16 Jul East Kilbride business backs SAYFC Big Build after Young Farmers helped shape its success
A successful East Kilbride based industrial cleaning company is backing the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs’ (SAYFC) Big Build, highlighting the role Young Farmers plays in developing the skills, values and work ethic that underpin local business success.
Plover Hygiene, a specialist and industrial cleaning company run by Young Farmers’ members Joe Cameron and Joe Ritchie, has pledged its support to the Big Build by donating a full post-construction clean once the new building is complete, a crucial step in ensuring the facility is ready for immediate use following the build.
Both founders credit Young Farmers with playing a central role in their personal and professional journeys. Joe Cameron joined East Kilbride Young Farmers at just 14, encouraged by his mum, a former Young Farmer, and inspired by his farming family background. It was through the club that he later met Joe Ritchie, who joined East Kilbride Young Farmers in 2013.
The pair began working together trading farm troughs before moving on to buying and selling caravans for the Royal Highland Show. The partnership evolved into “Joseph and Joseph”, a general handyman business, before becoming a professional cleaning operation. In 2020, Plover Hygiene was officially launched.
Since then, the business has grown and now provides specialist and extreme commercial cleaning services, including biohazard work, high-level cleaning and emergency response services such as post-fire supermarket cleans. Today, Plover Hygiene employs seven full-time staff in addition to the two founders, four of whom are active Young Farmers members.
Joe Cameron believes the values learned through Young Farmers are fundamental to the company’s success. He said: “People from a farming and Young Farmers background have the right attitude,” he said. “There’s a strong work ethic and a ‘get it done’ mentality. You don’t just stop working because it’s the end of the day, you finish the job. That mindset is essential in our line of work, especially when we’re dealing with emergency call-outs.”
Because of this, Plover Hygiene looks to the Young Farmers network first when recruiting new staff and supporting SAYFC’s Big Build felt like a natural decision.
The new centre is needed following the loss of SAYFC’s former building on the Royal Highland Showground. The structure, which served as a HQ for generations of Young Farmers, was recently demolished after being condemned. Its removal has left SAYFC without a permanent centre for the first time in decades, and without an all-important base during one of its busiest times of the year, the Royal Highland Show.
The Big Build will restore this vital presence, a space where young farmers can come together, connect, socialise, and feel part of the wider rural community.
Plover Hygiene’s donated post-construction clean will play a key role in preparing the new building for use once construction is complete.
SAYFC is now encouraging individuals, businesses and supporters across Scotland to get behind the Big Build. Donations will help create a lasting home that supports young people, strengthens rural communities and enables future success stories like Plover Hygiene.
As a long-term investment in the future of Scottish agriculture, the new facility will serve multiple purposes beyond providing SAYFC with a year-round base;
- Providing a communal office space for agricultural charities and organisations, enabling greater collaboration across the sector.
- Acting as a social hub for all SAYFC members, helping to tackle rural isolation, strengthen connections, and support mental wellbeing among young people.
- Offering a flexible event space to generate additional revenue for SAYFC.
- Provide an archive and exhibition space to protect and showcase SAYFC’s rich heritage.
With construction timelines tied directly to fundraising progress, SAYFC is appealing for supporters to step forward now.
Businesses, individuals, trusts, and organisations interested in contributing, securing naming rights, or discussing major gifts are encouraged to contact: [email protected]
To find out more about SAYFC’s Big Build or to make a donation, visit https://www.sayfc.org/donate/sayfcs-big-build/