Farron hails local winners in 2010 Countryside Alliance Awards!

South Lakeland MP, Tim Farron, has hailed the Storth Community Cooperative Ltd in Storth and Growing Well in Kendal for their success at this year's Countryside Alliance Awards.

At a ceremony held in the Houses of Parliament, Tim watched on as Storth Community Cooperative were presented with their North West Village Shop/Post Office of the Year Award while Growing Well received an award for 2010 North West Enterprise award.

The Countryside Alliance Awards celebrate the characters, produce, traditions and enterprise of the countryside through the people who work so hard to make it tick. The Storth Community Cooperative, which relies on just one part-time member of staff and up to 40 volunteers to keep itself running is open all year round, except Christmas Day, to support the local community.

Dubbed 'one of the best farm-education initiatives I have ever seen', by head of the judging panel, Tom Fell, Growing Well is a farm-based charity that uses agriculture as a tool to promote mental health recovery, giving many people within the community much needed new levels of confidence.

Commenting after the awards Tim said: "The Countryside Alliance Awards represent the best of the best within our rural towns as villages and I am immensely proud to have been there today to see not one but two local organisations from our area receive their awards.

"The recognition of the spirit and hard work that those who run both the Storth Post Office and Growing Well have displayed, is a fantastic advert for the South Lakes and shows just how much we value our communities.

"With a little creativity and innovation these two organisations have proved to us that even in this tough time we can still get together to provide important services for the people who live here."