Final call for entries for The Yorkshire Post's 2018 Rural Awards

Our rural communities have shown their resilience time and again, a spirit The Yorkshire Post is championing as part of its 2018 Rural Awards. Picture: photolibrary.com

Are you proud of your contribution to the countryside? Does your business reach out and explain food production? Is it a valued presence on a market town high street?

There are so many individuals, community groups and businesses that make rural Yorkshire an incredible place to be, and now is the time to celebrate all those contributions.

Entries for The Yorkshire Post’s 2018 Rural Awards, sponsored by Bishop Burton College, are being accepted until the end of the day on Monday.

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Nominations and entries are welcome across 12 categories as we seek to publicly recognise all those who contribute so much to the rich tapestry of rural life.

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

Success in a rural setting is beset by challenges, owing to remote geography, but time and again rural Yorkshire has shown its resilience. Diversification projects, such as on-farm visitor attractions, farm shops and holiday accommodation, have been embraced alongside traditional farming enterprises.

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Together these businesses form the backbone of rural life. Their spending power filters outwards to, for example, feed suppliers, agronomists and vets. The families behind these concerns help keep shops and schools open.

More still, land owners and farmers manage the landscape in a way that supports a hugely important tourism industry.

Through our awards, we will celebrate the vital role that the rural community plays in the economic success and profile of our region.

We want to demonstrate just how hard-working, forward-thinking and market-leading the county’s rural businesses are, as well as helping to broaden understanding of life in the countryside.

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.

ENTRY DETAILS

The deadline for nominations is August 20.

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.