British Cheese Awards cancelled for 2020

The Royal Bath & West Society has made the decision to cancel the British Cheese Awards which were due to take place on 7th October. “This is hugely disappointing for everyone involved with the British Cheese Awards,” says Alan Lyons, head of shows, “especially given the hope that the rearranged dates gave us. We were very much looking forward to joining two great shows together, but with the ongoing restrictions and cases of COVID-19 currently on the rise again, it was just not meant to be this year.”

The Society admits that this is an extremely difficult decision to make but ultimately the responsible thing to do, as the impact of these challenging times on gatherings will not have abated sufficiently to allow The Dairy Show – where the British Cheese Awards were due to be held – to go ahead. “We hope that our exhibitors, traders and visitors will understand that we have a civic responsibility to act sensibly,” Alan continues, “and that with the reduction in numbers of people allowed to meet, cancellation now is the right thing to do.”

The Royal Bath & West Society has said that it will be in touch with exhibitors, sponsors judges and stewards for the British Cheese Awards with details of what to do next, and that The Board of Trustees and all staff at the Royal Bath & West Society would like to thank everyone involved for their understanding and patience during this period of uncertainty.

“To have to cancel one of the key awards events in the UK is a great shame, especially when so many others have fallen by the wayside this year,” says Alan, “but we remain determined to run in 2021 and to celebrate all the wonderful British producers and their cheese.”

In the meantime, download The Future of Cheese Report for free here to get a comprehensive overview of the cheese industry in 2020, including the challenges and successes experienced by cheesemakers, retailers and distributors.