Annual Golf Tournament 2026

Our 2026 Annual Golf Tournament took place on a glorious sunny day that thankfully didn’t hit the high temperatures of the earlier part of that week. As it was, the weather provided perfect playing conditions for the day’s proceedings which saw 16 teams taking part.  Unfortunately, entries were impacted by the date clashing with school holidays and this is something we are looking to avoid for next year. Although team numbers were lower than ideal, the competition was once again a great success and was thoroughly enjoyed by those who played.  The event is open to both member and non-member companies and we would like to thank them all for their support which is much appreciated.

The course was in wonderful condition and our thanks go to the club ground staff for all their hard work.  Our thanks also to the catering team for providing another delicious meal.

Executive Committee Member Mark Woodall, who is the driving force behind the competition, thanked everyone for their support and generosity which enabled us to make donations to Claire Crosby on behalf of a charity that we have supported for many years, KIDS, and to Sue Woodall on behalf of the recently formed Agricultural Local Alliance Network (ALAN). Both ladies made short speeches thanking everyone for the donations and explaining how the money would be put to good use helping people in need. A huge thank you goes to Adams & Green, Atom Brewery, The DoubleTree by Hilton, Tesco’s Market Weighton and Wold Escapes for generously donating prizes for the raffle.

The overall winners of the tournament were last year’s winners, the team from Thomas Mawer Ltd with a score of 85.  Our congratulations go to Rob Mackay, Jonathan Stanisfield, David Stubley, and George Mackay. As highest placed members of the Association the team also won the HCFTA trophy.

The runners up were the team from Isuria Ltd, Ben Rymer, Robbie Mullen, Neil Warburton and George Warburton.

Third place went to the team from Cargill, Alex Millar, James Barker, Colin Shepherd and Rowan Crookes.

Additional prizes were given for nearest the pin and longest drive on designated holes. Congratulations to the following winners

Nearest Pin – Hole 3                           David Stubley (Thomas Mawer Ltd)

Nearest Pin – Hole 6                           Will I’Anson (I’Anson Bros)

Nearest Pin – Hole 9                           Andrew Cooke (James Mortimer Ltd)

Nearest Pin – Hole 13                         Mark Woodall (Cranswick Foods)

Nearest Pin – Hole 17                         Andrew Cooke (James Mortimer Ltd)

Longest Drive – Hole 10                   Jonathan Stansfield (Thomas Mawer Ltd)

 

Election of 89th President

Following the Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting on the 22nd January 2026, we are delighted to announce that Toby Parker of Pelagia UK has been elected as the Association’s new President.

He has succeeded Matthew Tickle of Dugdale Nutrition who held the post for the previous two years. The meeting expressed thanks to Matthew for all his hard work and was pleased to hear that he will be remaining as a member of the Executive Committee.

Also elected at the meeting were Vice President, Will Millar of Cargill, and Junior Vice President, Tom Shouksmith of Criddle & Co Ltd

Annual Dinner 2025

We are delighted to report that this year’s Annual Dinner was another huge success with over 300 guests attending. The Executive Committee would like to thank all the host companies for their continued support of the event.

Our thanks go also to The First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds who donated a private suite accommodating 16 people for the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour, and the DoubleTree by Hilton, Sheffield who donated a stay for 2 people. The generosity of these companies and all the guests who supported the live auction, prize draw and the silent auction enabled us to raise a fantastic £6768 on the night.

From these funds, a cheque for £2500 was presented to Sue Woodall from R.A.B.I. and £2006 was donated to The Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  The balance has been added to our charity pot ready to make future donations. If you know of any charity that you think deserves our support, please let us know and the Executive Committee will consider your nomination.

Taking on board comments received last year, we decided to stay with the new format of having speeches first again. We also engaged a professional sound system company and dispensed with the services of a formal toast master. Matthew Tickle (President) Toby Parker (Vice President) and Harry Todhunter (immediate past President) shared the toast master duties and did an excellent job keeping proceedings on track.

The afternoon seminar saw a change of speaker and subject matter due to IAG being unable to accommodate us this year.  We were pleased to be able to welcome Matt Ryan of Oxbury Bank who gave a presentation entitled Financing Farms In A Changing World. Although numbers were lower than expected, feedback received showed that attendees found the seminar very informative.

