The Midlands’ finalists have been announced in the 2011 Countryside Alliance Awards, with top local businesses vying for one of four regional titles and the chance of national acclaim. Judging is underway and winners will be announced in January.

Local Food category finalists

• 19 Gales Farmhouse Foods, Bentley, Atherstone, Warwickshire, 01827 716551/716758 www.19gales.co.uk/
• Farndon Fields Farm Shop, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, 01858 464 838 www.farndonfieldsfarmshop.co.uk 
• Lancaster Farm Shop, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, 01933 356305
• Manor Farm Shop & Tearoom, Catthorpe, Lutterworth, Leicestershire 01788 869 002 www.manorfarmcatthorpe.co.uk 

Village Shop/ Post Office category finalists

• Alderton Stores and Post Office, Alderton, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, 01242 620201
• Ashleworth Post Office, Ashleworth, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, 01452 700215 
• Marchington Village Shop, Marchington, Staffordshire 01283 821248 www.marchingtonshop.co.uk 
• Shop@Stanwick, Stanwick, Northamptonshire 01933 622055
• Redbrook Village Stores, Monmouth, Gloucestershire, 01600 772488
• Brockweir & Hewelsfield Village Shop, Brockweir, Chepstow, Chepstow 01291 689995 www.bandhvillageshop.co.uk 

Enterprise category finalists

• 103 The Eye, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire 01664 565 315 www.103theeye.co.uk 
• Park Hill Farm, Hales, Market Drayton, Shropshire 01630 652178 www.parkhillfarm.co.uk 
• Sycamore Inn Shop, Parwich, Ashbourne, Derbyshire 01335 390212
• The Pavilion Community Interest Company, Leominster, Herefordshire 01568 615159

Butcher category finalists

• C. R. Potter & Sons, Stanwick, Northamptonshire 01933 622232 www.crpotterandsons.co.uk 
• Glyn Slade Jones & Family Butchers, Kington, Herefordshire 01544 230 470
• 'Pete the Meat' Butcher, Astwood Bank, Redditch, Worcestershire 01527 892654
• Sauls of Spratton, Spratton, Northamptonshire 01604 847214 www.saulsofspratton.co.uk 

These businesses represent the very best of the Midlands’ produce, enterprise and community spirit and I congratulate the finalists on getting this far in what is an increasingly competitive Awards scheme. It was especially hard to choose the finalists in the village shop category which is just bursting with calibre.

Avoid the Christmas crowds Shop with the Countryside for Christmas and raise money with every online purchase

If you still have gifts to purchase for Christmas our Countryside Shop with some great high street names is an easy and efficient way to shop. You could be surprised by the range of gifts available and the number of companies who are signed up to the Countryside shop. Every on line purchase raises funds for the Countryside Alliance Foundation.
Find out more and visit www.thecountrysideshop.com

Freedom of Information requests from the Countryside Alliance have revealed that pilot superfast broadband schemes are stalling, including one in Herefordshire. Four areas were named by Chancellor George Osborne in his Pre-Budget Report on 20 October 2010 and were billed as ‘models for how the public and private sectors should collaborate to build high-speed broadband networks in rural Britain,’ A year on, we asked how much each of the four councils had received from the Government and what they had done to deliver their rural broadband network.

Information received reveals that the promised funding for the four pilot scheme councils has yet to be delivered. The amounts promised are £6.3m for Herefordshire, £17.84m for North Yorkshire and £17.1m for Cumbria. Highlands and Islands Council have reported no plans for a superfast broadband scheme.

Superfast broadband is urgently needed in rural areas, not least so that rural enterprises can compete with their urban counterparts. These figures are of concern because they appear to show that pioneering pilot schemes are stalling without ever getting off the ground. We urgently need Government body BDUK to step in to support these councils and to help them deliver superfast broadband. These councils are pathfinders for rolling out superfast broadband, so if they can’t deliver it sets a bad precedent for rural councils in the rest of the UK.

The Countryside Alliance has frequently praised this Government’s commitment to improving rural broadband coverage and the funds they have put aside for councils are very welcome. However, these responses show that local authorities are struggling to turn Whitehall’s promises into reality. It has been over a year since these pilots were set up and the people who live in areas with no or unreliable broadband coverage haven’t seen any improvement. Unless more is done to simplify the process of acquiring and implementing rural broadband projects, the digital divide will continue to grow and the money pledged by the Coalition will remain all but worthless.

The Government have just announced that results from the consultation process will not be released until early 2012.

The Countryside Alliance welcomes Transport Secretary Justine Greening’s decision to review all the relevant factors before making any decisions concerning the future of HS2. The Alliance has long been concerned that the environmental costs of the proposed HS2 project have not been properly evaluated or acknowledged in the business plan and coupled with the fact the Government has also failed to publish or consult on the route past Birmingham, we hope that Justine Greening will take this time to review the business plan and take into account not only the impact on the natural environment, as required by the Natural Environment White Paper, but on rural communities who live and work along the route.

We will keep you up-to-date with news as we hear it.

Make a date for Friday 27 January at Cookhill Village Hall, B49 5JS. Supper and entertainment from H&H correspondent Rory Knight-Bruce. There will also be an update from the Countryside Alliance with Q&A. Tickets £15.00 from sara-rutherford@countryside-alliance.org

The Winter edition of the Countryside Alliance membership is now online, featuring an article on Beaufort Huntsman Tony Holdsworth. 

 

Following the success of our 2010 Sporting Sale we are holding a Spring Sporting Sale in August 2012. If you have any items that you no longer use and could donate to the Countryside Alliance we would be very grateful. We are particularly looking for items that fit into the following categories:

• Sporting Paintings and Prints
• Leather, Luggage, Gun cases, Cartridge Magazines and Shooting Kit
• Sporting Bronzes
• Sporting Guns and Militaria
• Hunting and Racing Kit - Jackets, Boots etc
• Sporting Books
• Top Hats, Hat Boxes etc
• Taxidermy
• Fishing Equipment

We would be most grateful if you have items which you would like to donate to the sale you could contact Sara Rutherford on 07974141933 sara-rutherford@countryside-alliance.org to register your item’s entry into the auction and arrange collection. 

 

• Hatton Countryside Day, Dark Lane, Warwick Sunday 2nd September. Trade enquiries welcome.
• Christmas Fair Hatton World 11/12 November 2012 Trade enquiries welcome.

 

Regional Chairman: Ian McConnel 01608685257 / 07967555424
imconnel@savills.com

Regional Director: Sara Rutherford
email: sara-rutherford@countryside-alliance.org
Tel/fax : Mob: 07974 141933 01380831068

UK Contacts:
www.countryside-alliance.org.uk

email: info@countryside-alliance.org

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