Organised by Newsquest Cumbria and supported by David Allen Chartered Accountants, the awards recognised outstanding achievement across a range of agricultural sectors, alongside a number of special awards. The evening also featured a charity auction in aid of The Farming Community Network (FCN).
NFU members were among those who were recognised on the night, with the NFU-sponsored Farming Champion of the Year award presented to Liz Staley by NFU Cumbria Vice-chair Andrew Vaughan.
Cumbria County Adviser Catherine Stokes attended the awards alongside Andrew. She said: “It was fantastic to see so many farmers being celebrated and recognised for their hard work, and commitment to agriculture. My congratulations go out to everyone who was either nominated or took home an award on the night.
“Special mention must go to Liz Staley who received the Farming Champion of the Year award – Liz has been a vocal campaigner on many farming issues but particularly about the challenges hill farmers face with the issues around access to government funding schemes and the destocking of the fells.
“I’d also like to congratulate Will Cockbain, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years working tirelessly on behalf of upland farmers with the NFU, Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association and many other organisations.”
Liz Staley said: “It feels fantastic to have won this award and gaining recognition for all the voluntary hours put into keeping the voice of agriculture a priority even at grassroot level. It has taken a lot of courage.
“At the end of the day it's about everyone in the farming industry working together for family farms, communicating between each other and educating those that need to help make the policy changes, keeping British farming at the forefront. For me what keeps me going is my family and making sure there's a future for them in the hills.”
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