MIDDLEWICH butcher Aiden Devaney has been nominated for the annual Countryside Alliance Butcher Award.


The Countryside Alliance Awards, nicknamed the Rural Oscars, was born of a need to support and promote rural communities and is now in its 11th year.


The Awards recognise and honour those who routinely go the extra mile to ensure rural Britain’s food and farming industry, small businesses, traditional skills, forward-thinking enterprise and, most of all, its people, can flourish.


Aiden, who runs the butcher’s shop A J Devaney in Wheelock Street, has been nominated by Middlewich MP Fiona Bruce.


Fiona Bruce said: “These awards are an excellent way to promote the local businessmen and women who are working hard to keep rural Britain thriving.


“Our local produce is second to none and there are many community heroes and businesses worthy of national recognition.


“I have known Aiden for many years and understand his business is like a child to him as he developed the business at the age of 21 from nothing which is a great accomplishment for any business person.


“The quality of his meat is excellent – as are his Christmas turkeys. The business has been running for nearly 25 years and is a fundamental part of the Middlewich community.


“Aiden is a remarkable role model for any young entrepreneur and has contributed to the community through the Artisan Market, helped at town events and visited schools to talk about his profession. Let us see if we can bring a British title home to Middlewich.”


Judging is due to take place before a grand final is held at Parliament in Westminster in spring 2016. The categories for the Awards are Local Food and Drink, Tourism, Village Shop/Post Office and Butcher.


Aiden was delighted that the MP chose to nominate his business saying she could have picked any butchers in the region but chose to support him.


“We are absolutely delighted to be nominated,” Aiden said. “It’s all to do with helping the community and we do a lot for the community with helping Middlewich Primary School and we get involved in the market and try to engage with the community that way.


“There’s a lot of butchers in east Cheshire that she could have chosen and the decided to pick us which is tremendous.”