Pictured back left to right are: Bryce Mackellar,
Helen Roberts, Dan Halliday, Mark Thomas
Pictured front left to right are: Peter Garbutt,
Christine Hope, and Julia Sparkes.
Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) members elected their new national office holders and steering group chairmen on 21 October at their council meeting at Stoneleigh Park. Dan Halliday from Abingdon YFC, Oxfordshire was elected chairman of council, Bryce Mackellar from Stone YFC, Staffordshire was re-elected vice-chairman and Helen Roberts from Berriew YFC, Montgomeryshire was elected as the new vice-chairman.
They were joined by steering group chairmen Peter Garbutt from Great Smeaton YFC, Yorkshire (Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Julia Sparkes from Worth Valley YFC, Yorkshire (Competitions), and Christine Hope from Longtown YFC, Herefordshire (Personal Development). A new Events Steering Group was formed and will be jointly led by Andrew Todd from Horncastle YFC, Lincolnshire and Mark Thomas from Highbridge YFC, Somerset until the steering group’s inaugural meeting in January.
The organisation’s new chairman, Dan Halliday, is 28 and lives in Goosey near Wantage. He works as an area sales manager for New Holland dealers Oakes Brothers Ltd and is a graduate from the University of Reading where he studied for a BSc Honours degree in agriculture.
The great grandson of a dairy farmer, Dan decided early on that he wanted to pursue a career in farming and started helping on a local dairy farm at the tender age of 11. Soon after, he joined his first YFC, Kibworth and Wigston YFC in Leicestershire. Dan later joined Abingdon Senior YFC when he moved south to do his pre-college year.
A passionate advocate for the organisation, Dan has held a host of club, county and area positions. His most memorable year was 2004 when he was club chairman for Abingdon Senior YFC. “My club hosted and won the Oxfordshire County Rally,” explained Dan. “The amount of work involved for any club hosting a county rally is phenomenal and for us to do that and wipe the board in the competitions was just amazing. To top it all, I won the National Senior Member of the Year title just two months’ later,” he added.
Vice-chairman Bryce Mackellar, 25, farms on his family’s tenanted sheep and arable farm at Chartley, near Stafford. He first joined Stone YFC aged 15 and has always encouraged everybody to get involved and get the most out of the organisation. It was this positive attitude that made his year as club chairman in 2003 particularly memorable. “The club won the Best Small Club Award and the Club Efficiency Shield and I was named Best Club Chairman and the Most Outstanding Member in Staffordshire – it was quite a special annual general meeting,” remembers Bryce.
Pictured left to right are: Bryce Mackellar,
Helen Roberts, Dan Halliday
Newly elected vice-chairman Helen Roberts is 31 and lives in the village of Berriew near Welshpool. She is a senior learning provision manager for the Welsh Assembly Government and was chairman of the Wales YFC Training and Promotions Sub-committee last year. Helen first joined Berriew YFC aged 14 and is currently a club leader.
Helen is keen to spread the word about how YFCs help young people make new friends, have lots of fun and develop new skills through the wide range of opportunities on offer. “I know it sounds clichéd, but I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for YFC – it’s made me much more confident and given me many of the skills I’ve needed to succeed in my career,” said Helen.
During her term of office, Helen would like to see English and Welsh members working closer together. “There’s so much we can learn from one another and by working closer together, we can all benefit,” she said.
As a team, Dan, Bryce and Helen hope to increase the profile of YFCs among the general public and to develop a sustainable national staff team that, together with Wales YFC staff, county staff and the membership, enables NFYFC to provide first class learning and development opportunities for everyone within the organisation.
