<BodyText>A DAY-long celebration of artisan food and rural culture benefited from skills learned by a young entrepreneur.

The SHEEPtember event was hosted by Sam and Rachael Horton, of farmhouse cheesemakers Long Churn, based at Austwick, near Settle, as part of the Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival.

The day featured Bouncing Cow Ice Cream, Lamb Brewery, Winterburn Working Sheepdogs, The Courtyard Dairy and Yorkshire Dales Guides, which is run by Steph Dwyer. The 34-year-old provided the caving expertise to give festival-goers a subterranean experience, touring Long Churn, the pothole which gave the cheese its name.

Steph helped to plan the SHEEPtember event using skills gained on the Future for Culture course offered by Great Place:Lakes and Dales. The pilot project is funded by Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund, and aims to use the arts, heritage and culture to encourage more under-35s to settle locally.

“What we created together was a vibrant and innovative event," said Steph, "bringing together traditional, eco-oriented products but with a modern twist. We utilised the principles of co-creation and creative equality, which we explored on the Future For Culture course.

“SHEEPtember was a great success and we are already formulating ideas together for the future.”