Hellifield photographer wins a place in Countryfile calendar (From Craven Herald)

Hellifield photographer wins a place in Countryfile calendar

9:00am Tuesday 16th October 2012 in News

A fleeting glimpse of a stoat dashing into a dry stone wall prompted fell runner Andy Holden to grab his camera.

Andy, of Hellifield, carries his camera whenever he is out on the fells and this chance meeting with the creature on Settle Top resulted in his photograph being chosen as one of the 12 pictures for BBC Countryfile’s 2013 calendar.

Andy, who runs with Wharfedale Harriers, is also a keen photographer and often gets inspiration from his time running in the uplands of Craven.

“It was June last year and I saw this stoat run across the lane. They are an inquisitive animal so I stopped and attracted it with a few squeaks and sounds and it came back, looking through the wall.

“I just got lucky. It was close, the light was right and I got a good snap. I tried to keep it interested but it didn’t stop still for more than a few seconds,” said Andy who was a Craven District Council pest control officer for 30 years. “I’m really chuffed to get selected among the last 12 – I understand there were 50,000 entries.”

The overall winner, who will receive £1,000 in photography vouchers, is due to be announced on the TV programme on Sunday.

The BBC Countryfile calendar is called A Walk on the Wildside and is sold in aid of Children in Need.