The clock is ticking fast for enterprising and successful South West farmers to show the world what they are made of!
Entries for this year’s Rural Business Development Awards close on March 14th. And South West Farmers who have developed and diversified have four chances of being rewarded in this special competition run by the Royal Bath & West of England Society.
The Awards offer farmers the chance of winning in four different categories. There is a prize in each category of £500 each, plus an engraved rosebowl commemorating their success – and every one who enters the competition receives two free tickets to this year’s Royal Bath & West Show (May 31 – June 3) where the awards will be presented.
The four sections of the competition are: The Farm Diversification Award – where farmers have branched out from traditional farming to generate income from different enterprises; The Innovative Building Design Award – for new or converted buildings which demonstrate excellent design combined with a safe work environment; The Rural Business Award – for a new business that has given employment to local people and helped sustain the local community and tourism; and The Community Award – for a building or idea which promotes a sense of community.
The Rural Business Development Awards are one of the major competitions run annually by the Society, which was founded in 1777 with the aim of encouraging "agriculture, arts, manufactures and commerce."
Those aims are still very much the foundations of the Society's work today - through its many events, conferences, scholarships and competitions it spearheads, and the tremendous boost it gives the rural economy.
Open to all farmers from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath, the competition is now in its second successful year and is again being sponsored by Farmers Guardian and NatWest, with additional support and sponsorship from RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects), RTPI (the Rural Town Planning Institute), RICS (the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and Cartwheel (the South West’s leading rural tourism organisation).
Last year’s competition attracted entrants from all over the south west and organsiers are hoping for an even higher turn-out this year. Last year’s winning entries ranged from a Dutch barn that was converted into first class office accommodation, to redundant barns being transformed into a busy conference centre, and a children’s nursery operating in the middle of a working dairy farm.
Entry forms for the competition can be obtained from the Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN and the closing date for all entries is March 14th. Further details can be obtained from the Showground on 01749 822 200.