A selection of photographs from the dinner are available to view, if you would like to purchase any copies contact Will Kirk at hello@nighthawkstudio.co.uk

 

Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Trade Awareness Course

We were delighted to be able to offer a Trade Awareness Course that aimed to provide an insight into feed manufacture from import and storage of raw bulk materials, through various processing procedures to the end products.

The sites visited were in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and feedback from delegates was very encouraging, although the travelling involved proved to be not ideal. We have taken this on board and will endeavour to lessen the distances next time although this is dependant on which companies we are able to secure visits to.

Unusually for our trade awareness courses, the delegates were nearly all relative newcomers to the industry and their feedback was very encouraging.  All commented that the course was very informative and would prove beneficial in their working environment.

The first day saw delegates meeting for refreshments and introductions at the Bentley Hotel on the outskirts of Lincoln before travelling by minibus to the Grimsby area. The first visit of the day was to Pelagia UK’s fish processing site which provides fishmeal, marine oil and protein concentrates for various food and feed applications. Following lunch, the group travelled to Immingham Docks – site of some of the largest agribulk handling facilities in the UK - to see how grain is initially stored and transported. The day ended with delegates meeting for an evening meal at the hotel.

On the second day the group first visited Bilsthorpe Mill which is owned by Noble Foods. This mill supplies processed feeds for poultry, pig and ruminants as well as straight raw materials. After a lunch stop at a local farm shop the group visited the second site of the day, Fold Hill Foods who are pet food manufacturers with both oven baking and extrusion production capabilities.

Lead chaperone Toby Parker and the rest of the Executive Committee would like to thank everyone who attended the course, and especially all the companies that continue to support us by either sending delegates or allowing us the opportunity to visit their premises. We greatly appreciate the warm welcome host companies extended to the delegates along with the informative tours and presentations which take up a lot of valuable time and resources.

Am/Am Golf Tournament 2025

We were delighted to once again welcome so many returning teams and a few newcomers to our annual golf competition.  With a total of 18 teams entered the competition was a great success and for the first time in many years, the top 3 teams were all from HCFTA member companies.

The event is open to both member and non-member companies and the informal nature of the day enables once a year players and seasoned golfers to all have a thoroughly enjoyable day.  We would like to thank all companies and players for their support which is much appreciated.

Our thanks go to the hard-working ground staff for presenting the course in wonderful condition and to the new catering team, led by Tom, who provided a delicious evening meal.

As usual, we took the opportunity to fundraise for charity and Executive Committee member Mark Woodall was able to present a cheque for £1000 to Claire Crosbie from the Hull branch of the children’s charity KIDS, www.kids.org.uk/yorkshire-humber, thanks to the generous support of the raffle and other donations.  Our thanks also go to Brough Golf Club, The Double Tree by Hilton Lincoln, Tesco’s, Market Weighton and Marks & Spencer, Beverley for generously donating raffle prizes.

Overall winners of the tournament were the team from Thomas Mawer Ltd (TML) with a score of 88.  Our congratulations go to Rob Mackay, Andy Kitching, Jonni Henson and Jonty Gillingham. As highest placed members of the Association the team also won the HCFTA trophy.

Runners up with a score of 84 were Dugdale Nutrition, Matthew Tickle, Nigel Hayton, Lee Hargreaves and David Hill.

Third place with a score of 83 went to Isuria, Robbie Mullen, Will I’Anson, Neil Warburton and Andy Dickens.

Additional prizes were given for nearest the pin and longest drive on designated holes and a “nearest the bottle “putting competition was held prior to tee off.

Congratulations to the following winners

Nearest Pin – Hole 3                            Rob Mackay (TML)

Nearest Pin – Hole 6                           David Hill (Dugdale Nutrition)

Nearest Pin – Hole 9                           Darren Beattie (E D & F Man)

Nearest Pin – Hole 13                         Aiden Beattie (E D & F Man)

Nearest Pin – Hole 17                         Steve Burnhill (H Walton)

Longest Drive – Hole 18                    Mark Woodall (United Pig Co-Operative)

Nearest the Bottle                               Jonty Gillingham (TML)

 

From Grain To Glass Trade Awareness Course June 2024

The Association was delighted to be able to offer a North Yorkshire based trade awareness course after a 5-year gap.  The 2024 course was based on grain and ruminants and aimed to show delegates two primary uses of grain following the journey to final consumer products.

