The presentations were made by Kate Glover, who said: "Helping to choose between entries for this competition was one of the most difficult things that I have done for some time, and yet it has been an absolute joy to see so much fantastic work going on right across the country- and so remarkably varied.

In occasional moments of despair, you might think, “why do I bother?” After all, thatch is only temporary- a depressing thought- and from the moment a roof is finished it starts (hopefully!) a long life of deterioration. Nevertheless, despite this and many other logical reasons why not, you do bother, because for a comparatively short time in a building’s history you have the opportunity to make your mark – to do the best that you can for that building at that time. Individuals past and present have given us their examples of skill, ingenuity, craftsmanship and flair, all contributing to make thatching such a special and interesting craft and one that we are all so proud to be part of.

That is why it is such an honour for me to announce this year’s four outstanding finalists in the Best Thatched House Competition. It was very close and far from the easy task it might appear from looking at the photographs. However, we did have to choose and the overall winner was Kit Davis, for Park Farm House."