Yorkshire Dales up for a Countryfile magazine award

NORTH YORKSHIRE is hoping for another win in the BBC Countryfile Magazine awards.

The North York Moors triumphed in 2019, now communities in the Yorkshire Dales are hoping the region wins for a second year in a row.

The magazine announced a shortlist for its annual awards, which showcase the best of rural Britain, in what has been heralded as the strongest line-up in the competition’s eight-year history. The Yorkshire Dales was nominated in the National Park of the Year category – won by the North York Moors last year – and will compete against Snowdonia, South Downs, the Cairngorms and Northumberland.

The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park in the Dales, (in Grewelthorpe), has been chosen in the Garden of the Year category, which also includes Hill Close Garden, Warwickshire, Powis Castle Gardens, Powys, Alnwick Garden, Northumberland and Tresco Abbey Garden, Isles of Scilly.

The magazine’s editor, Fergus Collins, said: “This is probably the strongest line-up yet in the eight years we have run these awards. Our judging panel spent hours honing the contenders and we ended up with shortlists that truly celebrate the best of the British countryside.”

Other categories include Holiday Destination, Beach and Reader’s Photograph, while a new award, Green Attraction, has been added for the 2020 contest. Votes can be cast at www.countryfile.com/awards ahead of a February 28 deadline, and the winners will be announced on March 9.

GLORIOUS DALES:

PICTURES: MARISA CASHILL/ SIMON HULME

Above: A Wensleydale resident enjoys the views near Hawes. Left: The Book Tree sculpture by Dr Subodh Kerkar, at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park. The Dales and sculpture park have been nominated for awards.