Nominate your conservation heroes for the Schöffel Countryside Awards

Country clothing brand Schöffel Country and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) want your nominations for your countryside heroes for their newly launched national awards (Schöffel Countryside Awards) before the 31 March deadline.

The Schöffel Countryside Awards – in partnership with the GWCT – recognises private land managers who are improving the health of the British countryside and delivering for nature.

Dozens of entries have been received across the six categories and the judging panel is still hoping for many more. In particular, it wants nominations for the Farm-Environment Partnership Award, which recognises farms that have formed successful partnerships with others and the Working Conservationist Award, highlighting an individual who has dedicated much of their life to the conservation of flora and fauna in the British countryside.

At a moment in time when the need to produce food and deliver biodiversity recovery has never been more crucial, these awards will shine a light on the finest examples of ‘working conservation’ and progressive land management across the UK.

Once the 31 March deadline has passed, the panel of judges will assess the entries and draw up a shortlist for each category. The winners will be presented with their awards at a ceremony in London on Monday 3 November.

Megan Lock, farmland biodiversity advisor for GWCT, said: “I have the pleasure of working with so many proactive and engaged farmers, gamekeepers and land managers as a Facilitator for two Farmer Clusters, through GWCT and within my advisory role, working with a number of individual estates and farms.

“I am out most days in the field, surveying and monitoring the corners of the countryside that people don't see, working with those unsung heroes who quietly deliver benefits for soil health, water quality and wildlife by creating, connecting and managing habitats at a landscape-scale, through collaboration AND working relentlessly to feed the nation.

“Bearing in mind that 72% of the UK is made up of farmland, the key to increasing biodiversity and reversing the decline in nature is held by those who look after this land.

“The Schöffel Countryside Awards are a chance to celebrate and showcase the fantastic work that these people – our ‘working conservationists’ – carry out up and down the country every day.”

Each award category will be judged by a panel made up of a GWCT ecologist or advisor and external experts in relevant fields, including ‘Cheerful Charlie’ Ireland from Clarkson’s Farm, Holkham Estate general manager of conservation Jake Fiennes, CEO of B-hive Innovations Vidyanath Gururajan, and numerous others.

“If you know of someone, who day in, day out, is going above and beyond to make a difference to wildlife or wetlands, who has a passion for conservation and is delivering for nature, then we want to hear from you,” said Schöffel Country’s executive director Marcus Janssen.

“We want nominations from all quarters, whether it’s an individual striving to make a difference on a couple of acres, or a collaborative project involving many people and spanning several farms or estates. If you have your own project, you are welcome to nominate it yourself.”

The nomination window will close on 31 March. Entering is simple and only takes a few minutes. Go to the Schöffel Countryside Awards website to nominate your countryside heroes.