A YOUNG County Durham chartered surveyor scored the top mark in the most recent examinations to benchmark the performance of agricultural valuers in the UK.

Tim Sedgewick received the Alistair Turnbull Trophy and NB Stephenson Memorial Award at the Northumbria and Cumbria CAAV Centenary Dinner at The Discovery Museum in Newcastle.

The trophy is awarded annually to the candidate with the top results from the Northumbria and Cumbria Branch of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV).

Mr Sedgewick, who works for H&H Land and Property in Durham, said: “To receive the awards is a tremendous honour in their own right, however to receive them at the Northumbria and Cumbria Branch’s CAAV Centenary Dinner is really something special!”

His achievement not only ensures his Fellowship of the Society but means his name has been put forward to the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) for the Talbot Ponsonby Prize for Agricultural Valuation.

This includes a five year membership of RASE, in addition to his CAAV Fellowship. He will be presented with his medals and membership at the CAAV national annual meeting in June.

David Coulson, secretary of the CAAV’s Northumbria and Cumbria Branch, said: “This really is an incredible achievement, as these professional exams are enormously challenging, covering the range of agricultural and rural valuation scenarios that members are likely to face in practice. In my time as secretary Tim’s marks are the best achieved.”

The two-day examinations are held annually in November and include practical, written, and oral elements.

In a typical year, only about 40-50 per cent of those who sit the exams achieve the required 65 per cent pass mark – Mr Sedgewick achieved 82.75 per cent.

Mr Coulson said: “Becoming a Fellow of the CAAV is to achieve the highest echelon of qualification in the rural and agricultural valuation profession. The FAAV mark also gives clients the comfort of knowing they are employing the very best valuation agent possible.”

Mr Sedgewick said: “I have been very well supported by H&H Land and Property and would like thank my colleagues.”

He is a former graduate of Harper Adams University and a fully qualified member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The CAAV achievement is recognition of his farm valuation and of live and deadstock.