ploughing Match 2024 £580.00 £1,474.22 County Ball 24 £700.00 £7(X).(K) Outings/Club nights £3,545.34 £4,571.00 Rodeo Rave £2,618.11 £647.IX) Mystery Weekend £845.00 £1(M).CKI Donations C1,140.CMJ Dung Run £422.00 Tractor Run £2,666.78 £1,081.49 Dinner & Dance 2024 £448.50 £3(X). Carol Singing £403.37 Roving Supper £78.¢JJ Drama Fireworks Evening County Ball 23 Hall Hire StationerylMi5cellaneous £36.60 Interest £10.98 th £69.00 £185.70 £1,281.81 £345.(K) £294.(K) £160.(KI £286.11 Totals £41.341.57£28.843.13 Opening bank balances - £6,852.66 Cash held (0110912023) unbanked - £5,135.36 Cash held (3010812024) unbanked - £4,558.73 Closing bank balances - £19,927.73 The above Income & Expenditure Account was prepared by John Dark, Club Auditor 16"October 2024
Helston & St Keverne Young Farmers Club
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Helston & St Keverne Young Farmers Club
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees
I report to the charity’s trustees on my examination of the accounts of Helston & St Keverne Young Farmers Club (the trust) for the year ended 31st August 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under Section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commissions under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect;
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by Section 130 of the Act or
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the accounts do not accord with those records or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
John Dark Montrose Casterills Road Helston Cornwall TR13 8BJ
Date - 19th January 2025