Sybil MacPherson winner of Argyll & The Islands Stalwart trophy
Well known Argyllshire hill farmer Sybil MacPherson is the inaugural winner of the Argyll & The Islands Stalwart Award, presented at the region’s AGM last week.
The award was created in 2016 in recognition and memory of the dedication shown by Mull’s Bert Leitch and Lachlan MacLean. Both Bert and Lachlan, long serving members who represented NFU Scotland’s farmers and crofters both regionally and nationally, sadly passed away in 2015.
The award will be presented annually to either a NFUS member who has followed in their footsteps and given their time and effort to the work of the Union in Argyll and the Islands region or someone who has made a significant contribution to agriculture in the area.
The inaugural winner, Sybil MacPherson, has done all that and more and it was fitting that Lachlan’s son, Jamie MacLean was at the region’s AGM at Stonefield Castle, Tarbert on Friday (13 January) to present the award.
Farming at Brackley, near Dalmally, Sybil has been a driving force behind hill farming in the region. Courtesy of the BBC’s successful ‘This Farming Life’ series she has, along with her husband George, shown the trials, tribulations and beauty of farming on the West Coast to an audience of millions.
Sybil has always been very active in representing farmers and crofters. She currently chairs NFU Scotland’s Lorn Branch and has a seat on the Union’s Less Favoured Areas committee. She is also a hard-working Chairman of the National Sheep Association’s Scottish Region.
A supporter of the co-op Argyll Hill Lamb, few have done more to promote the quality and taste of lamb produced from the region’s hills and mountains.
In making the presentation, past Regional Chairman John Semple said: “There can be few more deserving people to be the inaugural winner of this award and I am absolutely certain both Bert and Lachlan would have been pleased and proud to see Sybil receive this honour from Lachlan’s son, Jamie today.
“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.
“And no one can tell the fantastic story of what goes in to producing tasty, succulent Argyll hill lamb better than Sybil. She truly is a stalwart of Argyll and The Islands Region.”
Notes to Editors
- Sybil MacPherson, Brackley, Dalmally, was the inaugural winner of the NFU Scotland Argyll and The Islands Stalwart Award. She received the trophy at the region’s AGM, held in Stonefield castle, Tarbert on Friday 13 January 2017.
- A photograph of Sybil receiving the award is available from media@nfus.org.uk
- At the AGM, John Dickson, Scalpsie, Rothesay, Isle of Bute was re-elected regional Chairman with Peter Kennedy, Kilbridemore, Glendaruel remaining Vice Chairman. Sandy Pirie, from Machrihanish Farm, Campbeltown stood down after five years as Vice Chairman.
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Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006