Bures Agricultural Club to fold due to ageing membership

Bures Agricultural Club has hung up its pitchfork after 80 years. Members gathered at Assington Farm Shop, near Sudbury, for a farewell celebration lunch on Tuesday (November 21).

Sadly, its longest -serving member, 96-year-old Colin Cracknell -  a member for 79 of its 80 years - could not attend the final gathering as he was unwell.

The death knell of the club was sounded at the annual general meeting when chairman Una Oakes - now in her eighties - treasurer Richard Sills and secretary Fiona Brooks decided they didn't want to carry on.

Lunch organiser Rosemary Ingram - who has been with the club for 52 years - said the "creeping age" of members was to blame.

"We are very old all of us. The one who was younger is quite a young spring chicken compared to all of us - she's probably in her early 60s," she explained.

Rosemary joined when she married a farmer who already belonged to the club. She plans to continue to stay in touch by organising informal informal ladies' lunches.

The Minutes Book of the Club describes its founding in 1943. It followed a big drive by the War  Agriculture Executive Committee - known as War Ag - to ramp up food production by embracing technology and science.

The clubs were encouraged - with those attending receiving extra petrol coupons.

"At the Agricultural Brains Trust arranged by the West Suffolk War Agricultural Committee  and held on November 15 in Bures, those present appointed a temporary committee to prepare plans  for forming an Agricultural Club for the area within six miles of Bures."

Shortly afterwards they elected a chairman and drew up rules of office. Party politics was banned. Original committee members included local spinster farmers - reflecting the shortage of labour due to many men fighting in the war.

At the December meeting that year its founding members attended a talk on "our contribution to agriculture for the future". The following January the topic was "crops rotations and its  effect on soil fertility".

Outings to the University Farm at Cambridge, a malting plant and drying plant followed in 1944.

"When one considers the war still raged in Europe that was quite impressive," said Rosemary.

In September of the same year, the club organised a Furrow Drawing Match with horses loaned by three farmers and tractors by the War Agricultural Committee.  Profits from sideshows were donated to the Prisoner of War Fund and the evening ended with a dance. 

In 1945 "amateurs and ladies" got to take part in furrow drawing classes.

One of the  founder members was John Cracknell of Great Henny whose son, Colin, started attending meetings with him a year later.  Colin remained a very active member throughout the decades and his family still farms.

Allan Steel of Assington joined at the second meeting and over the years would entertain members with talks from his world travels. His daughter Fiona Brooks - the last secretary - and her husband Richard continued to play an active part until the club ceased to exist this week.

During 1947 and 1948 a packed series of meetings included talks  on "farming without artificials",  "an alternative to pasteurisation", "mechanised sugar beet growing" and "pigs versus poultry".

The packed schedule also included social events such as Christmas parties. 

People would travel many miles for the club's furrow drawing contests. In its heyday, competition was fierce - but it eventually ended due to a lack of volunteers.

There were classes for the best samples of wheat, barley, oats and sugar beet - and best tray of garden vegetables. 

In the summer, there were organised visits to farms showcasing improvements new techniques and machinery as well as trips to factories making agricultural machinery.

Every April, the club would reverse roles so that the men served coffee and biscuits and did the washing up.

But in its final years, the club struggled to recruit younger members, said Rosemary. 

"It was becoming obvious  that with creeping age several members did not want to take posts of responsibility," she said.

"Numbers at meetings were dwindling  and more and more members did not have a direct involvement with farming - just a love of rural life.

"Through the stoical efforts of Una (Oakes) - she kept being re-elected as no one else wanted the job - the club limped on. 

"She organised a great Christmas quiz evening each year, ably assisted by her husband Brian and other members."

The final club lunch marked 80 years and a day since it was formed.

By custom, Allan Steel would say the Selkirk Grace before lunch. His daughter, Fiona Brooks, said it in his place. The club records and memorabilia will be archived at a suitable place "to preserve its rich history", said Rosemary.