Dinner jackets and ball gowns meet Wellington boots at the first ever Harvest Dinner Dance hosted by the Future Farmers of Yorkshire at the Great Yorkshire Showground this Autumn.
Black tie with a hint of agriculture is the dress code on the evening of Saturday 18th November 2023 at Pavilions of Harrogate for what promises to be a sociable celebration for Yorkshire’s farming community at the end of the harvest season.
Supported by farming charity the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Future Farmers of Yorkshire is a thriving network which brings together like-minded farmers, vets and industry supporters to further their personal and professional development.
At an otherwise testing time for all those who lives are dedicated to producing high quality, nutritious British food for the nation, Future Farmers invites its membership, members of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society as well as Yorkshire’s wider farming fraternity to set their business duties aside for an evening of fun and friendship.
South Yorkshire farmer Nick Grayson, Chair of Future Farmers of Yorkshire, said: “We are so excited to be launching this Saturday evening event for the very first time at the Great Yorkshire Showground in partnership with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
“Our members have told us that they would really value an occasion like this, where they can let their hair down at the end of the summer and after a long, challenging harvest time when farming is very much at the mercy of unpredictable weather and uncertain incomes.
“The format of the Harvest Dinner Dance is nothing like our popular debate evenings. Instead, this is your chance to celebrate the end of the season’s hard work and toast our successes in likeminded company.”
Future Farmer Alice Gill, who farms with her family in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire and fellow local farmer Joe Middlemiss, Chair of Boroughbridge Young Farmers Club practised their dance moves ahead of the big night out.
Alice said: “This is exactly the sort of event we need at the end of harvest and before the busy winter fatstock sales. We could all do with a chance to get together and enjoy ourselves. I really hope the farming community gets behind this event. The date is in my diary and I’m really looking forward to it!”
The focus of the Harvest Dinner Dance will very much be on celebration, but there will also be opportunities to find out more about what Future Farmers of Yorkshire has to offer. Future Farmers is run by a voluntary management board of farmers and allied industry professionals, for the benefit of farmers and industry professionals across the county and beyond, with funding from the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and sponsors.
Future Farmers of Yorkshire offers a varied rolling programme of events, training and bursaries opportunities to further personal and professional development, guided by the needs of its 1,000-plus members.
You do not need to be a Future Farmer to book a place at the Harvest Dinner Dance, which is for over 18s only, however, signing up to join the group is free and with no obligation.
Tickets are priced £55 for individual places and £500 for a table of 10. The evening starts at 6.30pm with a welcome drink, followed by a three-course meal and disco. A charity auction will take place in support of two charities, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and RABI (The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution).
For more details about the Harvest Dinner Dance, to book your place and to join Future Farmers, see yas.co.uk/futurefarmers.
