News release

12 August 2016: Marsh Awards honour heroes

Five people who give their time, energy and enthusiasm to the cause of the UK’s native rare-breed have been chosen to receive the 2016 RBST Marsh Awards. The Award for Conservation in Genetic Biodiversity has gone to Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) founder member Andrew Sheppy, former RBST Trustee Viki Mills has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award and husband and wife John and Anne Lane share the award for RBST Volunteer of the Year with Sula Gibbard.

Brainchild of Brian Marsh, Chairman of the Marsh Christian Trust, the awards set out to give recognition to unsung heroes who work in areas such as conservation or give generously of their time as volunteers in sectors including conservation and ecology. RBST has partnered with the Marsh Christian Trust for the past 20 years to make the series of annual RBST Marsh Awards.

As well as being a founder member of RBST, poultry expert Andrew Sheppy, the chosen recipient of the RBST Marsh Conservation in Genetic Bioiversity Award, also founded the Rare Poultry Society and the Cobthorn Trust, the principal activity of which is the characterisation and maintenance of farm animal genetic resources through direct breeding programmes and advisory work. Although most closely associated with the National Poultry Collection, Cobthorn also has Soay and Hebridean and has done significant work on the history and genetics of the Dexter breed of . An original member of the National Expert Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR), Andrew has served as a member of the RBST Council for almost 20 years and is now President of the Rare Poultry Society. Widely published, he also has a long association with the veterinary college at Bristol University, delivering lectures on rare breeds and conservation to final year students. Most appropriately Andrew received his award at The Past, Present and Future, Society Genetics Symposium held at Bristol Veterinary College, on Friday 22nd July 2016, and presented by Dr Philip Sponenberg (Professor of Pathology & Genetics).

Receiving the RBST Marsh Award for Lifetime Achievement, Viki Mills is an acknowledged pig specialist whose show record goes back to the 1980s when she won five major shows with five different breeds of pig. She has been Deputy Chairman of the British Pig Association, a founder of the Berkshire Pig Breeders Club and was one of the original pig surveyors when RBST began its annual survey of breeds. As a Trustee of RBST, Viki chaired the RBST Conservation Committee and was RBST consultant at Bicton College. She also organises the livestock section at the popular Lambeth Show in London.

RBST Volunteers of the Year John and Anne Lane are recognised as stalwarts of the RBST Lancashire Support Group, where they have been active members since the 1990s. They first joined the Trust when they purchased their first and work to promote both the breed and the work of RBST, hosting meetings and workshops at their home, Walmer Hall, and representing the Group at shows. Sharing the award, Sula Gibbard has been the mainstay of RBST Somerset Support Group for many years. Having helped to establish the Sedgemoor Show and Sale, Sula has recently been instrumental in the creation of a TB isolation unit for the RBST owned herd of Original Population . She also actively promotes rare breeds to the younger generation and highlights the need for conservation grazing to preserve the ecology of the Somerset Levels.

Patron: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB Company Limited By Guarantee Registered in England No.01204694 Registered Charity No.269442 www.rbst.org.uk

News release

While nominations for the RBST Marsh Awards come from the charity’s membership, the final decision is taken by the Marsh Christian Trustees. Commenting on their choice, RBST CEO Tom Beeston said: “Every one of the winners contributes to our work in different ways but they share qualities that are the lifeblood of a charity like ours. They truly care about the current status and future role in farming of our native and rare breeds and the RBST wouldn’t be the organisation it is without the support of people like them. It gives us great pride to see recognition going to our own unsung heroes and we would like to thank the Marsh Christian Trust for making this possible.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

RBST

RBST’s aim is to secure the future of the UK’s rare and native breeds of livestock by:

 Monitoring rare and native breeds by collecting data from breed societies and using the number of animals registered in a year to estimate the total number of breeding females. These figures are used to produce the annual RBST Watchlist. RBST also monitors threats to breeds such as inbreeding and geographical concentration.

 Saving rare and native breeds in its Gene Bank, collecting genetics from animals, usually in the form of semen from males, but also embryos, so that if a breed were to go extinct, the store can be used to revive it. In emergencies, RBST also buys genetically important stock to place in approved breeding centre.

 Promoting the breeding and registration of rare and native breeds. Together RBST staff, members and support groups provide a network of knowledge to support and encourage breeders. RBST also promotes the use of rare and native breeds for food, fibre and conservation grazing.

Marsh Christian Trust

The Marsh Christian Trust was established in 1981 and has two main areas of work; grant-making and the Marsh Awards:

 Grants: the Trust provides grants to registered charities working in the fields of social welfare, literature arts and heritage, environmental and animal welfare, healthcare and medical research, education and training and a small number overseas.

 Awards – the Trust runs a portfolio of Awards with a number of internationally and nationally recognised organisations such as Barnardos, the British Museum and the Zoological Society of London. The Awards seek to recognise unsung heroes who all aim to improve the world we live in. Recipients of Marsh Awards range from scientists working in conservation biology and ecology, to authors and sculptors from the arts world, and those who give their time unselfishly to work with the young, the elderly, people with mental health issues and for our heritage.

Patron: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB Company Limited By Guarantee Registered in England No.01204694 Registered Charity No.269442 www.rbst.org.uk