TIME certainly flies when you are having fun and February has flown past, writes Suffolk Young Farmers co-ordinator Tory Lugsden.

It’s nice to see the potential start of spring appearing with a few snowdrops on the roadsides. Let’s hope this is the end of the snow and cold, it’s certainly been bracing in the YFC office over the past few weeks.

We ended January with the most amazing Stowmarket YFC 70th Ball held at Trinity Park, Ipswich. With very kind sponsorship from Suffolk Agricultural Association, Binders, Forkrent, Kenton Hall, Fen Grain and Morbeans 400 people had a brilliant evening with plenty of laughs and fun to celebrate 70 great years of Stowmarket YFC. The evening was a huge success and raised in excess of £6000 for charity. This is being split between Help for Heroes and St Elizabeth’s Hospice.

The Junior Lazerquest competition was very well supported by the members and as always this was one of our most popular competitions. Well done to Gipping Valley for taking the win once again, the other junior clubs are definitely out to try and knock your crowns off for a change with the upcoming events.

The County Quiz competition was another brilliantly supported event with over 100 members from all clubs in the county vying for the Quiz Crown. As always Debenham YFC brought out the old dears in the hope that we wouldn’t notice they were too old to compete. As always the Debenham Old Dears won but were disqualified for being cheeky. At least in Debenham’s defence their younger members are as clever as the old ones and managed to take the win! The Junior competition was won by Gipping Valley (not again??! There’s a theme here…) followed by Brett Valley and Lark Valley.

Last weekend was Lark Valley YFC’s 10th Birthday Party and a number of ex members, helpers and current members celebrated their birthday with a great evening of music, food and merriment. It was a lovely evening and the cake and celebration was a great tribute to a great club. Here’s to another 10 years.

Coming up this month….

Hadleigh YFC First Birthday Party – Saturday, March 2 – Tickets from Angharad Bendall on 07986 173863

Sunday, March 17 back to the traditional YFC competitions including brick laying, welding and flower arranging at Otley College

Halesworth YFC Spring Fling for members past and present at Blyford Hall on Saturday, March 23. Tickets are £10 and available from Neil Allen on 07854 925182.

Annual Clay Shoot on Saturday, March 30, at The Lime Pits, Stowlangtoft. Cards are £10 and high gun prize is £100. Prizes are also in place for the ladies shoot, colts and Suffolk Show stewards. This is one of our favourite events of the year and we are really looking forward to putting on a great day.