YOUNG FARMERS across Scotland are set to receive their own online Zoom accounts, in a move to help club communications during the current pandemic and beyond.

Using the video chat platform, YF clubs from the Borders to Shetland will be able to access their District account for a quick meeting, or a long AGM, or even a virtual games night.

Funds have been awarded to SAYFC members in the North and East Regions from the Willie Davidson 75th Anniversary Fund and members in the West by the Ellen Kerr award scheme.

The Committee in charge of the fund, are delighted to be supporting members gain access to their own Zoom accounts. Secretary Mary Welsh commented: “It’s so important for SAYFC members to continue to network during this pandemic, to help ease rural isolation, poor mental health – and to keep friendships alight. We are so proud to be enabling the Districts with their own account packages through Zoom, which will come in extremely handy for quick meetings that require just a 30 minute discussion, say, in the future.”

Chairman of the Willie Davidson 75th Anniversary fund, June Geyer, said: “The Willie Davidson committee were delighted to fund the request from six SAYFC districts in the north and east regions for this video conferencing and messaging package, enabling them to hold meetings for up to 100 people at a time via their telephones, laptops, tablets, etc in the comfort of their own homes.

"This will enable SAYFC members to communicate and participate in meetings and events during these extraordinary times and which will no doubt develop into a very useful medium for future events as it will cut down travelling between sites for meetings, thus allowing more participation. We thoroughly commend this request and are sure Willie Davidson would have approved of this wholeheartedly.”

West Regional Chair, Katie Burns, thanked the Ellen Kerr committee: “I have to praise the committee for thinking of this plan, to assist our clubs through the hardest times of self-isolation. Also for having the savvy to understand our grassroots members in knowing that these paid-for accounts will be massively beneficial in the long run!”