Retailers gear up for rural awards

Nov 6 2007 by Simon Hart, Western Mail

THE Countryside Alliance’s Best Rural Retailer competition is now getting serious.

With the nomination phase complete, regional judging can commence. The competition seeks to celebrate rural communities through retailers who work to keep them together and promote local produce, skills, enterprise and life.

The support communities have for their retailers, and vice versa, has never been more apparent. There is a huge appetite for community spirit and the opportunity to give public thanks to the people who are working to ensure rural life can thrive.

More than 2,500 nominations were received from across the UK which have been whittled down to 200 regional finalists.

Sixteen finalists are on the South and West Wales shortlist, 12 on the North Wales one. Four champions of North Wales will then take on the four champions of South and West Wales for the overall Welsh titles.

Regional winners will be declared in early December, ahead of a National Assembly reception in mid-December, where Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones will present awards to the Welsh champions.

The categories are for the best local food retailer, best diversification, best village shop/post office, and the Daily Telegraph best traditional business.

In the running for the best local food retailer award are previous winners including Teifi and Jenny Davies at Llwynhelyg farm shop at Sarnau, Ceredigion.

In the other categories the Welsh Venison centre at Bwlch, Powys will go head to head with, among others, T Gwyn Cider at Newcastle, Monmouthshire for the South & West diversification title.

Carmarthenshire has a strong showing in the village shop/post office category with two contenders from Llansteffan, the village shop and the post office, and last year’s winners, Morgan’s in Llangadog, in the running.

The Spar at Llangoed on Anglesey is on the North Wales list again, in the same category as SA Harris of Wrexham. Finally, the traditional business category sees Derek’s Plaice in Powys compete against MD Lloyd and Son at Llandysul, Ceredigion for the South & West Wales title.

Simon Hart is chief executive of the Countryside Alliance