Tyne Tees Winner Announced for Tye Trophy Award
Mr John Walton of Park Farm, Little Newsham, midway between Darlington and Barnard
Castle has been named as the Tyne Tees area winner of the prestigious Tye Trophy.
The award recognises the contribution of farmers in Yorkshire and the North East
to wildlife conservation and environmental protection and, for the first time, it
has been organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the region’s Farming
and Wildlife Advisory Groups (FWAG).
Mr Walton, is one of the five area winners, and now goes forward to the finals
with the overall winner announced at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate.
In addition, all the area winners have the option of going forward to next year’s
prestigious Silver Lapwing Award. The five areas represented are North Yorkshire,
East Yorkshire, South & West Yorkshire, Northumberland and Tyne Tees.
The awards will be presented on the morning of Wednesday, July 11, by Mrs Alison
Saville, who gave the trophy in 1989 in memory of her grandfather Howard Tye,
founder of Tye Trailers, and also her father Kenneth Tye. She will be assisted
in the presentation ceremony by Michael Woodhouse FWAG Director for England.
Mr Walton is the third generation of his family to hold the tenancy of the 200
acre Park Farm, and this year he took on the running of nearby Bell House which
has brought his total acreage up to 650 acres and resulted in a dramatic increase
in the arable enterprise. He also carries out contract combining in the summer. He says “our farm is our business, but conservation is our hobby. They go hand
in hand “
Mr Walton is vice chairman of Barnard Castle branch of the National Farmers Union.
Next year he will combine his NFU chairmanship role with that of chairman of the
Durham Grassland Society.
Ten years of participating in the Countryside Stewardship has seen planting of
new hedges, gapping, and the planting of more than 100 hedgerow trees on the 200
acres at Park Farm. He has also planted gamebird plots, and avoids fertilizer
spreading near becks or streams to improve their health.
Barn Owl boxes have been put up on the farm and there are Barn Owls in the immediate
locality and a good population of Tawny Owls. He and his wife Christine work hard
to encourage these, and all native birds.
The main livestock enterprise is growing on some 200 to 400 cattle each year. Eight month old weaned continental calves are bought, usually from
Stirling, in February or March and sold privately as advanced stores at 18 to
20 months. Some 168 acres of grass is the main source of feed, either grazed or
as silage when housing the sheep and cattle. Grazing is mixed with the flock
of 100 ewes.
Other cropping is 440 acres of arable: - wheat, barley and oilseed rape. Then
there are 36 acres of setaside, woodland, tracks and buildings.
Mr and Mrs Walton farm commercially, but are pleased that all their efforts on
the conservation front are showing rewards, in both the appearance of the farm,
and the increased wildlife population for future generations.
(l-r) Michael Woodhouse, FWAG,
Mrs Alison Saville & Mr John Walton