New members week - 12th October - Table Tennis

This weeks meeting was having a go at Table Tennis. 

Across Bedfordshire it is New Members week this week, so we were joined by over 10 new potential members who all took part in the competition! 

The overall winners of the night were Max  and George! 😃😃

Next weeks meeting is bowling 😃

A Voyage for Voyage - Bedfordshire Young Farmers raise over £3000 for Voyage Care Bedford.

Young Farmers Clubs are renowned nationally for fundraising thousands of pounds for charity each year, and 2016 was no different for Silsoe Young Farmers Club. In August 2016 four novice kayakers, Andrew Redman and Tom Harwood from Silsoe Young Farmers, and Jake Clarkson and Thomas Potter from Woburn Young Farmers, kayaked to Kings Lynn from Bedford Town Centre. All in the name of charity.

The challenge was in aid of Silsoe YFC’s club charity, Voyage Care Bedford. The Care Home is a brand new, purpose built service where care and support are given to six individuals with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. They tailor each individual’s care plan to help with communication, using a range of tools and systems. A resident of the care home has a close connection to Silsoe YFC, which gave the challenge a personal touch and the drive to raise even more funds than the original £1000 target.

The challenge took three long days of paddling, which started along Bedford’s embankment and followed the course of the River Great Ouse, all the way to Kings Lynn at the mouth of the North Sea. From Bedford the river meanders eighty miles, with varying currents, head winds and fourteen locks. The team packed tents, food and personal kit into four kayaks and optimistically set of at 8am Friday 12^th August.

With the sun beating down on day one, the team knew they had their work cut out. With ten locks successfully negotiated around on the first day, they set up camp near Houghton Mill. Day two proved to be the most productive, paddling 37 miles and conquering ‘ten mile bank’ east of Ely. This long straight was the biggest mental challenge of the journey, as there was no break in the horizon other than water. 

The team were blown away by the support throughout the journey from friends, family and the locals they met on the river along the way. Thanks goes to The Ship pub at Brandon’s Creek for kindly letting the team camp in their pub garden. The team were met with more generosity from the West Norfolk Rowing Club on Sunday morning at the Denver Sluice.  After a quick pit stop at their clubhouse, there was only ten miles left until they finally reached Kings Lynn. The crowds flocked to watch the boys paddle into Kings Lynn at 1.30pm.

Silsoe YFC’s Andrew Redman said, “we are so pleased to raise so much money for local cause, the challenge was hard work but worth all the effort when we saw the final total raised”.

Silsoe Chairman Tom Harwood said, “it was an incredibly rewarding challenge and it was great to see all the support at the finish line. It has proved that a challenge like this is possible for anyone, and very fulfilling in the process.”

The team were supported in the build up to the challenge by Canoe Trail, as well as supplying all the necessary training and equipment. Canoe Trail are a Bedford based company and can help you get on the water in any form of paddle craft. Please do visit their website (www.canoetrail.co.uk) for more information about their services.

Andrew, Tom, Jake and Thomas would like to thank everyone who supported, donated and helped them along the way. It was a great journey from start to finish and the team are so happy to raise over £3000. Young Farmers is a great adventure, opening the doors to so many opportunities, for more information about what we get up to please visit our Facebook page, facebook.com/silsoeyoungfarmers. 

New Year, New Officers

The club AGM was held on Wednesday night and a new committee was elected ... 

Chairman - Tom (centre of picture) 

Vice Chair - Emily (far right) 

Secretary - Alice (second on the right) 

Programme Secretary - Kirsty (third on the right) 

 

Other committee members , Fraser, Andrew and Lorna!! 

Falconry visit - Wednesday 7th September

The first meeting back and members took a visit to the Birds of Prey Centre at Herrings Green Farm in Wilstead. 

Throughout the night members got to look at all the different birds, watch a flying display and had a go and then to finish the evening off , held a 8lb Bald Eagle! 

Silsoe at the River Festival!

This weekend a group of 10 Silsoe members went along to the River Festival to take part in some challenges put on by Canoe Trail! 

The first being to make a boat out of cardboard and tape. Members were joined by other people and put into 3 teams and given 45 minutes to make their boat. Along the way there were challenges for the team to complete in order to get some cling film rap and more tape which included singing nursery rhymes and performing a dance! 

Once each team has made their boat , the race began! 

Tom Harwood our chairman was paddling one boat and Max the other against 1 more boat. Whilst Tom sunk almost immediately , Max went on to winning the competition!! 

Afterwards members took part in the paddle board competition. With 6 members in a team (3 Young Farmer teams and 1 other team) Silsoe were joined by members from Leighton Buzzard Yf and Biggleswade too. 

The battle for first place was between the girls team and a group of Silsoe boys. Members had to dice through hoops on their travels , go under and over ropes and fall off and get themselves back on again, it was a tight finish but the boys won! 

The last challenge of the day was to see how many people we could get on a paddle board and with the help others we manage a record of 17!!

Silsoe YFC go for a splash!!

Last Wednesday evening Silsoe Young Farmers went for a paddle in Bedford river on a range of kayaks, canoes and paddle boards! 

By the end of the evening very few members had not fallen in the water 😂 

Wednesday 1st June - Cookery Competition

Last night Suzy, Max and Alice competed in the County Cookery Competition for Silsoe. 

They had to work together to produce 4 different dishes (1 of which had to be sweet and at least 1 savoury) to the theme of tomorrow's world using only 2 gas stoves. 

Silsoe team made a tomato and onion salad, mushroom stragonaff on toast, tofu burgers and poached apricots for desert served with yoghurt. 

Overall Silsoe came 3rd!!