Great Cotmarsh Farm hosts AGM & Awards Presentations

BWCS
Oct 3
4 min read

Bringing together members from far and wide for their much-anticipated annual meeting on Saturday 4 October, the task of hosting this year's BWCS AGM was in the capable hands of James and Katie Allen of Great Cotmarsh Farm near Swindon in Wiltshire. Featuring another huge attendance by the membership to support the meeting, cheer on the winners of the National Herd Competition and Show Points Trophies, and to celebrate a successful year for the breed, the event certainly went off as one to remember.

As winners of the Enterprise Trophy for 2025, it was clear to see why James and Katie deserve such high praise for their unstoppable energy in developing Great Cotmarsh Farm since taking it on in 2022, and transforming it into the rich and varied business it is today. With diversification projects from Katie's handmade knitwear collection to the newly installed oak bark tannery, the couple have been relentless in their mission to generate multiple income streams from their small family-run farm, at the same time as maximising grant funding to invite educational visits and workshops, restore wildlife habitats and native species, and to manage the natural waste produced by the tannery on site in a way which supports their aims for nature recovery.

The sheer number of features of the business were an inspiration to all in attendance, and it was great to see members sharing ideas and perhaps even coming away with fresh motivation to pursue new ventures. We are extremely grateful to James and Katie for their efforts in hosting us for this year's event, and to all the members who were able to attend. A full report of the 2025 AGM will be published in the forthcoming Breed Journal, and the next AGM will take place on Saturday 3 October 2026 (date TBC).

National Herd Competition 2025

On-farm whole herd competition with prizes for Small (under 10 cows), Medium (10-19 cows), and Large (20+ cows) herds, as well as Best New Herd, Best Stock Bull, and Most Enterprising Herd, judged and presented in 2025 by last year's winners Keith & Ro Harding of the Templar Herd, Leicestershire. The full report and herd photographs from this competition will be published in the 2026 Breed Journal.

Randolph Turpin Trophy for Best Herd

Winner: Rockley, Fiona & Richard Nourse

Enterprise Trophy

Winner: Dupree, James & Katie Allen

Best New Herd

Winner: Castrum, Jan Walton

Best Stock Bull

Winner: Cadarn Sentinel, owned by Lucy Eyre and bred by Mark Kennett

Best Smal Herd

Winner: Castle House, Geoff Watkins

Runner Up: Moorland, Eddie & Monika Gibson

Best Medium Herd

Winner: Tollesbury, Vivien & Andrew St Joseph & Mark Howland

Runner Up: Lordswood, James Brain & Libby McGinn

Best Large Herd

Winner: Rockley, Fiona & Richard Nourse

Runner Up: Bulby, Sue & Jamie Bevan

Show Points Trophies

The BWCS points trophies are awarded to the individual bull, cow, senior heifer and junior heifer gaining the most points at shows throughout the year.

BWCS Bull of the Year 2025

1: 40 points Tollesbury Tarzan, bred & exhibited by Vivien & Andrew St Joseph & Mark Howland

=2: 16 points Castleton Ken, bred & exhibited by CMB, JAW & DM Wright

=2: 16 points Alcroft Goldcrest, bred & exhibited by Sarah Cook

4: 15 points Cadarn Sentinel, exhibited by Lucy Eyre, bred by Mark Kennett & Jane Finney

BWCS Cow of the Year 2025

1: 19 points De Beauvoir Smart Sally, bred & exhibited by Angela Dunn

2: 16 points Templar Madison, bred & exhibited by Keith & Ro Harding

3: 15 points Amaroo Partridge Rose, exhibited by Millie Bennett, bred by Ruhi Pugh

BWCS Senior Heifer of the Year 2025

1: 33 points Alcroft Gloria, bred & exhibited by Sarah Cook

2: 26 points Cadarn Starburst, exhibited by Paul Pennington, bred by Mark Kennett

3: 12 points Tollesbury Tahiti, bred & exhibited by Vivien & Andrew St Joseph & Mark Howland

BWCS Junior Heifer of the Year 2025

1: 17 points Templar Olivia, bred & exhibited by Keith & Ro Harding

2: 11 points Oldington Bakewell, bred & exhibited by Paul Pennington

3: 9 points Tollesbury TicTac, bred & exhibited by Vivien & Andrew St Joseph & Mark Howland

How are points awarded?

The scoring system for BWCS points trophies is simple: throughout the show season, any animal competing in British White breed classes collects one point for being forward in its class, plus one further point for every animal it places above within the breed section.

For example, the overall Breed Champion in a section of 20 British White entries forward would collect 20 points (1 point for being forward, plus 19 points for beating all others forward in the section), whereas the winner of a class of 5 animals which did not win any further prizes on the day would collect 5 points (1 point for being forward, plus 4 points for beating the other 4 animals in its class).

The highest points totals from a maximum of four shows are counted for each animal, which may include up to a maximum of two shows where the animal competed in ‘Any Other Breed’ classes.

Where can I find out about British White breed classes?

The full list of events holding British White breed classes is always published and updated on the BWCS website: britishwhitecattle.co.uk/events-calendar.

From time to time, the Society holds showing workshops to advise members on how best to present their animals for show, and members can also contact the Breed Secretary at any time to be put in touch with breeders that can help you get started in the show ring, so please do get involved in promoting your cattle and the breed via these events!