A statement on this year's Countryside Alliance Awards

The annual Countryside Alliance Awards Champions Reception was set to take place at the House of Lords today however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the decision to postpone the Awards until next year, rolling all of our 2020 finalists over to our 2021 Awards season.

We had originally planned to move the celebration for our finalists to Autumn of this year to ensure that they got the celebration that they deserve. Taking into consideration the current climate, and noting that everyone's health is paramount, the reception will take place next year once we have had ample time to give the judging phase of this process the full attention that it requires.

Sarah Lee, Head of Policy at the Countryside Alliance, who runs the Awards said: "The Awards are a highlight of my year, celebrating great businesses who go the extra mile in their community, seeing their constant creativity in solving problems, and learning from what they all do is a constant source of inspiration to me and helps the Alliance champion their needs in parliament and the media."

The decision was made to ensure that each of this year's finalists would feel the full effect of the Awards, rather than a watered-down version through adhering to lockdown measures and COVID-19 precautions. It would have been a lovely day for us here at the Alliance and our finalists - as it is every year - to come together and celebrate the great work that rural businesses do for their communities, so we look forward, with great excitement, to next year's celebrations.

You can view the map of all of our regional finalists below.