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| Smallholder of the Year: Kate Fox and Andy Gill |
Small is beautiful. That was the verdict of the five judges in the 2010 Smallholder of the Year Competition, as they chose the owners of a stunning ‘microholding’ as the winners.
Kate Fox and Andy Gill won the top prize of £1,000 with their imaginative and inspiring back garden in Midhurst, Sussex.
In second place was Ann Pollard, a full-time smallholder in a tranquil valley in Mid Devon, and in third place was Gilly Storer, who has an idyllic smallholding in the hills near Macclesfield, Cheshire.
The winner of the junior section was Ryan Lavery, a 14-year-old who keeps Dexter cattle and Runner ducks on his smallholding near Belfast in Northern Ireland. Ryan just pipped Sarah Whitley, a 14-yearold from Nidderdale, Yorkshire, into second place. Third was Catherine Connolly from South Ayrshire in Scotland.
This is the second year that Country Smallholding has run the awards, and the first that there has been a junior section. Last year’s winner was Jane Fanner, who has a smallholding around her narrowboat in Oxfordshire.
The awards event was held at Percy’s Country Hotel and Restaurant at Virginstowe, Devon, on November 27.
Compere James Strawbridge said the judges were most impressed by the standard of entries in this year’s competition.
In presenting the first prize, he said Kate Fox and Andy Gill have shown great skill and imagination to create their ‘microholding’. “They have used every square inch of space to grow produce, even cultivating a profusion of vegetables on the roof of their summerhouse. They keep hens and quail, and rented some nearby heathland to rear pigs. They also have a productive workshop where they make household items from locally-sourced materials.
“Both have a background in voluntary environmental work and have taught others both here and abroad. With limited financial resources, they thrive on bartering their produce and skills to make the very best of what they have, and to be as self sufficient as possible. In these economically challenging times, these passionate smallholders are an inspiration to others who have very limited space.
In the words of Schumacher, ‘Small is Beautiful’, and this couple are perfect examples of this maxim.”
Secluded
In second place was Ann Pollard. Self sufficiency is also at the heart of her smallholding, which is in a secluded spot in a Mid Devon valley. James Strawbridge said: “A full-time smallholder, her main focus is her herd of 27 goats, and making award-winning cheese. This a family smallholding too – her husband and two sons each have their role to play.
“One of her greatest delights is sitting down to a meal with everything on the plate having come from the smallholding. She judges their success by the extent to which they have reduced their dependence on external commodities. Renewable energy has a role too – they have a wind turbine, solar panels and woodburners.”
R
yan Lavery from Armagh in Northern Ireland won the 2010 Junior Smallholder of the Year Award. Compere James Strawbridge said Ryan, 14, has that special ‘X’ Factor.
“His love for the smallholding life was nurtured by his grandparents, and his mother can recall him being mesmerised by cows when he was just two years old. Now he keeps five Dexter cattle, and a flock of Indian runner ducks at his smallholding near Belfast in Northern Ireland,” said James.
“Ryan sells more than 250 eggs a year, has achieved success at livestock shows, and was recently declared Best Newcomer by The Dexter Cattle Society of Northern Ireland. He also impressed his classmates by organising an engrossing tour of his smallholding. One teacher called him ‘an eco trendsetter’.”
Ryan made an acceptance speech in which he thanked the judges, sponsors Verm-X, his parents, grandparents and the Northern Ireland group of the Dexter Cattle Society for helping him.
“Running a smallholding is a full-time job, as many of you will agree, but I personally love the way of life, and I think magazines like Country Smallholding are a great motivator for both young and old.”
“I would like to pay tribute to the other finalists, Sarah and Catherine, as their entries are inspirational to all children out there who want to aspire to this way of life.” James Strawbridge said the battle for first place was very close, and he praised Sarah Whitley, from Harrogate in Yorkshire, who came second, for the way she cares for a wide variety of livestock on her parents’ farm. He also commended Catherine Connolly, from South Ayrshire, in third place, for her passion for the smallholding way of life.