12 Jun Club of the Year Finalist Focus- Halkirk YFC
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.
HALKIRK YFC
What has been your club’s biggest achievement this year?
A. We had a great year all round. Our aims at the start of the year were to increase participation, run more training sessions for competitions to boost member confidence, and leave the club in a more secure financial position. We achieved all of these aims, but winning the North Participation Trophy was a huge boost for the club. We may not have many members, but being recognised for all the hard work they have put in was fantastic.
What charity or fundraising work has your club done recently?
A. This year we focused mainly on raising money for our own club funds to help secure a strong future for the club. However, we also donated baking to the local ambulance service as a thank you for all the hard work they do in the community.
What competitions or events have you been most successful in this year?
A. We had members compete in a wide range of national competitions this year, from TOW to bowling. A real highlight was seeing our junior speechmaking team place at the National Final, while one of our junior members also picked up an award at the National Senior Speechmaking Final.
How has your club supported or engaged with the local community?
A. We are very active within our local community. We help local farmers cover their silage pits, run the car park at the village Highland Games, and some of our members even sit on the village council. We are definitely recognised within the village as a positive group that is always willing to help when needed.
What makes your club unique and a strong Club of the Year contender?
A. We don’t have a large membership, and the majority of our members are under the age of 18. While this brings its challenges, it also gives us fresh ideas about how the club should be run. Every member has got involved over the last year, and it has been great to see new members getting stuck in straight away. Halkirk Young Farmers wouldn’t be where it is today without its junior members, which is why we focused on building club funds this year. Our members recognised how important this was and were happy to help with fundraisers and events.
We also listened to feedback from members who wanted more practice nights before competitions. This led to some very busy weeks with different events taking place every night, but it was all worthwhile. Our members became more confident and achieved a lot of success throughout the year.
What would winning National Club of the Year mean to your members and future plans?
A. Winning National Club of the Year would be a fantastic achievement and a real acknowledgement of the hard work our members have put in this year. For a small club in the far North, it would be a huge boost and would encourage both current and future members to continue giving it their all.