Anne, Princess Royal has certainly had a busy week, and just last week, she was in Malaysia and Singapore. Now, she has attended the celebration dinner of the Rural Youth Trust (RYT) for the 25th anniversary in London. There, she met Norfolk Young Farmers Countrysiders.
The RYT was established by Tanner Shields, who is the former CEO of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and Peter Jackson. Both men are retired farmers. The RYT is most notably known for its funding activities. Mainly, the start-up funds for the 15 Countrysider Clubs.
Oliver Venni is a member of Downham Market Countrysiders. He told the Eastern Daily News, “We arrived nice and early at the Farmers Club in London, and we were introduced to the chief executive, Andrei Spence, who very kindly gave us a brief tour around the building following its recent £1.2m renovation.”
He continued, “We were introduced to Princess Anne, and Chloe and I spoke to her as to what Norfolk Countrysiders is all about. After this, we were given a delicious three-course meal, and finally, we had coffee with Princess Anne where we discussed everything from horses to anaerobic digesters.
Mr Venni then said, “This was followed by a chat with the National Young Farmers chairman, Chris Manley, who said that Countrysiders is a great asset to Norfolk Young Farmers.”
Helen Reeve, an ex-YFC member and club leader of Harleston Countrysiders, chimed in, saying, “It was a real honour to be asked to represent Norfolk Young Farmers and Countrysiders at the Rural Youth Trust’s 25th Anniversary Dinner, especially meeting the Princess Royal along with many other well-known farming personalities such as Lord Plumb. She was very down-to-earth, but clearly, has strong views on rural youth and is a strong supporter of YFC. I will never forget my visit to London; Thank you Norfolk YFC for the privilege.”