A HERD of cattle has scooped a string of top awards at a national agriculture show.

The Tollesbury herd of British white cattle were judged to have the champion male and female animals at the prestigious South of England Show in Sussex.

Dr Vivien St Joseph, 60, son-in-law Mark Howland, 36, and Writtle College agriculture student Willow Frost, 17, also brought home the Best in Breed trophy and five first prizes in different age groups.

Vivien said: “We took six animals with us and two and half hours down the M25 and there we were.

“It is always quite daunting to have one’s animals judged at a show and we are thrilled with our success with this ancient native breed.”

The South of England Show, at Ardingly, is a three-day event which showcases the best of the British farming world.

Other competitions included show-jumping, horticulture, and young artisan of the year.

Vivien has a farm in Tollesbury where she and her husband have bred show cattle for 20 years.

The British white cattle are a rare breed, with only 1,200 females left in the UK.

Vivien said that raising them in this part of the country is very uncommon due to the dry land.

They graze their cows on marshland to help maintain its biodiversity, including the habitat of water-wading birds in the area.

This year marks 100 years of pedigree recording for the British white breed and there will be three centenary celebration events, including one in Norfolk which Vivien is attending.