Bledisloe Awards celebrated at the Barnston Estate

Three farmers have won awards for their agricultural excellence at an event hosted by the Barnston Estate.

The Royal Agricultural Society of England’s Bledisloe Awards Day were held on the Barnston Estate, which was awarded the prestigious Bledisloe Gold Medal for Landowners in 2020.

The day commenced with the presentation of the 2021 RASE Awards.

The Excellence in Practical Farming Award was presented to Tim May of Kingsclere Estates, Basingstoke.

Tim is a 2011 Nuffield scholar on sustainability and champions regenerative farming and the introduction of livestock and upholds the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ theory.

The National Agricultural Award was presented to Ian Pigott of Hertfordshire, nationally recognised as the founder of Open Farm Sunday, FACE and the Farm School.

Ian has made vast contributions to bridging the communications gap between farmers and the public. Ian also practices regenerative/ no till agriculture and is an industry wide leader of innovation.

The Bledisloe Gold Medal for Landowners was presented to the Raveningham Estate in Norfolk, who have exemplified the high standards of modern rural Estate management.

The Raveningham Estate have excelled in conservation, solar and biomass schemes and is also a past winner of the RASE Woodland awards.

Edward Barnston of Barnston Estate said: “We were greatly honoured to host The Royal Agricultural Society of England’s Bledisloe Awards Day at the Barnston Estate.

“Congratulations to all three winners who have demonstrated their innovative approaches to agricultural excellence and pursuit of the triple bottom line.

“I’m delighted to pass the baton of the Bledisloe Gold Medal on to Sir Nicholas Bacon of the Raveningham Estate, a deserved recipient of this prestigious award.”

Barnston Estate is managed in harmony with the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ philosophy of balancing People, Planet and Profit - creating value for the local community while being environmentally sustainable and financially viable.

Guests enjoyed a tour of the Estate, one of Cheshire’s oldest family estates, and the day was rounded off with a lunch that sampled some of Cheshire’s finest produce.

The Barnston Estate comprises a wide range of residential and commercial properties as well as dairy farming, forestry and renewable energy. We are due to open Monument Meadow Natural Burial Ground in Farndon next month.