Kentish Express Ashford & District
Youngsters star in fundraising week for young farmers
Young volunteers held a fair on Saturday to finish off a week of fundraising events for Ashford’s Swan Young Farmers’ Club.
Teenagers signed up to the National Citizen Service programme, delivered by CXK, hosted a string of activities to raise cash for the local charity.
The Young Farmers’ Club, located at Swan Farm, off Cudworth Road, is a non-government funded organisation that gives young people the opportunity to experience farm life.
Over the course of the week, the team raised over £500 for the club – enough to hire the field for a year and buy a new sheep.
Team leader Nina Atkinson, said: “The team chose this charity because it’s local and they can see the impact they make. They were so pleased to be told their efforts had gone a long way for the farm.”
Events included a football fiasco at Pitchside, in Stanhope Road, a street collection in Ashford town centre, and the farmers’ fair at the Waterside Children’s Centre.
The pay-to-play football tournament on Thursday involved teams of local young people playing against CXK employees, with the staff picking up a tin foil winners’ trophy.
On Friday the team headed to the town centre dressed up as farmyard characters to rattle their collection tins and give out free hugs and jokes.
The finale saw the fundraisers join the Mayor and Mayoress of Ashford, Cllr John and Mrs Jill Link at the fair on Saturday for stalls, games and activities.
Mrs Atkinson added: “The week has been extremely beneficial and fun for the young people and we’ve seen such a huge change in them.
“They planned and delivered the whole project by themselves and just that ownership is very important for a young person.
“They made so many people happy with their free hugs and jokes at the collection, even if the jokes were terrible.
“Their eyes have been opened to what they can do and now they are all going off to colleges, jobs and further education.
“They are a really articulate and smart bunch of people and I was very lucky to work with them.”
Further National Citizen Service programmes will run this autumn and next spring.
For more information go to www.thencsnetwork.org.uk or call 01233 224244