Thousands of Young Farmers will head to Blackpool on the May Bank Holiday weekend (May 3-5) to attend the DIY AGM which has replaced the former National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (NFYFC) AGM.
The event in both forms has been the highlight of the YFC social calendar for more than 50 years. Formerly taking place between the North West and South West of England in alternate years, in 2019 it found its home in Blackpool under the umbrella of the DIY AGM, organised by the Young Farmers Community.
The DIY AGM was founded by John Houseman, who comes from a mixed livestock farm in North Yorkshire. Mr Houseman studied agriculture at Askham Bryan College, near York, before attending Harper Adams University.
See also: FG Live: New Young Farmers conference to be held in Blackpool
A keen member of the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs, he enjoys competing at rallies and getting involved in his home club. He said: "I would encourage anyone to join their local club, the organisation has been invaluable to me; I have learnt a range of skills and met friends for life."
Following the cancellation of the NFYFC AGM in 2018, he decided to resurrect it by creating an unofficial event on Facebook. It has grown over the years and, this year, Farmers Guardian will host its inaugural FG Live conference on day two (May 4), with a seminar programme packed full of inspirational speakers and farming influencers.
The annual weekend away typically falls on the early May Bank Holiday, when Young Farmers from England, Wales and Scotland descend on Blackpool for what is known as a ‘post-lambing and -calving holiday', giving Young Farmers and like-minded individuals a break from the farming calendar.
Mr Houseman said: "The main aim is to keep an annual event going where Young Farmers from all over the country can come together and enjoy time off, have fun and meet new people.
"Working in agriculture, people are often tied down in quite isolated positions with long hours and very little time away from the farm. There are few industries like agriculture where you work with family, and I think this gives a nice break from the pressure cooker of living and working with the same people day in and day out."
A major focus of the Young Farmers Community is raising money for charity, and since 2019 the group has raised more than £20,000. Mr Houseman said: "The money is raised through ticket sales and customised polo shirts which have personalised slogans. These considerable donations have been split between various charities which are in the interest of the farming community, such as the Air Ambulance UK and Mind, but also local non-profit organisations such as the Blackpool Royal National Lifeboat Institution."
In the first year, more than £7,500 was raised for charity, and since then, there has been as much as £16,000 donated in one year. Due to the growth of the event, Mr Houseman is assisted by two business partners, Alex Huckerby and Sam Hargreaves. "We work behind the scenes to bring the event together, with all of us providing different skillsets.
This is not a non-profit organisation as we do make money by providing merchandise, but this is mostly reinvested in the event," he added.
"There is a great deal of work that goes into the organisation, which incurs serious costs to produce the entertainment, staging, lighting, insurance and event promotion. We are incredibly grateful to be supported by various agricultural sponsors, including Farmers Guardian. "I believe we are doing a good job of running the DIY AGM; we have seen successful attendance numbers and have built it up over the last few years to get it to where it is today.
"People enjoy the weekend, so we plan to make the event bigger and better in 2024, and we look forward to seeing everybody there."
Register
FG Live Young Farmers Conference will take place at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, on May 4, 2024. For the full agenda and to register for your free place, visit farmersguardian.com/fglive-agm24
