A young leader from Shropshire has won The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ (NFYFC) Senior Member of the Year Award.
Abbie Vaughan, 26, is currently Chair of the West Midlands Area of YFC and was awarded the title after competing against six other national finalists at the weekend (12 April) at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington Spa.
Being a member of YFC is worlds apart from Abbie’s day job as a Rotary Wing Commercial Manager for an RAF base in Shropshire. Despite living rurally in Tibberton near Newport, Abbie is not from a farming background and loves sharing her YFC stories with colleagues.
“I cannot wait to tell them at work on Monday. I am so excited because they follow me on my Young Farmer journey, and they know how much time and effort I put into it so to go back to them to say I won Senior Member of the Year is just incredible,” said Abbie after being presented with her award.
Friends encouraged Abbie to join the organisation when she was 16 and she hasn’t looked back. She has gone on to hold many roles in the organisation at both a club and county level and now has the lead role on the Area committee.
“I joined Newport YFC not knowing what to expect at all,” said Abbie. “Then here I am 11 years later with all these different friends and skills. You don’t have to be a farmer to be a Young Farmer. You wouldn’t get any of these opportunities with any other community.”
The competitors all made it through County and Area rounds to earn their place in the final.
A three-page synopsis had to be submitted in advance of the national final, detailing their YFC experience. On the day, they all participated in formal interviews with a panel of judges, and answered questions on stage in front of an audience.
“My confidence has come from YFC. The skills that YFC has taught me meant that I got up on to the stage, I felt like I was everyone else’s equal, I knew what to do, and I knew how to speak publicly in front of people through the many, many competitions,” said Abbie about her experience at the final. “It’s everything that YFC has given me that has helped me to come here and win Senior Member of the Year.”
NFYFC’s Board of Management Chair Natalie McGinn was one of the judges and said Abbie had come in “on a mission” to win.
“You can tell Abbie is passionate about her involvement and she articulated herself so clearly about what YFC means to her now and where she would love for it to go in the future. She wants to make a difference, and I think that is so important as an ambassador for the organisation. Abbie embodies the true spirit of Senior Member of the Year.
“You could see the dedication to the organisation from all the finalists and how much they put into it. I was super proud of everyone, and it was a true honour to judge an award as prestigious as Senior Member of the Year.”
Abbie has big plans for her year as West Midlands Area Chair and hopes to move on to support the NFYFC Competitions Steering Group and beyond.
“I would definitely recommend this competition to other senior members. This is the first year I have entered and if something is holding you back, just go for it. If you have that passion for YFC, it will shine through,” said Abbie.
“Who knows what’s next for me, maybe even one day National Chair of Council!”
Harry Davies from Netherseal YFC in Leicestershire and Rutland came second in the competition and Sophie Olds from Cornwall came third.
NFYFC has 561 YFCs across England and Wales and more than 23,000 members. All young people aged between 10 and 28 are welcome to join – and you do not need to be a farmer or from a farming background to get involved.