The course was fully booked soon after the initial details were circulated and it was lovely to meet 14 delegates whose experience in the industry ranged from a few months to 25 years. The fantastic feedback received, with all rating the course as excellent and something they would recommend to others, reaffirmed our aim to make these courses suitable for all.

The first day saw delegates meeting for refreshments and introductions at the Kings Head Hotel, Masham before taking the short walk to Masham Micronized Feeds for the first of the day’s visits. The group then travelled by minibus to C W Britton and Son, a mixed arable and dairy site which gave delegates an overview of a traditional Dales farm. Unfortunately, our next planned visit had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances but the day finished on a high note with a visit to Theakston’s Brewery which included a guided tour followed by an evening meal.

On the second day the group visited Alfred Hymas Ltd, one of the largest family-owned bulk hauliers in North Yorkshire. This was followed by a visit to Waterloo House, the brand-new production facility owned by I’Anson Bros. The day was completed by a visit to G W Leggott & Son, another family run farm but this time one which utilises modern technology and robotics to breed and manage high yielding dairy cows.

The host companies made the delegates feel very welcome and were all very generous with their time and facilities. The very informative tours and presentations gave the delegates the opportunity to learn about different sectors within the industry and also offered a comparison of different establishments within the same sector.

Lead chaperone Angela Sutherby and the rest of the Executive Committee would like to thank everyone who attended the course, and especially all the companies that continue to support us by either sending delegates or allowing us the opportunity to visit their premises, which we appreciate takes up a lot of their valuable time and resources.

Annual Am/Am Golf Tournament 2024

 

At the end of a very wet, stormy and unsettled month we were very fortunate to have a dry, if somewhat cold day for this year’s golf competition with the rain managing to hold off until close of play.

We were delighted to welcome several new teams as well as those who have been regular entrants over the years and, with a total of 18 teams entered, the competition was once again a great success.  The informal, friendly nature of the event enables both seasoned golfers and the many once-a year players to have a thoroughly enjoyable day. The event is open to both member and non-member companies and we would like to thank them all for their support which is much appreciated.

Our thanks go to the hard-working ground staff for presenting the course in wonderful condition despite the challenging weather and to the catering team, led by Barbara, who provided a delicious evening meal.

As usual, we took the opportunity to fundraise for charity and Executive Committee member Mark Woodall was able to present a cheque for £1000 to Claire Crosbie from the Hull branch of the children’s charity KIDS, www.kids.org.uk/yorkshire-humber, thanks to the generous support of the raffle and other donations.  Our thanks also go to Brough Golf Club, The Double Tree by Hilton, Tesco’s, Market Weighton and Morrisons, Beverley for generously donating raffle prizes.

Claire kindly agreed to present the prizes to the winning teams and individuals who were :-

Overall winners of the tournament Cranswick Country Foods with a score of 91.  Our congratulations go to Steve Westhead, Andy Maplethorpe, Dave Wolfe and Elliot Collis.

Runners up with a score of 83 were Thomas Mawer Ltd, Rob Mackay, David Stubley, Mike Gibson and Jonni Henson. As highest placed members of the Association this team won the HCFTA trophy.

Third place with a score of 81 went to newcomers Stonemere IT, Nathan Patrick, James Knibb, Mike Craughan and Craig Patrick.

Additional prizes were given for nearest the pin and longest drive on designated holes. Congratulations to the following winners

Nearest Pin – Hole 3                           Harvey May (H Walton Ltd)

Nearest Pin – Hole 6                           Andy Maplethorpe (Cranswick C F)

Nearest Pin – Hole 9                           Carl Burnett (I’Anson Bros)

Nearest Pin – Hole 13                         Arnie Knaggs (Eric Lusby Properties)

Nearest Pin – Hole 17                         Tim Bradshaw (HIPRA)

Longest Drive – Hole 18                      Andy Cooke (James Mortimer)