IT was in at the deep end for the newly-elected club officers of Worcestershire's Young Farmers Clubs on a training weekend in Dorset.

Twenty-eight of them from 13 of the county's YFCs took part in the three-day event at Woodberry Down Training Centre, in Lyme Regis, designed to give them the skills and confidence to operate their individual clubs.

An early start was required for the abseiling and climbing sessions. These focused on confidence building and demonstrated that sheer determination - combined with a certain amount of technique - was a necessary factor. For some, the task in hand appeared surprisingly easy, though quite how one member managed to reach the bottom of the abseiling tower upside down will remain a mystery.

Members found The Blind Trail rather challenging. They had to follow a trail completely blindfolded, using only a rope to guide them.

The trail - which they were told included low branches, sheer cliffs, huge tunnels and bogs - was a tough experience that encouraged teams to use their touch, speech and hearing.

Laughter followed when the blindfolds were removed and the teams saw the simplicity of the course - the 'tunnel' was a table, while small steps and muddy puddles were completely different to the image the team had created.

After some archery, orienteering was the final task for the weekend - a relatively easy activity that was made more difficult by tying three team members together. Certain teams thought they could guess the answer to the task while one was still searching for clues after everyone else had finished.

The weekend was a classic example of YFC objectives - fun, learning and achievement. Members who took part will return to their own clubs and put their learning experiences into action while having made some new friends too.