The weather at Newark was kind and we were pleased to welcome so many members to the stand although it was not as easy to find as it might have been; it does seem that position is very important at these events, something to bear in mind for the future. Congratulations to Margaret Badham who’s 1918 Fordson F won the N&NAS Trophy for the best tractor entered by a lady, this tractor is an absolute gem and fully deserved to win. I was lucky enough to be awarded the Perkins Heritage Trophy for the most original Perkins engine tractor, it quite made my day.

The Club has appointed a new registration officer, Anthony Patten who may be contacted on 01424444910.  He is accredited by the DVLA, has an excellent track record and gives exceptional value for money.

The first FFA outing of 2012 will be at the Doe show Tuesday 7th to Thursday 9th February, please call in and see us. This will be followed by Tractor World at Malvern on 3rd and 4th March.  If you haven’t entered yet do so now as entries close on 1st February or earlier if full.  We welcome members’ suggestions for ideas or themes to make the display more interesting at Malvern or indeed at other shows we will be attending throughout the year.

Also a new show, the Eastern Counties Vintage Tractor and Heritage Spectacular, has been added to the 2012 calendar, at which the FFA will be exhibiting. Application forms can be downloaded from the ‘Shows and Events’ section of our website.

The committee is looking for a location for this year’s AGM. If you have any suitable venues in mind please let us know. These matters need to be planned well in advance and as the New Year is upon us let us have your suggestions so that, together, we can make the club better than ever.

Never forget that it is your club.

Wishing you all a Happy & Healthy New Year

Pat Pawsey - FFA Chairman

P.S.

Since writing this for the magazine back in mid December I regret that due to unforeseen circumstances the association will not have a stand at the Doe Show.  My sincere apologies to any member inconvenienced by this and of course to E Doe & Sons Ltd. I’m sure that we all wish them a very successful and profitable show.

Just a quick reminder that the closing dates for entries to Tractor World at Malvern & The Eastern Counties Vintage and Heritage Spectacular are both 1st February. So if you haven’t entered and you would like to, now is the time.

Application forms can be downloaded from the ‘Shows and Events’ section of our website. 

The "Rising cost of fuel" is making travelling long distances to pursue our hobby a non starter, with many Ploughmen now staying at local matches in their own area. This fuel crisis also affects the FFA Ploughing Championships.

With this in mind it is proposed to have a Southern Area Championship and a Northern Area Championship to give our members more chance of becoming the FFA Champion in their own areas.

If any ploughmen in the Oxford area or a surrounding county who would like to take up the position of FFA Southern Area Ploughing Co-ordinator, please contact Roger Ingham on 01937 531532 / 07910 272757 for more details.

As from the beginning of February Our South East Representative Rodney Gibson & his wife Wendy will be taking over the FFA Merchandise. Their details together with "How to Order" your FFA Merchandise can be found on FFA Store section of our website.