Llyr Jones of Derwydd farm, Llanfihangel glyn Myfyr, Corwen, has just been announced as the winner of the 2016 NFU Cymru / Principality Welsh Rural Community Champion Award.
The competition, in its seventh year, recognises the hard work farmers do off the farm to help their community, with the Award winner receiving a top prize of a hand-crafted slate clock and £500.
Llyr has run the family farm since he was 19 years old and on his own since the age of 23. He farms 1,200 Welsh mountain ewes and with two colleagues founded Blodyn Aur, Welsh rapeseed oil, in 2010. He was a member of the Agri Academy and a Tesco Future Farmer.
Llyr’s local community work involves being on the Parish Council committee since 2004 and a former Chairman. He organises an annual Farm Sports Day for the village and surrounding area.
Llyr also organises a Bonfire night event and Christmas tree for the village every year and supports local charities by sponsoring or donating prizes.
As well as his local community work Llyr started ‘Cam wrth Gam’ with a friend in 2006 to help various areas in Africa to build schools and homes for orphans.
The hard work of Llyr his groups of volunteers has resulted in 400 children getting an education, 1,300 people getting clean water and 300 children getting food cooked for them every day.
A few years ago, Llyr and his friend drove an old transit van from Wales the whole way to Gambia, over the Sahara desert, to deliver and install a bore hole machine.
Llyr has raised over £40,000 for charities and has been to more WI and Merched y Wawr meetings than his mum to talk about Cam wrth Gam and to raise money.
NFU Cymru Deputy President John Davies said: "All the judges were agreed that Llyr is an extremely worthy winner of this year’s award.
"This young man does not do all of his hard community work both here and abroad for any recognition. It was lovely to meet such a modest, yet undeniably hard-working, young man."
Principality Building Society’s Sponsorship & Events Manager Pat Ashman said: "I hope that our Welsh Community Champion Award winner will inspire others.
"Llyr is an extremely worthy winner of this award, particularly in view of the fact that he has gone well beyond the call of duty with his community work."
