Winners of the 2018 Rural Touring Awards announced

The winners of this year's Rural Touring Awards have been announced.

The award for Touring Scheme Collaboration of the Year was won by Highlights Rural Touring Scheme and November Club for Beyond the End of the Road, a site specific musical performed at Hexham Cattle Mart and village halls.

Stage Performance of the Year was won by Ragged Edge theatre company for their debut show The Chef Show. The piece is written by Nick Ahad and is part comedy, part cooking demonstration which reflects on the villages and market towns where there are Indian restaurants with staff that rarely have contact with their community.

Music performance of the year was won by Apphia Campbell for her show Black is the Colour of my Voice which toured rurally and ran at the Edinburgh Festival.

Voluntary promoter of the year was given to Mike Greener from Spittal and Young Person of the Year was won by Forest Young Promoters, a group ages 12 to 18 which programmed three shows for rural touring in Gloucestershire.

The NRTF Special Award was won by Barbara Slack from Highlights Rural Touring Scheme.

The shortlist was made up of people nominated by people and then winners selected by a panel consisting of Deborah Clarke, Sayan Kent, Natasha Tripney and Des George.

Speaking about the awards, NRTF Director Holly Lombardo said "It has been a privilege to be a part of this year's awards for the first time. Hearing people talk about why they value the productions and people in Rural Touring Network and why they have made a difference to lives and their area has been heartwarming and inspiring."