A CUMNOCK farm has walked away with one of the top awards from the Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards 2017.

Blackstone Clydesdales, run almost entirely by volunteers, were presented with the award for Scotland’s Best Family Day Out at a ceremony in Glasgow’s Merchant Square.

The tailor-made heavy-horse riding experience was the brainchild of John and Margaret Duncan who wanted to share their passion and knowledge of one of Scotland’s rarest breeds.

The couple were delighted with the award. Margaret said: “We were overwhelmed. We were taken aback that we were recognised in this way.

“We’re all about the horses and people can see our passion when they come here because we love what we do. Clydesdales are a rare breed, they are endangered and, apart from me and my husband, it’s all run by volunteers who love the horses as well.”

The attraction has proved very popular since opening its doors in 2011 and boast more than just Clydesdales with Highland cows, Alpacas, Micro Boars and other farm animals.

It was this public support that helped Blackstone into the finals. Margaret added: “It’s a public vote to get to the final and I know we have a good following because people are interested in Clydesdales. We got to the final last year but we didn’t win, we were runners-up.

“It’s really good for us that we are being recognised. It’s an ongoing thing to keep getting public recognition.

“It’s only really ourselves and Dumfries House in the area. We’ve been number one on TripAdvisor for the whole of Ayrshire for a while but it’s great to be recognised nationally.”