IT’S been quite a year for extremely dedicated and passionate YFC member Sian Healey, who despite battling Covid-19 on the front line as a nurse, also won a national award.

Sian, 23, a member of Pontfaen YFC, was named Wales YFC Senior Member of the Year and then went on to represent Wales in the national final where she finished runner-up.

Sian has been an active member of Pontfaen for the past eight years and secretary for five. In November 2020, she was elected vice chairman of the Wales Competitions Committee.

Sian has competed in a wide range of competitions at county and national level. She has represented Wales in public speaking, drama, entertainment, flower arranging, stock judging, sports and singing. And in her spare time she enjoys singing at charity events.

Club chairman Raiff Devlin said: “We are extremely proud of Sian.

“As club secretary, she ensures communication with members, parents, carers, the community and other partners and everything she does is delivered in a professional way. During her time in this position, Sian has made sure that everyone, regardless of where they may be, is kept up to date and informed.

“Her passion for the YFC movement is shown in the selfless giving to others to help them succeed. Every member knows that nothing is ever too much.

“Sian has an excellent track record of obtaining grants for members for training, events and trips. She goes above and beyond in every role she takes on and our members are extremely fortunate to have someone so kind and giving.

“She has been a tremendous role model in YFC and has achieved all this while working as a front line paediatric nurse at the Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.

“Sian is a big believer in the more you put into something the more you get out of it. She feels that if we have strong foundations in our clubs then counties, Wales and national will thrive. The past year has been an extremely challenging one for us all, especially those within rural isolated communities.

“Sian has supported members in ways that no-one else could. Her kindness and understanding has meant that throughout lockdowns, our members have always had someone that they could talk to about anything, who would expect nothing in return.”

Sian was also part of the team that won the Wales YFC Brainstrust Competition and finished second nationally. Sian and fellow Pontfaen members Sioned Davies and Carys Rees formed the panel in the team along with Meg Powell, from Erwood YFC, to compete in the national final, held on Zoom. The panel discussed several topics – including whether plant-based food is a serious contender to meat. The team were runners-up behind Pembroke with nine teams taking part.