Ivybridge Young Farmers Club have picked their chosen charities for this years fundraising campaign, and are already making great progress in raising money for them.

They have decided to support Devon Air Ambulance and Alzheimer’s Research UK after a vote at their Annual General Meeting took place on December 6.

This comes after an impressive year last year, where they raised funds for The Mustard Tree and Amylodosis Research Fund, awarding each charity with £2500.

The Mustard Tree is a cancer support centre in Plymouth and the Amylodosis Research Fund is a charity that hopes to increase research and awareness of Amylodosis disease, which occurs when a protein called amyloid builds up in one’s organs.

A spokesperson for the club said: “‘Every year Ivybridge Young Farmers Club chooses charities to support and raise money for and through the year we hold a variety of events.

“Last year’s charities were The Mustard Tree and the Amylodosis Research Fund, two amazing cancer charities both close to some of our members hearts.

“We also try to choose at least one local charity to support and last year we had members who had personal connections with both charities so we felt it was important to support them and raise as much awareness and donations as possible.”

To raise money for these charities the club hosted a variety of events, with a Log Chop where they chop and sell firewood; a post Christmas tree collection for donations; a dung run where they bag up and sell dung as well as bingo nights, quizzes, raffles and host parties. The club also run their own bar service where people can hire them for weddings and parties and all profits go into their chosen charities. 

They added: “We invited both charities to our monthly meeting where we heard from both charities. Unfortunately the Amyloidosis Research Fund could not attend in person but did send us a video explaining more about how our donation will benefit them and the work they continue to do. The representative from The Mustard Tree also spoke about how our money will be used and the importance of the work they do. It was a great chance to show our members just how important the work we do is and why we must continue to support the work our club does to help whomever we can.”

The Mustard Tree said of the donation: “We would like to thank Ivybridge Young Farmers Club for their hard work and generosity in raising a fantastic £2500 for the Mustard Tree. Thank you so much for your support.”