Enter here: Deadline extended for The Yorkshire Post's 2018 Rural Awards

The Yorkshire Post's 2018 Rural Awards celebrate all that is great about our countryside communities. Picture by James Hardisty.The Yorkshire Post's 2018 Rural Awards celebrate all that is great about our countryside communities. Picture by James Hardisty.
The Yorkshire Post's 2018 Rural Awards celebrate all that is great about our countryside communities. Picture by James Hardisty.
Our readers now have more time to help us celebrate the countless individuals who make our countryside what it is today.

Entries for The Yorkshire Post’s 2018 Rural Awards, sponsored by Bishop Burton College, are being accepted up until Monday, August 20.

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Nominations and entries are welcome across 12 categories as we seek to publicly recognise inspiring individuals, businesses and community groups who contribute so much to the rich tapestry of rural life.

Picture by Bruce Rollinson.Picture by Bruce Rollinson.
Picture by Bruce Rollinson.

Inspiring farmers, thriving businesses, new industry entrants and students, show volunteers, community groups, rural professionals and retailers will all come in acclaim at a critical time for the countryside.

Our rural communities are resilient and often it is diversification projects, such as on-farm visitor attractions, farm shops and holiday accommodation, that deliver profitability to family-run farms.

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These businesses are the backbone of rural life. Their spending power filters down to feed suppliers, agronomists, vets and other rural businesses. They help sustain high streets and their children keep village schools open.

And more than that, our countryside is managed by farmers and other landowners in a style that supports a hugely important tourism industry.

Picture by James Hardisty.Picture by James Hardisty.
Picture by James Hardisty.

For all of these roles, the wider rural community deserves this public recognition and through our awards, we will celebrate the vital role that the rural community plays in the economic success and profile of our region.

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By doing this publicly, we want to demonstrate just how hard-working, forward-thinking and market-leading the county’s rural businesses are.

We also intend to broaden understanding of the countryside and how it is managed by giving a platform to those living and working in its heart.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Pavilions of Harrogate at the Great Yorkshire Showground on Thursday, October 11.

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James Mitchinson, editor of The Yorkshire Post, said: “Let us seize this opportunity to demonstrate just what rural Yorkshire is already achieving and what rich potential it has to build on its success.”

The awards categories are: Farming Business of the Year, Farmer of the Year, Young Farmer of the Year, Rural Tourist Attraction, Farm Shop, Student/Apprentice, Diversification, Professional Services to the Community, Show volunteer, Community Group of the Year, Rural High Street or Rural Retailer, and Vet of the Year.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be awarded at the ceremony.

HOW TO ENTER

The deadline for nominations is August 20.

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A panel of judges will then whittle down the entries before a final shortlist is published.

To enter, visit www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/ruralawards or send up to 500 words in support of your entry to [email protected] or in a letter to Jayne Lownsbrough, Editorial, The Yorkshire Post, No. 1 Leeds, 26 Whitehall Road, Leeds, LS12 1BE.