A WOMAN who handles the office work for a number of farmers in the Marlborough and Swindon areas has been named as Farm Administrator of the Year.

Rebecca Hill, 42, from Chiseldon who has a six year old daughter, Lizzie, received the Lloyds TSB Bank sponsored award at the Royal Show held recently at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire.

The role of farm administrator was formerly known as farm secretary and no one was more delighted with the change in name than Mrs Hill, who grew up on a farm in Newent in the Forest of Dean.

Mrs Hill said: "I always felt the title farm secretary was not very good because you think of a farm secretary typing letters and doing very little else. In fact there is very little typing of letters and more involvement in the financial side of running the farms."

Currently Mrs Hill works for about 10 farms in the Marlborough and Swindon areas including the 2,500 acre Manton Farming estate.

She began doing farm administrative work about 20 years ago and although she has worked for agencies, has spent the last 12 years working for herself.