Yorkshire's rural businesses lead national awards charge

Small, hard-working countryside businesses across the Yorkshire region have outperformed the rest of the country on the shortlist for the '˜Rural Oscars'.
Jill Grieve, director of the Countryside Alliance Awards, said it had been a record year for nominations.Jill Grieve, director of the Countryside Alliance Awards, said it had been a record year for nominations.
Jill Grieve, director of the Countryside Alliance Awards, said it had been a record year for nominations.

Nine finalists from the White Rose region are in the running for recognition in the otherwise known Countryside Alliance Awards - more than any other county in the England and North Wales.

The annual awards, now in their 12th year, champion rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage and have received more than 7,500 nominations this year.

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Awards are lead by public nominations across five categories, comprising of local food and drink; village shop or post office; tourism enterprise; farm enterprise, and butcher.

Jill Grieve, awards director at the Countryside Alliance, said: “This has been a record year for nominations, showing how much the public values and supports our hard-working rural businessmen and women.

“For these finalists to get this far is already an exceptional achievement and I look forward to meeting them as judging gets underway.

“The Rural Oscars were set up to champion those who go the extra mile for their communities and it is an honour to offer a voice to rural business in this way.”

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Yorkshire’s finalists in the North of England section of the awards include Lawns Farm Shop and Morthen Milk of Morthen, Rotherham in the local food and drink category.

Both Spellows Village Shop and Post Office in Marton cum Grafton and Flask End and Bradfield Post Office in Low Bradfield, Sheffield are nominated in the village shop or post office section.

In the running for the farm enterprise award is Clervaux Trust Limited of Croft-on-Tees and Incredible Farm in Walsden, Todmorden.

The Beverley Town Council-run Beverley Food Festival and Nun Monkton’s Yorkshire Heart Vineyard represent the region in the tourism enterprise category.

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And in the butcher category, there is a chance of victory for A V Fawcett & Sons of Ingleby andBolster Moor Farm and Coffee Shop in Golcar, Huddersfield.

Each business will be visited by the judges before the regional winners are announced in February. Regional winners will then advance to the national finals which will culminate in a Parliamentary reception at the House of Lords on Wednesday, March 22.