They have kept busy during the lockdown, not just with agricultural work, but also with fun and challenges set by the club officials. Spokeswoman Hannah Graham said: “It has not altered the club’s spirit one bit and the committee and its members are keen as ever. We have enjoyed a multitude of Zoom committee meetings, which have been a hit so far. This has been great and kept us all in touch, in what has been a very isolating time for many.”
However, coming up with activities that could be done virtually was a bit harder and she explained: “Young Farmers is predominately a very sociable and active club, so trying to accommodate these two things whilst being in lockdown was difficult to start with. As a committee we had to think of alternative routes to go down as a lot of our club activities are usually based around a collective gathering.”
They came up with the idea of ‘A Day in the Life’, with members challenged to film what they get up to on a normal working day. New videos were posted every day and proved a massive hit. The club also joined in the nationwide loo roll challenge, notching up 1800 views for their video. And, they decided to walk the equivalent of the length of the UK for chosen charity Prostate Buddies. This is ongoing with a finish date of June 18, in time for what would have been the Royal Highland Show. Hannah said: “All of the committee have really taken to this and we have nearly reached the 874 mile target.”
World Milk Day on June 1 was marked on social media, highlighting the role and importance of the UK dairy industry, and they are also currently preparing for a mock auction competition online. Meanwhile, the club has also teamed up with others in Dumfries and Galloway for the Iso-lympic Games. Not every activity has been able to switch online, however, and the usual New Members Night has been postponed until later in the year.
Hannah is pleased with the overall response and said: “With much of our summer syllabus needing rejigged , we have managed to do some online and we look forward to more of that.
“However, we can’t wait until lockdown is over for a good old catch up. We would like to wish everyone well and stay safe.”
