The 2026 winners crowned at the Schöffel Countryside Awards – in partnership with the GWCT
The winners of the 2026 Schöffel Countryside Awards have been crowned at a ceremony in central London, celebrating individuals, farms and partnerships throughout the UK whose dedication to wildlife management and conservation is helping the British countryside thrive.
Led by wildlife charity Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and country clothing brand Schöffel Country, the awards returned this year following their success in 2025.
The Schöffel Countryside Awards celebrate the people and partnerships who are delivering ‘working conservation’: practical, on-the-ground action that proves wildlife recovery, biodiversity restoration and food production can go hand in hand.
More than 70 nominations were received this year, from which 29 finalists were shortlisted across six categories. These countryside heroes include individuals, farms and estates from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A panel of judges made up of GWCT ecologists and advisors and external experts in relevant fields, including ‘Cheerful Charlie’ Ireland from Clarkson’s Farm and Holkham Estate general manager of conservation Jake Fiennes, spent the summer months visiting the finalists to see their conservation work in action.
Following lengthy deliberations, the judges selected these winners who were presented with their awards at a ceremony hosted by Coutts Landed Estates in London on 9 November:
Working Conservationist Award
David Allison – Grosvenor Reay Forest Estate, Sutherland
Head stalker David Allison has championed a whole-ecosystem approach during 19 years at the estate, combining carefully planned deer management, native woodland, and river-corridor restoration with rigorous monitoring. He is involved with the ten-year Project Laxford partnership to improve conditions for wild Atlantic salmon, alongside a programme to plant more than one million native trees.
This category celebrates an individual who has dedicated much of their life to the conservation of flora and fauna in the British countryside. Sponsored by Mea Opus.
Nature-Friendly Farm/Estate Award
The Grange and Moat Farms – Whiston, Northamptonshire
Andrew Pitts and his brother William farm around 600 hectares, demonstrating how commercially productive arable farming can thrive alongside wildlife. Their approach combines direct drilling, carefully targeted wildlife habitat, year-round resources for farmland birds, linked habitat corridors and practical demonstration projects, including the innovative ‘Farm in a Field’. Grey partridge conservation has been a particular focus for them across the farm.
This category celebrates farms, tenant farms or estates that have excelled in implementing practices that promote biodiversity and species recovery. Sponsored by Oakbank Game & Conservation.
Innovation in Conservation Award
John Chantry, Project Laxford and Watershed Connections – Bridge of Earn, Perthshire
As Project Laxford and Watershed Connections programme co-ordinator for the Atlantic Salmon Trust, John Chantry has developed an integrated drone-survey approach using LiDAR, thermal imaging and 3D mapping to inform river restoration. Applied to Project Laxford and other Scottish catchments, the technology helps identify cold-water refuges, target habitat interventions and monitor their success, with surveys reported by the judge to be around 80% faster and 60% cheaper than conventional approaches.
This category champions individuals or groups who have developed innovative solutions, technologies or methods that advance conservation and the natural environment. Sponsored by B-hive Innovations.
Farm-Environment Partnership Award
Manhood Peninsula Farmers Cluster Group – Chichester, West Sussex
Founded in 2022 by Andrew Gentle and Tom Monnington, this collaboration of six family farms spans almost 2,000 hectares. The group is joining up hedgerows and wildlife habitat, improving farmland bird conservation and engaging schools and local organisations. Its efforts to restore wild grey partridges include habitat creation and a broody-hen rearing programme, with released birds subsequently breeding in the wild.
This category recognises farms that have formed successful partnerships with others, showcasing the positive outcomes of collaboration.
Wetland & Watercourse Conservation Award
River Stiffkey and Charles Rangeley-Wilson – Warham, Norfolk
Led by chalkstream conservationist Charles Rangeley-Wilson OBE in partnership with Norfolk Rivers Trust and Holkham Estate, the project has restored 2.5 kilometres of the River Stiffkey to a meandering historic course. Reconnecting the river with its floodplain has brought back characteristic aquatic plants and supported the return of fish, invertebrates and wetland wildlife, including brown trout, eels, kingfishers and otters.
This category focuses on efforts and achievements in creating and restoring wetland habitats and watercourses to the benefit of biodiversity and ecosystems. Sponsored by The Atlantic Salmon Trust.
Rising Star Award
Maaike Vrancken, Research Assistant at the Atlantic Salmon Trust – Edinburgh, Scotland
Atlantic Salmon Trust research assistant Maaike Vrancken has made an early contribution to wild Atlantic salmon conservation, co-ordinating large-scale tagging of juvenile fish and analysing their survival and migration. Her work also supports improved fish-monitoring infrastructure and the development of AI-assisted sonar analysis, helping provide evidence for river restoration and salmon recovery.
This category shines a light on young individuals who are demonstrating an outstanding approach to conservation. Sponsored by Pressendye.
Marcus Janssen, Schöffel Country’s Executive Director and the driving force behind the awards, said: “Our strapline for these awards is ‘To celebrate. To inspire. To engage.’ Every one of our finalists this year allows us to do just that. The calibre of entries across the six award categories has, once again, been very high, and choosing our winners has been incredibly challenging.
“The people we have visited as a judging panel through the summer months should be proud of what they have achieved and the example they are setting. It’s more critical than ever that we can showcase such efforts, and the irrefutable results that follow on the ground, while highlighting the huge contribution to the countryside by people, projects, farms and estates whose work is so often privately funded.
“These are the people who know the habitats and species – and the threats and opportunities they face – more intimately than anyone. If the Schöffel Countryside Awards can help bring their work, and its value to the future of the countryside, to a wider audience, then we will have done what we set out to do.”
Nick von Westenholz, GWCT CEO, said: “What makes these awards so important is that they shine a light on the extraordinary conservation work being carried out every day by people who live and work in our countryside. Much of this work goes unseen, yet its contribution to restoring wildlife, improving habitats and building a healthier, more resilient countryside is invaluable.
“This year’s winners demonstrate that conservation is not simply about protecting nature but actively managing and restoring it. From bringing rivers back to life and helping wild Atlantic salmon recover, to creating habitats for farmland birds and pioneering new approaches to land management, they are delivering practical, measurable results.
“At a time when the future of land management is increasingly under scrutiny, it has never been more important to demonstrate, through robust scientific evidence, the benefits that these practical conservation measures deliver.
“At the GWCT, we have always believed that successful conservation depends on sound science, local knowledge and skilled land management working together. These winners are outstanding examples of that philosophy in action, and I hope their achievements will inspire others to follow their lead.”
Megan Lock, GWCT Senior Farm Environment Adviser and Schöffel Countryside Awards judge, said: “Through my work with farmers, land managers and Farmer Clusters, I see first-hand just how much can be achieved when people come together with a shared ambition to increase biodiversity alongside food production.
“Successful conservation projects are built on collaboration, local knowledge and working across farm and estate boundaries. By working together, gaining knowledge from peer-to-peer learning, sharing resources and being supported by a Facilitator, farmers, keepers and land managers can deliver greater benefits for wildlife at a landscape-scale rather than being restricted as individuals.
“This year’s winners are wonderful examples of that collaborative spirit in action. What has impressed me most is not just the dedication and enthusiasm of the people involved, but their determination to turn good intentions into practical action through collaboration that has delivered real results for nature and their drive to engage and involve the local community. Their achievements show what is possible when people work together towards a common goal.”
The Schöffel Countryside Awards – in partnership with GWCT – will return in 2027, with the window for nominations opening in January.