YOUNG farmers’ Clubs (YFC) are well known for their diverse competitions programme, from public speaking and performing arts, to stock judging and farm skills.

This July, the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs are holding their national competitions finals, with lots of Devon YFC members preparing to travel to Stafford to represent the South West.

This month’s Devon YFC ‘Club of the Month’ is Culm Valley YFC from the East Devon Group and this year they have excelled in competitions.

The club has a rich history in public speaking and are well known for encouraging and training junior members to give it a go. This year, Culm Valley have reached the national finals in both Junior Public Speaking and Junior Reading. Also, Club Chairman Ben Slawson and East Devon Group Chairman Georgie Pengelly are in the Devon YFC Debating team.

Ben Slawson, Culm Valley’s Club Chairman, said: “The YFC motto is ‘Fun, Learning and Achievement’ and public speaking epitomises this. You have fun working as team, you learn lots during the process and you can’t beat the sense of achievement at the end of it.

“The public speaking competitions in YFC set you up for life. It gives you invaluable skills and really improves your confidence.

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“It’s particularly inspiring to see our junior members do so well. We have so much pride when we see them stand up in front of an audience and speak. They’re a credit to our trainers and leaders, for whom we are incredibly grateful.”

It’s not just public speaking where the club has succeeded. Culm Valley also recently won the county finals of fence erecting, where Toby Redwood, Freddie Branton and James Cottrell were crowned county champions for the second year running.

They also saw huge success at the recent Devon YFC Show and Sale, with Izzy Davis winning the Supreme Dairy Championship, Toby Redwood winning the Supreme Beef Championship and Emma Ware winning the Supreme Pig Championship.

Ben added: “You can’t beat the camaraderie you get from working as a team and coming together to compete in YFC competitions. This year we’ve also got a men’s and ladies tug of war team and we’re training up the juniors too.”

Outside of competitions, the club has had a packed programme which has included a ‘glow in the dark dodgeball’ night, a charity quiz and also a club exchange with a club from East Riding in Yorkshire. Culm Valley are an incredibly active club excelling on the national stage.

If you’re aged 10 to 28, there are 37 YFC clubs across the county of Devon that are always happy to welcome new members. To join your local YFC club, take a look at the Devon YFC website – www.devonyfc.co.uk.