Stalwart of hill farming earns recognition

This Farming Life star Sybil MacPherson is the inaugural winner of the Argyll and the Islands Stalwart Award in recognition of her contribution to local agriculture.

The award was established last year in recognition and memory of the dedication shown by Mull’s Bert Leitch and Lachlan MacLean.

Farming at Brackley, near Dalmally, Sybil has been a driving force behind hill farming in the region.

Courtesy of the BBC’s successful documentary series she has, along with husband George, shown the trials, tribulations and beauty of farming on the west coast to an audience of millions.

Sybil chairs NFU Scotland’s Lorn Branch and has a seat on the union’s Less Favoured Areas committee.

She is also a hard-working and dedicated chairwoman of the National Sheep Association’s Scottish Region.

During the award presentation, past NFUS Argyll regional chairman John Semple said: “As This Farming Life showed, keeping sheep and cattle in these parts is a labour of love.

“But Sybil, and her husband George, showed the teamwork, dedication and passion that goes into hill farming in a way that captured the imagination of millions and, justifiably, made them stars.

“But what the programme maybe didn’t show was the time and effort Sybil has put in to representing her fellow farmers and crofters.

“Supported by George, she will have attended hundreds of meetings up and down the country, wearing her NFUS or NSA hat, and making sure the voice of hill farmers continues to be heard.

“She truly is a stalwart of Argyll and the Islands region.”

Sybil MacPherson was the inaugural winner of the NFU Scotland Argyll and the Islands Stalwart Award, in memory of Mull’s Bert Leitch and Lachlan MacLean. The trophy was presented by Jamie MacLean, Lachlan’s son.