Seed that germinated on coast

How did a seaside resort become the unlikely base for a thriving young farmer’s club? Chris Berry reports

Bridlington is not the first town that comes to mind when you think about farming areas of Yorkshire. You think coast, seaside, beach, the harbour, Bridlington Spa but not agriculture. Yet 60 years ago a decision was made to start up a new young farmers’ club here.

Chris Coleman of Church Farm, Speeton, just a handful of miles up the coast from Bridlington, recalls the time when he was asked to start the new club by the then county organiser, George Johnson. It was not a happy moment for Chris and he took a while getting his head around it.

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“I was shattered. At the time when George asked me, as part of the East Riding Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs expansion plans, I was chairman of Driffield YFC and had thoroughly enjoyed being both a member and chairman. I also had a loyalty to Driffield and had no plans to move from there. It was a real wrench.

“Shirley Jackson had been secretary of Driffield YFC and she came with me to Bridlington YFC although she didn’t take up an official title. George had also asked John Stephenson of Wandale Farm in Bridlington to be the club leader. He had come straight out of the Merchant Navy and between the two of us we set up the club and arranged the first meeting.”

Finding a venue for the fledgling young farmers club was just one of the many tasks. “We spent hours trying to find the right place. There was a problem back in the 50s in using a pub for meetings because of age restrictions, so our inaugural meeting was held in the café of what was the Grand Pavilion, now Leisure World.

“We decided on there because they had promised to run a tea and coffee bar. We put an advertisement in the Bridlington Free Press, but we still weren’t sure that anyone would come. I remember being very nervous about it all.”

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Chris’s fears were soon to be allayed. That first meeting saw over 30 attend and the club was underway. But being based in a seaside town led to what he feels is a club a little different from those in more rural areas.

“Quite a number who attended had no connection with farming, but they were very interested in the rural way of life and they proved excellent members, not just for their enthusiasm but also their professions and their different views.

“It meant we had a secretary of the club who was a real secretary with a company, Pat Cook; and we had a treasurer who worked in a bank.

“Although we weren’t all from the same discipline of farming, indeed we were all from very different walks of life, I think we benefited greatly from that. We seemed to gel immediately and it worked.”

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During the 1970s and 1980s Bridlington became one of the biggest clubs in the East Riding Federation with regular weekly meetings attracting over 70 members. Richard Jackson, who farms at Grindale, near Bridlington and who also now acts as chief livestock steward at Driffield Show, is another past chairman of the club.

“When I first started we held our meetings at Low Headlands School, but we then moved out of town to Boynton Village Hall where the club has been based ever since.

“We’ve always been a competitive club too and we’ve won the East Riding Federation Club of the Year title on a number of occasions.

“We have also always had a big social scene in the club and we’ve used the benefits of being a seaside YFC with events such as barbecues on the beach and inviting other clubs to join us.

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“During my time as a member and chairman farmers’ sons started going away to college on day release, so we never really lost any members from the club in that way.

“When full-time university and college education became more prevalent from the 80s onwards we did start losing some members.”

It could easily be argued that today’s Bridlington YFC is a pale shadow of its former self. Long gone are the days of 70+ attendances and the club has far fewer members. But current club chairman Sammy Wade is in now way downhearted.

Sammy is a farmer’s daughter who went away to Bishop Burton College to study equine, has come back, runs her own horse livery as well as helping with her father’s farm and agricultural contracting business – and is totally committed to the future of the club.

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“It’s actually really good being a smaller club. Of course we would like more members but we all bond together really well.

“We have members who have no background in farming, just as Chris had when the club first started; we also have members who have jobs on farms but also don’t come from a farming family; we had a new member join through a Facebook contact last year.

“My own feeling is that young farmers’ clubs are about making friends for life. All of the friends we all make, through other clubs too, remain friends. That’s one of the nicest things.”

When I talked with past and present members of Brandesburton YFC who were celebrating their 60th last year we touched on a favourite announcement area in YFCs – matches and hatches! Bridlington has had its fair share too and Sammy is currently dating the chairman of Brandesburton YFC, Tom Lambert.

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Chris Coleman has a little chuckle as he thinks back to his days and the matches that took place.

“That was very much the case in our day. I know of two girls instantly who came amongst our first members and who married quite comfortably into farming.”

Bridlington YFC is currently engaged in organising their 60th anniversary dinner dance to be held at Bridlington Spa on Saturday March 2.

Sammy, Richard, Chris and all others presently involved with the club are hoping that all former members of the club, friends from other clubs and anyone who would like to celebrate their 60th will make themselves known to them soon.

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Sammy offers the following plea: “We’re hopeful of attracting around 300 for the night.

“We know that we’re not the biggest of clubs at the moment but there have been hundreds of members over the years and it would be wonderful to see everybody together at our seaside young farmers club.”

You can contact club secretary Paige Ramsden on 07590 916233.

Social side of agriculture’s key role

Young Farmers’ Clubs have been around since 1921 when the United Milk Dairies factory started calf-rearing competitions for the offspring of the area’s milk producers in Devon.

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Whilst calf clubs increased in popularity during the 20s it wasn’t until the next decade that the first young farmers organisation came together.

The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs 
was formed in 1932, which is why there are some that 
have celebrated 80 
years.

Without the foresight and expansionist policy adopted by East Riding County Organiser George Johnson in 1952 many of today’s clubs would never have existed.

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