Herefordshire Young Farmers have commemorated a special anniversary this year, with hundreds gathering for the special occasion.

The club, which boasts over 550 members within the county, ranging from ten years old to 28, welcomed over 300 members, both past and present, to take part in their 80-year anniversary celebrations.

On Sunday, October 27, the dedicated members gathered at Hereford’s Town Hall. Members separated into their clubs with generations of families and friends ready to walk the streets of Hereford to celebrate the momentous anniversary.

(Image: Herefordshire Young Farmers)

The procession from the town hall was led by Buckenhill, a Trans Am a Pedigree Hereford Bull owned and bred by Matt Gray and Louise Crowther from Buckenhill Poll near Bromyard. The mighty Bull made his way through town, being admired by many.

Followed behind were members and associates of Allensmore, Craswall, Dilwyn, Eardisley, Golden Valley, Hereford, Ledbury, Lugg Valley, Orelton, Pencombe, Pontrilas, Teme Valley, Welsh Newton, Woolhope and Yarkhill Young Farmers Clubs. 

The procession was led from St Owen's Street and carried onto the bull statue, along High Town and up Broad Street to the Cathedral.

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The event had an army of supporters, with members of the public stopping to admire the procession, waving and taking photos of the large gathering.  

After making their way through town, the members were greeted by eight tractors outside the entrance, with each tractor designed to commemorate each decade HFYFC was celebrating. 

 The parade was joined by more YFC supporters at the Cathedral, with around 550 people coming together for the heart-warming service.

The service was a celebration of hymns, poems, readings and even a drama performance to reflect Herefordshire YFCs range of talents.   The event continued with a tea and cake-filled afternoon reminiscing at Hereford Town Hall with an almighty collation of photos and memorabilia of the last eighty years of young farmer's fun.

In a celebratory statement, a spokesperson for the club said: "a special thank you goes out to the entire 80th team that put together such a special day, all of those at the Cathedral for allowing us to host such a momentous occasion within their great walls and specifically the Dean and Bishop for conducting a truly memorable service!

"Thank you to His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire Mr Edward Harley, NFYFC President Mr John Lee and NFYFC Chairman Mr Drew Bailey for joining us on a historic day for HFYFC!"

YFC began 80 years ago when the Federation of Young Farmers Clubs was created as a national post-war initiative, beginning in Herefordshire in 1944.

The idea behind it was to give young people a chance to improve their skills in key farming duties such as looking after stock, machinery skills and hedge laying.

(Image: Herefordshire Young Farmers) As well as allowing young people to showcase their cooking, fabricating and craftsmanship to like-minded people, the movement also provided a much-needed social scene for young people in rural parts of the county to gather and socialise.

A spokesperson for the club said that although many things have changed greatly in the last eighty years, Young Farmers in Herefordshire has remained a "reliable and inclusive community for young people to learn new skills, share their talents and make friends for life". 

Members of Young Farmers Clubs meet on a regular basis to learn new skills, take part in competitions, raise money for charity and hold social events.   All the clubs are peer-led by the young people themselves, and all time is given voluntarily.

Thousands of people in Herefordshire have passed through the Young Farmers Club over the years, with a spokesperson for the club previously adding it had a reputation as a "marriage bureau" in times gone, which has resulted in generations of families benefitting from the ability to connect people.

Past County Officers of Young Farmers in Herefordshire include Councillor Roger Phillips, the current chair of Herefordshire Council who counts his young farmer's experience as a "key grounding" for his career in local government.