Club of the Month

Name of Club:

Uwchaled Young Farmers Club

Number of Members:

About 60

Where you meet:

At Cerrigydrudion Centre on Monday Nights.

Describe your club in 3 words:

Inclusive, Passionate, Fun!

Favourite Club Night Activity:

There are so many club nights throughout the year and it’s hard to host something that’s for everyone, but one night everyone enjoys is Bingo night!  We also try to organise outings, and recently visited Zip World, which was a fun night, full of laughter, which made us all turn into big kids again!

Fundraising accomplishments:

Fundraising is at the top of the list at every annual committee, and we’re always trying to come up with new ideas. The highlight of this year was the presentation of a cheque of £1245 to Ysgol y Gogarth in Llandudno, a school for children with special needs. One of our members attends the school, so it was very important to us as a club that we were able to contribute to such a valuable school. The money was collected on a tractor run around Uwchaled. We also donate annually to the Air Ambulance, and this year, have donated to Cancer Research after collecting hundreds during our Santa trip at Christmas.

Your work within the community:

The community is very important to us at Uwchaled. A Welsh and extremely rural community, so running activities through the medium of Welsh locally is vital. We have a stand at Cerrigydrudion Show every year with activities for children. We also run the bar during the evening dance, which is quite a task! We also support the local village hall annually at their Christmas tree lighting night in Cerrigydrudion, and we are in charge of the Santa’s grotto. Nearly 100 children came to see us this year! Holding concerts in the community is also important to us. We hold the Eisteddfod’s item concert every winter, and have drama and sketches performed at the annual Comedy Plays nights every January. This year, it’s great to see the flower pots donated as a gift to the community by the club at our 70th anniversary celebration looking gorgeous and full of colourful plants across the area.

Favourite competitions:

It’s impossible to pick one competition as a favourite, as everyone likes different things, and this is what’s so valuable about YFC – there are opportunities for everyone of all abilities to do different things. Some would say that the Rally competitions, such as Tug of War, are their favourite, and others enjoy creative writing and winning chairs at the Eisteddfod. We also have a large crew of about 15 competing in flower arranging competitions annually. There’s something for everyone! 

How do you use the Welsh Language?

Welsh is the main language of the club. Of course, non-Welsh speaking members are welcome to join us, but we are very lucky in Uwchaled to be the area with the most Welsh speakers in Conwy. We always compete and socialise through the medium of Welsh, and our activities are also in the community with a huge emphasis on the Welsh language, which is a natural consequence of living in an area where the majority speak the language.

Any other fun facts or slogans etc.:

This englyn was written by one of our members, Llywela, on the club’s 70th anniversary celebration.

Yn gywion llon, dewch yn llu, i brofi

mor braf yw cystadlu,

ac a grym y miri’n gry’,

Uwchaled fydd yn chwalu!