Community Spirit Finalist: Wainfleet YFC, Lincolnshire
Wainfleet YFC is one of the smallest and youngest clubs in Lincolnshire, but it hasn’t stopped members from getting stuck into helping their local community.
In the last membership year, their 11 members have hosted fundraising events, volunteered to support local activities, carried out multiple litter picks and built bird boxes to be used by a local estate as a bird habitat.
One of their key fundraisers was a bingo event, which packed out the village hall. While the evening provides much-needed funds for the club and other charities, it’s also an opportunity for the local rural community to connect and socialise.
“We’re only a small club of 11 members but we all came together and helped to raise some money for some really good charities, and it was a great night,” said Sophie. “It’s a much-needed social event for our community.”
As well as raising money for the club, they have also fundraised for RNLI, Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance and Cancer Research.
The club works closely with the local council and is regularly invited to meetings to discuss its work or to get involved in community events. One occasion the club is particularly proud of is being involved in the VE Day Remembrance Service, where 14-year-old Club Secretary Daniel did a reading.
“It was quite an honour to stand up in front of a crowd and speak about the fallen,” said Daniel. “It was a privilege that YFC was invited to do it.”
The club’s litter picking activity is often in public parks and spaces, making the environment cleaner and safer for everyone. On the night the club was interviewed by the judges for the Community Spirit Award, members joined the call from a cemetery where they were involved in a community clean-up project.
“We cleared dead flowers, did weeding and levelled the pathways to make it safer for people to walk on,” explained Daniel who attended with a few members of the club and local councillors. “It’s a general tidy up so when families come to visit it’s in a better state.”
Getting involved in community work is important to the club as Daniel said it helps to show what Young Farmers really do in their communities.
“The community work is really good to show off what Young Farmers do – it’s not just about parties – it’s good to show we do things that are positive,” said Daniel.
As well as reputation building, the activities have also brought the club together as a team.
“We’re a young demographic but it’s been a highlight to see everyone keen to be involved in projects and work together as a team and want to help out,” explained Sophie who is proud of the achievements of the small club. “At Wainfleet Weekend it poured down with rain so we didn’t expect to do very well but we raised £70 and got the club’s name out there.
“Being part of local village events is a great way for our members to show their appreciation for their community and show that young people can have a positive and active role within it.”
