A DAIRY farm in Bledlow has been nominated for a prestigious award after being shortlisted in a national competition.

Holly Green Farm is one of five farms across the country to compete for the Access Award. The award celebrates farms which have demonstrated outstanding achievement in encouraging learning for disadvantaged young people as well as showing commitment to promoting farming education in the community.

The competition has been organised by leading crop protection business Bayer CropScience and FACE (Farming and Countryside Education).

Bill Graham OBE, from FACE, said: "There is no doubt that we need to connect communities with their local farms.

"Children, young people, and their families, have become disassociated from where their food comes from and do not know what is required for a healthy diet and lifestyle.

"They are also unaware of the many opportunities in the countryside for leisure and social activities, and for employment."

FACE is a registered charity which aims to educate children and young people about food and farming. Holly Green Farm hosts many farm visits working with special needs pupils and disaffected and disadvantaged children from a number of inner city primary schools.

Children are given a full farm experience with a milking parlour visit and horse and chicken feeding.

Hayley Coulson, from Bayer CropScience, said: "We have organised these awards to celebrate the very best in farming education.

"We believe that key suppliers to the farming industry should play a role in promoting the work that farmers are doing in their communities.

"These awards are just one of the initiatives that Bayer CropScience is working on with its partners to help the sustainable development of UK farming."

The winner of the competition is expected to be announced in September at a winners' lunch.

The host will be TV broad- caster Tom Heap, from BBC Radio 4, at London's Kensington Roof Gardens.

Neil Dyson and his wife Jane are the third generation of their family to own Holly Green Farm.

Neil said: "We are honoured to have been nominated, but the main reason we do it is because we really enjoy interacting with the youngsters and explaining to them what farming is like and how we look after the animals.

"Secondly it is important to make them understand what it is they are consuming and where it comes from."