Iain “Tolly” Tolhurst, a “shining light illuminating the path for organic growers”, was awarded the MBE in the King’s Honours List this year.
Now he has been nominated for the Business in Action under 50 employees award, sponsored by law firm Boyes Turner.
Tolhurst Organics lies just outside the village of Whitchurch-on-Thames in south Oxfordshire on the Hardwick Estate, with 17 acres in two fields and two acres in the 500-year-old walled garden.
Iain has held the organic symbol for over 30 years, making Tolhurst Organic one of the longest running organic vegetable farms in England. They deliver fruit and vegetables to the surrounding areas and offer produce for sale on-site at Lin’s VegShed.
Their nominator, a user of the farm shop, said: “Iain Tolhurst has been growing organically for over 40 years and stockfree (without the use of animals) for over 30.
“It’s clear from listening to Iain describe what he has created – either through interviews and talks available on YouTube or in person during one on his ‘farm tours’ – that much of the success he has achieved is a result of embracing a constant journey of exploration and experimentation.”
They added: “The ‘know how’ has come from doing a great deal of looking, listening, and giving things a go, and where failures and the subsequent lessons learned are held with as much importance as the moments of success.”
They said the MBE was well-deserved. “Iain Tolhurst has been a beacon, a shining light, illuminating the path for organic growers in the UK since he started farming organically in 1976.
“A true pioneer, he started from a non-farming, working class background in a time when there was no advice available, and the organic movement was in its infancy.”
Iain is also a recipient of a BOOM award, the UK’s only organic awards, which honor the brands, businesses and people behind the UK’s organic industry and is open to all certified organic businesses in the UK.
“He richly deserves the treble surely,” said the nominator.
Iain has also been nominated for the Putting Reading on the Map award sponsored by Jacobs the Jewellers
