Would you welcome the Young Farmers back?

After a weekend of drunken debauchery which sparked an outcry online, huge questions remain over whether the event will ever return to Blackpool.
Some of the behaviour was caught on camera (Pictures and video: Alex Ayan Miklos)Some of the behaviour was caught on camera (Pictures and video: Alex Ayan Miklos)
Some of the behaviour was caught on camera (Pictures and video: Alex Ayan Miklos)
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Future of young farmers' event in doubt after federation admits behaviour on sho...

While the event, held at the Winter Gardens and celebrated in bars across the resort, brought a welcome cash injection, the sight of drunkenness, abuse and petty criminality sparked anger among residents.

Video clips posted onlineshowed revellers in convention-related shirts appearing to take car keys from inside a car, attacking a passing motorist, lying in front of traffic, and chanting expletives.

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James Eckley, chief officer at the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC), said the federation was “disappointed about the appalling behaviour of some people who came to Blackpool over the bank holiday weekend when we hosted our annual convention”.

Coun Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We are seeking urgent discussions with the organisers to try to understand how this has been allowed to happen. If there is going to be a return visit then it will need to come with some very clear guarantees.”

Here are the best of your comments

Every group has its morons, whether it’s football, groups of kids, stags and hens or drunken farmers.

You can’t ban everything just because some of them misbehave.

But what you can do, is police it properly.

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This event needs much higher numbers of visible police and stewards who can step in and get the troublemakers off the streets and in to holding cells.

There are more police herding and arresting old ladies at the fracking site than dealing with town centre trouble.

The balance is all wrong

Mark Mason

I was in town Friday morning 11.30ish there was a large group already drunk and climbing scaffolding along the side entrance of the Winter Gardens.

They were singing rude songs and blocking the road up to M&S car service.

It was intimidating to say the least.

Kerry Eclles

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Don’t stop them coming, just make them pay a contribution to the cleaning and damage.

Michelle Ward

It’s the first time as a Blackpool resident that I actually felt scared in my own town centre in the middle of the day.... just from trying to take my five-year-old to see Swan Lake at the Grand Theatre.

Nothing like any other weekend.

Jenn Nicholls

I was in town Sunday afternoon and they were stopping traffic, spitting into windows and open top cars.

Hellen Pickering

I won’t have them in my hotel anymore because of past experiences with them, they have no respect at all and don’t think anything of causing damage to other people’s property.

Shirley Ann Peterson

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I would rather have the punk rockers here every weekend, they are more respectful.

AmyNield

I think a few formal complaints about the lack of policing might be in order. If you don’t complain, nothing will get done.

Sarah Jacques

Good. If they were football followers who acted like this then they would be banned.

They wouldn’t act like this in their own towns so why do they think it’s OK to do it in other towns.

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We are trying to make Blackpool better so we don’t need these in our area again unless they can act like decent human beings.

Janys Wright

I know they bring money in the town, but we could seriously do without them and their behaviour.

Corinne Dobson

I used to be a Young Farmer many years ago and I went to many of the AGM weekends away to Blackpool, Torquay and Bournemouth and there was nothing of this kind of behaviour.

We just had fun. It’s upsetting to see this and giving the reputation of YFC a bad name.

Michelle Davey

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If they do come back to Blackpool, it needs to be made clear that they’re in town, so that other people will be able to plan around them and go somewhere else.

Either that, or could we just get them to hold next year’s event on St Kilda or something?

Craig Waling

Sadly this is what Blackpool is becoming known for.

The behaviour of these people was disgusting - small wonder that residents stay clear of the town when these yobs are allowed to do as they please.

Nobody wants to expose their children to this outrageous spectacle.

Doreen Mellor-Clark

Was up for a long weekend with the family.

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One lad walked straight into my 11-month-old son knocking him over.

And then him and his mates instead of apologising all decided to just laugh about it.

And that’s before I mention the language and the noise at 3am. A complete lack of respect for other holiday makers

Chris Steele

They need to learn some respect.

Don’t want them here.

They wouldn’t accept us going to their home towns and behaving the same.

Suzanne Burgess

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They’ve been warned nearly every year they come here and they chose to ignore these warnings, they don’t care.

I have worked these weekends years ago and it was horrendous.

Emma Rachelle Ware

Mirror on my car was smashed off.

It was parked outside my house.

No idea who did it but its outside my house most weekends and nothing has happened before. £200 to replace it.

Jack O’Dwyer

With the amount of money it brings in Blackpool Council would never get rid of it.

Jordan Allsworth

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I worked at The Imperial Hotel 30 years ago, Young Farmers were a nightmare back then as well.

Sarah Macdonald

As someone who is in Blackpool nearly every Bank Holiday for the trams and have been for many many years, I can assure you the Young Farmers are by far the worst and have been for about 30 odd years.

Alan Kirkman

I refused to take my family into town this weekend and went to Lytham instead.

It was busy, but not filled with a bunch of lunatics.

Natalie Graham

I know a couple of hoteliers who’ll take stag and hen dos, but won’t even consider the farmers.

John Whitehouse

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The few who make money from them predictably support the event - but it’s the rest of us who have to put up with their behaviour and its aftermath.

Martin Goldsack

I don’t take them in my hotel but I was surrounded by hotels that do.

Terrible behaviour in front of families that we had in.

This weekend should only be on (if at all) out of season away from nice holiday makers.

Caryn Dickson

Someone needs to have the actual courage to say enough is enough.

Siobhain Murphy

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Give all pub staff, taxi drivers and workers cattle prods for the weekend.

Step out of line...get zapped.

If they continue to misbehave, then have a pop up marquee tent on the Comedy Carpet manned by volunteers from Pets at Home and sedate them and then neuter them.

That will curb their frisky ways.

I think as coming from agricultural backgrounds that they would appreciate the ‘countryside touch‘

Keith Hammond