11 Jun Club of the Year Finalist Focus- Bute JAC
Excitement is building for the final interviews of our National Club of the Year Competition, sponsored by Cefetra, which take place on Sunday 14 June. After battling through the regional qualifiers, six outstanding teams are ready to step into the spotlight, impress the judges and show why their club deserves to be crowned National Champion at our Grand Prize Giving during the Royal Highland Show. We caught up with each of this year’s finalists to learn more about their clubs, their journey so far and what helped secure their place in Sunday’s final.
BUTE JAC
What has been your club’s biggest achievement this year?
A. Bute JAC’s biggest achievement this year has been pushing ourselves across both district and SAYFC events as a whole. To top off a successful year, we were crowned District Club of the Year, qualifying for the West Region competition, and have now also qualified for the national final. This is a huge and overwhelming achievement for our club, and we are filled with complete pride.
What charity or fundraising work has your club done recently?
A. We have supported a number of local charities, including our Highland dance school, helping them host their own competition on the island. We aim to keep our fundraising and donations local and focused on causes close to our hearts.
This year we also completed a sponsored walk up Goat Fell in aid of the Big Build campaign, which our members thoroughly enjoyed. In addition, through our partnership with a local nursery, we donated a lamb to help children learn core skills in the care of livestock.
What competitions or events have you been most successful in this year?
A. This year Bute JAC has pushed itself to get more involved across SAYFC competitions and events. Highlights include our hockey team, cattle dressing team, handicrafts, and our first ever junior speechmaking teams. We also had members put themselves forward for Member of the Year and achieve fantastic results.
We have also seen success in our concert and talent spot, with our Front of Curtain going through to the West finals.
How has your club supported or engaged with the local community?
A. One of our main aims has been to promote Bute JAC within our local community, and we feel we have achieved this strongly. We have hosted a wide range of events throughout the year, including afternoon teas, a farm petting day, stockjudging, quiz nights and a Burns Supper.
We have also developed our Mini Agricultural Club, where we provide children with core learning experiences, from purchasing their first sheep through to shearing, tupping and lambing. Most recently, we have extended this work into local schools.
What makes your club unique and a strong Club of the Year contender?
A. What makes Bute JAC unique is our commitment to developing the next generation through our Bute Mini Agricultural Club. We partnered with a local nursery to create this initiative, introducing young children to agriculture from an early age.
Through hands-on learning and field-to-fork education, we help them understand the importance of farming and the dedication behind it. This forward-thinking approach not only supports succession within the industry but also strengthens our community, making Bute JAC a strong contender for Club of the Year.
What would winning National Club of the Year mean to your members and future plans?
A. Words cannot describe how much winning National Club of the Year would mean to our members and club. We have grown from strength to strength over the past couple of years, and this would be a hugely proud achievement for everyone involved.