Annual dinner postponed - At a committee meeting on Wednesday evening, it was unanimously decided to postpone the club's annual dinner and presentation of prizes from Thursday, March 19. It is hoped to hold the 2020 dinner in the autumn, possibly in October.
Given the rising concerns about the impact of the C-Virus, your officers and committee felt that it would be prudent to postpone. Our apologies for the inconvenience to all members and the club's guests for this decision. The secretary Michael Pollitt has informed all members, who had booked tickets for the dinner.
Watch the club's website for future diary dates including the farm walks on June 4 in north Norfolk and on July 8, jointly with the East Norfolk branch of the National Farmers' Union. Entry added: 11 Mar 2020 |
Star role for former chairman - Former club chairman Emma Ralph has been invited to address the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November. Emma, chairman in 2007, spoke at the club’s 178th annual meeting. As the first woman to take the chair at the club since it was founded in 1841, she spent a dozen years at buying group Loddon Farmers, now Anglia Farmers, before becoming managing director in October 2018 of Europe’s largest specialist adjuvant and crop specialist company, InterAgro. Members elected Chris Borrett, of grain merchants Adams & Howling as chairman in sucession to Broadland farmer Henry Alston. Will Sands, of HBS Farms, becomes vice-chairman. Entry added: 20 Feb 2020 |
Congratulations – Stalham’s lack of support in the bowls gave a walk-over to Holt & District Farmers’ Club. Joint organiser Stuart Ross presented the trophy to Matt Skinner on behalf of the successful bowlers at Rossi’s Leisure, North Walsham, on Friday night. Stalham's trio, Ken Leggett, Mike Mansfield and the secretary, Michael Pollitt, did manage to get points on the board.
In the 10-pin, Stalham’s John Lockhart stormed to victory with a first round score of 182, adding 101 in the second leg. Holt’s top two, Alistair Wagg and Roger Buxton were joint runners-up on 245. Henry Alston, chairman, thanked the staff at Rossi’s for a great evening and everyone for taking part. Sadly, Stalham fielded a total of just eight against Holt’s 28 players.
Entry added: 08 Feb 2020 |
Fancy a new club challenge - With the end of the shooting season, Stalham’s chairman Henry Alston is looking ahead to this Friday’s annual bowls/10-pin competition. Holt will be fielding two teams of almost 30, so please step up to the plate in either bowls or 10-pin.
It takes place at Rossi’s on Friday, February 7 (4pm for 4.3pm prompt start) and a three-course supper would be greatly appreciated. Skill is not absolutely necessary. The whole evening costs £25.
Please let the secretary know and if you’d like to bring a friend/ colleague or partner, so much the merrier.
Entry added: 03 Feb 2020 |
Summer farm walk diary date - Stalham Farmers' Club and members of East Norfolk branch of the National Farmers' Union have been invited to visit B&C Farming by Tony Bambridge on Wednesday, July 8. His daughter, Sophie and members of the farm staff will welcome visitors to Wood Farm, Marsham, at 5.30pm for 6pm. More details soon. Entry added: 03 Feb 2020 |
Fancy a new club challenge - With the end of the shooting season, Stalham’s chairman Henry Alston is looking ahead to this Friday’s annual bowls/10-pin competition. Holt will be fielding two teams of almost 30, so please step up to the plate in either bowls or 10-pin.
It takes place at Rossi’s on Friday, February 7 (4pm for 4.3pm prompt start) and a three-course supper would be greatly appreciated. Skill is not absolutely necessary. The whole evening costs £25.
Please let the secretary know and if you’d like to bring a friend/ colleague or partner, so much the merrier.
Entry added: 03 Feb 2020 |
The meeting notes for 15th January 2020 are now under Minutes and Reports on the left. Entry added: 17 Jan 2020 |
Double helping of potatoes! - Extra potatoes were on the menu for Stalham Farmers' Club's opening 2020 meeting. A total of 34 members and guests joined the chairman Henry Alston and speaker William Love for supper. The venison casserole with 28 portions served, with additional potatoes, was the most popular choice at Vera's Coffee Shop. Then, it was turn of Mr Love to sing for his supper as he told the 60-strong gathering of a week-long tour to the north-west of the United States looking at potatoes. One state, Washington, the second-largest growing region in the USA, produces about 5.2m tonnes of potatoes - at a fraction of the cost in Britain. But they have an scale, chemicals and crop protection products denied to UK growers, he said. A new member, Tim Kitson, was successfully proposed by Tim Papworth. Further report in Meetings, see left. Entry added: 16 Jan 2020 |
The meeting notes for the 11th December are now available under minutes and reports on the left. Entry added: 19 Dec 2019 |
Stalham Farmers Dec 2019
Floods, snakes and lions were among the hazards encountered by veterinary surgeon Graham Duncanson on his marathon 11-month fundraising ride to Cape Town.
To mark his 50 years as a vet, he cycled 8,000 miles from Hainford, near Norwich to the tip of South Africa – raising £14,000 for the Animal Health Trust.
He told 32 fellow members of Stalham Farmers’ Club that he had been supported on various stages by vets from the Westover Veterinary Practice, where he had spent 40 years of his career in east and north Norfolk. His daughter Amelia, who works for a Diss veterinary practice, also joined him for the journey through Italy.
As a newly-qualified vet working in Kenya, one of his first tasks involved taking blood samples from 400 camels. Soon, he became recognised as an expert in the treatment of camels.
Mr Duncanson, then aged 72, of Crostwick, near Norwich, left Norfolk in May 2016. His route took him through Holland and Germany, where the some of the worst flooding of the Rhine, was just one of the early challenges.
Having reached Greece after various incidents, he flew to Entebbe, Uganda, to start the final transit through central and south Africa.
Having invested in Teflon-treated tyres for his bike, which almost lasted the entire length of his expedition, he was fortunate to have just a handful of punctures.
At one stage, he ended up spending a night sleeping out in the bush – and woke to find that a lion was watching him with some interest.
While travelling through South Africa, and while riding up a steep slope, he realised that he was being pursued by a poisonous black mamba snake. The two-metre long snake, feared as the second most deadly snake in Africa, was making rapid progress as he started pedalling frantically to avoid this potentially lethal encounter.
A trustee of the Animal Health Trust, which is supported by the British Veterinary Association, Mr Duncanson was delighted to have raised almost 40 per cent more than his initial target.
He was thanked by Simon Daniels on behalf of the club. Entry added: 12 Dec 2019 |