rory congratulates llama karma kafe on “rural oscars” award

Rory welcomed the news that local family-run business – the Llama Karma Kafe – has been crowned regional champion in the Countryside Alliance Awards, nicknamed the “Rural Oscars”. Mary Walker and her family who run the cafe will now travel down to Westminster on March 13th to receive the regional award, and find out if Llama Karma Kafe has been successful in its subsequent nomination for the national award as well.

The Countryside Alliance devised these annual awards eight years ago as a means of celebrating rural communities, skills and enterprise, and with an aim to highlight the diversity of rural enterprise and showcase those who have managed to survive and prosper, against the odds. Penrith and the Border has already seen two regional Northwest winners in the past – Crosby Ravensworth’s Butcher’s Arms community pub and Milburn butchers NB Taylor and Sons – and the Llama Karma Kafe, located just outside of Penrith, is now to become the latest addition to this list.

The cafe is well-known locally for the opportunity it offers to visitors to enjoy home-cooked and locally-sourced products in front of a viewing window that looks on to the resident herd of Llama. The business’ success has enabled it to retain all of its staff since it opened four years ago – a noteworthy achievement in the current economic climate – and they are now looking to expand by building an adjoining “themed” B&B which will again play on the South American feel of the cafe.

Mary Walker said:

“We are all thrilled to have been chosen over so many other worthy nominations and I hope it will mean good news, not just for us, but for Eden and Eden tourism. I feel our success is down to the unique experience we are able to offer our visitors, and everyone who visits the cafe is always immediately struck by its fun and quirky atmosphere. All the staff at the cafe work really hard, and this award wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Rory said:

“This is absolutely fantastic news. As an MP, it is very easy to feel a sense of partisanship towards your own constituency, but when so many local businesses continue to receive national recognition, it reinforces my view that this really is one of the most dynamic and hard-working communities in the UK.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Llama Karma Kafe a number of times now, and for anyone who has enjoyed its local produce alongside some not so local wildlife, it should be immediately obvious why it has won this award. It is a worthy testament to their hard-work and entrepreneurial dynamism and I hope to be there on March 13th, where there is no reason why Llama Karma Kafe could not win the national award.”