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Musgrove Willow, a willow product business based in Somerset, has won the Best Diversification Project Award at this year’s Rural Business Awards.

We have sponsored the Rural Business Awards since they were launched in 2015 and yesterday saw David Kinnersley, Head of Agribusiness, at the final. Entrants of the Rural Business Awards demonstrated how rural businesses adapt to the changing economic and social climate, more so over the last two years when the pandemic has had a huge impact on businesses, communities and jobs.

It was evident from the entries that businesses had adapted and developed innovative approaches to solving local, national and global issues as well as offering opportunities to broaden income streams to ensure the future sustainability of rural areas and to help reduce the impact of climate change.

We would like to congratulate all finalists in this category and who demonstrated a compelling justification for diversification and who have established a strong position in their marketplace.

The finalists were: Nettlecombe Farm, one of the Isle of Wight’s best self-catering destinations; Jimmy Birchmore Events, a leading provider of bespoke event and exhibition services specialising in agriculture, food chain and land-based sectors; and Enbarr Foundation, a non-profit organisation with the vision to renovate the iconic John Summers clock Tower in Deeside.

The runner up was The Coo Shed, set in the beautiful Scottish countryside. The cow-themed café runs alongside the working dairy farm with a herd of 250 dairy cows. The site now hosts a range of diversifications, a plant nursery, the Milk Hoose and The Coo Shed which serves breakfast, lunch and cakes.

The winner of this category was Musgrove Willows, suppliers of willow and willow products to customers the world over. The business, based in Somerset, had humble beginnings over 100 years ago with a small plot of land bought for just £100. Today the site grows over 60 varieties of willow on nearly 200 acres of farmland. Diversification projects have included willow fencing, willow weaving courses and most recently willow coffins.

We would like to congratulate all ofall the finalists; we have really enjoyed being part of these awards and value the role they play in in the industry in raising the profile of the diverse rural businesses we have across the UK.

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