Writtle College Further Education students have gone to the aid of farmers affected by the flooding in Somerset.
They decided to act after hearing the moving stories of farmers who have seen their livelihoods destroyed by the flooding.
The students - Toby Bacon, Joe Gunnell, Cameron Brace, Andy Gemmill, Charlie Apter, Elliott Smith, Liv Abrey, George ‘Alex’ Stephens, who are all studying FE Agriculture courses at Writtle College - helped with the effort to collect and cart straw, silage and hay donated by Essex farmers down to Somerset through the Essex Young Farmers’ Forage Aid response. The forage was taken to the Sedgemoor Auction Centre, where it was distributed to Somerset farmers.
Cameron Brace, who is studying for a Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Agriculture, was one of the students involved.
The 17-year-old, from Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, said: “I had seen from many news stories the devastation that was caused by the floods in Somerset and, as a member of Essex Young Farmers, I felt obliged to try and do something to help.”
Cameron made arrangements with a friend, 17-year-old Andy Gemmill, also an FE agriculture student at Writtle College, who was working on behalf of Gemmill Bros, to donate two trailer loads of straw to the Forage Aid effort. PW May Contracting kindly donated him a tractor and trailer so he could deliver the straw to Ed Ford’s farm in Brentwood, where it was being stored. Tesco’s then took it from the farm to Sedgemoor market to be distributed to affected farmers.
Cameron said: “It’s a great feeling to know you are actively helping people in need, especially farmers. A big well done should be given to everyone who was involved especially Ed Ford and Essex Young Farmers, also Writtle College agriculture students Andy Gemmill and Liv Abrey, who assisted in our donation.”