Celebrating our win at the Rural Business Awards

CELEBRATING OUR WIN AT THE RURAL BUSINESS AWARDS

We were absolutely delighted to win the South West Regional final for Best Diversification Project at the Rural Business Awards in November 2019, an award that recognises farms that have gone above and beyond to offer something different to bring in more customers. We were also the runners up in the Best Rural Retail Business category. Up against some very impressive competition, we headed to the national awards in February.

In an interview with Fisher German, who sponsored the Rural Business Award, Tim said, “My father bought the farm all the way back in 1968, and I started working on it not too long after that. The first way we diversified was by selling homegrown potatoes – and since then, we’ve just grown and grown. We began to specialise in the equestrian market in the early 1990s and over the last thirty years have developed a business that also sells country clothing, gifts and accessories, pet and animal feed and bedding, and has a gunroom. Whether a customer is into country sports, spectating, or just enjoys dog walking and the country life, we have something for them. We’ve recently added an indoor shooting simulator to the offering, where customers can practise their marksmanship in the comfort of our store, and Forage, a new cafe/restaurant specialising in locally sourced ingredients.

We also have an airfield with 14 private hangars. We are getting an increasing number of visiting planes coming to shop and visit the new catering facilities. Business is healthy at the moment – we’re attracting customers from all over the West Country and South Wales, and some even travel in from as far away as London. It would be lovely to win the national award – it was a great honour to win the South West version so we’ll be very proud regardless of the result.”

David Kinnersley, Head of Agribusiness at Fisher German, presented the award. He said, “Wadswick is a brilliant example of the possibilities of diversification and what it can do to diversify a farm’s income. Since it opened its shop, which only sold potatoes, Wadswick has become a real destination for shoppers looking for the best in country wear, equestrian and shooting products, as well as a place to relax and enjoy the countryside. Innovative attractions like the shooting simulator have encouraged people to visit from far and wide.”