Dan: Having already met at a few family occasions growing up, we first properly got to know each when Holly joined Cheriton & Tedburn YFC in 2010. We were frequently seen on stage together, having particularly enjoyed getting involved in the performing arts and public speaking competitions. A decade of YFC friendship ensued before the podcast was born!
Dan: Both struggling with the quietness of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, I came to Holly with an idea of producing a podcast as an excuse to talk to some cool people. But why Holly? Well, for a podcast you need someone that you know will never stop talking! I knew there was never dead air when we were together and can always count on Holly to talk absolute rubbish…
Holly: Dan’s dedication to this crazy project we started has not waivered despite my sometimes ridiculous ideas. He’s always up for a good laugh which is pretty vital to keeping me on board. Oh… and I literally wouldn’t know where to start without him!
Dan: Considering Holly hadn’t listened to a podcast before I proposed the idea… I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else. Holly’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious and she has a brilliant knack for making our guests feel comfortable and therefore more likely to share their story.
Holly: I don’t know how people who don’t attend YFC, ever get jobs? Without the various competitions and roles held in YFC on my CV, it would have been very hard to stand out. But with it, my employers knew I’d have some capability of public speaking, formal meetings and a whole heap of teamwork. It’s also helped me get rural jobs, which have allowed me to continue expanding my rural circle of friends.
Dan: I owe so much to YFC when it comes to my working life. I’m now a freelance Digital Marketing Manager working for different agricultural businesses and organisations. I feel very grateful to be able to combine my love for the farming/agricultural community, with storytelling and finding creative ways in which to promote the industry. My first big break in this world was being asked to produce the Rural Youth Europe podcast. Having attended the European Rally as part of ‘Team England’ in 2017 via the NFYFC travel programme, I met so many people and contacts that steered my career in the direction that it is now.
Holly: When moving away from home for work, I knew there was no option but to find a new YFC club. Without the regular meetings, I wouldn’t feel at home. I am also conscious that without it, I could be a very different person to who I am now. With different friends and different hobbies, it’s hard to imagine I’d be as happy as I am now without YFC forming such an instrumental part of my ‘growing up’.
Dan: YFC has shaped my life in so many ways and I owe so much to it. As a relatively shy kid growing up, the performing arts and public speaking competitions brought me out of my shell and gave me the opportunity to be creative and experience things I would never have done without YFC. What other organisation would I have had the opportunity to perform on stages across the country with a bunch of farmers, including Holly dressed as a squirrel…?
Having also held the position of County Competitions Chairman and now County Vice Chairman, YFC has given me the opportunity to travel the county and country, meeting so many likeminded people. Looking back on my time in YFC, it’s only now that I realise how all these experiences have massively boosted my confidence within every aspect of my life.
