A national awards ceremony which recognises outstanding rural businesses has relaunched to comply with Covid-19 restrictions on domestic travel.
Dubbed the ‘Rural Oscars’, the awards have crowned thousands of countryside businesses across the UK since they began in 2006.
This year includes nominations for 'Rural Heroes', which is in honour of farmers and others in the countryside who have gone the extra mile to help those in need during the pandemic.
Other awards to be dished out include for best butcher, best pub and best post office and other rural businesses including farm shops.
Entrants, which are categorised, are submitted by members of their local community and judged by a panel.
For this year, judging will recommence virtually. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the judging for the 2020 awards was postponed.
The awards are spearheaded by the Countryside Alliance, which said there were many excellent rural businesses across the countryside.
Sarah Lee, director of the awards said: "We are launching a special campaign to celebrate those rural heroes who have kept us all going.
“We all know of someone - or a group of people - whose contribution to their community over the last year has been particularly impressive.
"Whether they delivered our shopping, organised food parcels for our most vulnerable, sewed facemasks for those on the front line, or just simply put a smile on our faces.
"By nature, our Rural Heroes category will feature people focussed on the needs of others and who never expect praise - but we need your help in finding them.”
Nominations for the awards will close on Monday 3 May.
