'We're over the moon to win family farming award'

Lizzie Walker runs the farm with her husband Steven and her parents and children

A Lancashire farming family has said it is "such an honour" to have been named the family farming business of the year.

The Walker family won the accolade at the annual British Farming Awards in Birmingham.

The family run a sustainable mixed beef and sheep business from Laneside Farm in Hoghton, near Preston.

Lizzie Walker, who runs the farm with her husband Steven and her parents and children, said "it came as a bit of a shock" when they found out they had won.

"Never in a month of Sundays did we think we'd win, it's the best and most important industry in the world so this is very humbling," she said.

"We're not a huge farm, we're what we think of as just a normal farming family, so it was lovely to be recognised.

"We were really over the moon and couldn't get over it on the night."

'Improved welfare'

They have 1,000 ewes who lamb outdoors and a 50-strong pedigree Hereford cattle herd.

The awards, which have been running for 13 years, celebrate pioneering farmers who are leading in technology, science, food production and sustainability.

The judges said the Walker family's three-generation partnership had "improved welfare, reduced costs, and enhanced resilience" of the animals.

"Balancing tradition and innovation, the family secures a sustainable future for the farm and industry," they added.