The Marden Fruit Show Society welcomed in a new chapter in its history with the election of Norman Collett’s Sarah Calcutt as its junior vice-chairman at the East Malling Research Association’s (EMRA) Top Fruit Storage Members’ Day.
It is the first time the association has elected both a non-active grower and a woman into management, and chairman Jeremy Scott believes that this will push both the organisation and the National Fruit Show forward.
“The Calcutt family has been growing in Kent for generations and Sarah knows the industry well,” he told freshinfo. “She will bring lots of energy and knowledge to the association and has what it takes to push the show forward.
“Some 75 years ago we started off as a small local society putting on a local show, but we now put on a national show for the whole of the industry. There is fruit in the title for a reason and we have introduced tomatoes and pumpkins to the show, and we are going to have an area for British grapes at this year’s show. We are really ready to take a step forward.”
This year’s meeting also saw two young industry members elected to the association’s general committee, with James Shillitoe from advisory service FAST and Paul Hamlyn of Hutchinson’s taking up posts.
Now Calcutt is in the junior vice-chairman post, it is expected that she will be nominated for chairman when Scott steps down next year.
“There is a new generation of young people coming into the industry,” explained Calcutt. “People in their 30s, who grew up in farming and may have had an entirely different career in the meantime, are getting back into the industry.
“I am really flattered and pleased to be nominated for the junior post, and excited about the opportunities ahead. It will be beneficial to the industry to have a young spokesperson and shows that the world is changing with a woman taking on the role.”
The association will also put on career seminars this year with the aim of enticing more young people into the industry.
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