THE best rural retailers in Wiltshire have been selected to go through to a national final against the rest of the winners in the UK.

Business people from Boyton near Warminster and Nettleton, near Chippenham have made it through to the last stages of the Best Rural Retailers contest.

This is the third annual awards run by the Countryside Alliance, celebrating local rural communities, skills and produce through the retailers who work within the areas.

The Ginger Piggery in Boyton has been nominated in the Best Diversification Category because of what the organisers said was an amazing diversification project' transforming a set of derelict farm buildings into a vibrant farm shop, restaurant, craft centre and educational hub which schools visit on regular tours to meet the animals and find out more about local food'.

Caroline Wheatley-Hubbard runs Boyton Farm. She said: "It's a huge acknowledgement for farming. The whole of our business revolves around selling the meat that is reared on the farm. We have lots of farming links with the public and schools who can see how our bread, beer and oil, which we sell in the shop, gets from the farm to the shop shelves. That link is being lost in the food industry today and through corporate workshops, open days and links with our local rural community, we aim to maintain that link."

Nettleton Village Post Office and Stores won the Best Shop and Post Office Category.

Delly Everard, regional director for Wessex and leader of the local judging panel, said: "This is a hugely difficult category to judge because our village shopkeepers and sub-postmasters form the hearts of all of our rural communities.

"Di Bell is a very special lady who has inspired the particular devotion of her customers. She received dozens of nominations from people praising her warm nature and the fact that she always goes above and beyond the call of duty."

The national final will be held at a House of Lords reception on February 6. All the regional winners will be invited to attend.