Farm shop award for boosting local wealth
BROTHER and sister James and Victoria Robertshaw, who run the Keelham Farm Shop at Thornton, near Bradford, picked up an award for best independent retailer in the Food and Farming Industry Awards, presented by Defra Minister James Paice at the House of Commons.
The judges noted that in 2009 the shop supported over 70 Yorkshire food and drink suppliers and producers and during 2010 the number rose to more than 200. They said: "A recent Oxfam survey found that for every 1 spent on local produce, 3 is returned to the local economy. Sales of produce from across the Yorkshire region at the shop last year surpassed 3.2m, meaning it helped return almost 10m to the local economy."
The family farm is heading for a target of 2,000 lambs a year being sold through the shop.
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