A Darlington farmer has taken his place next to TV presenter Gillian McKeith as a winner of this year's Organic Industry Awards.

Gordon Tweddle, of Acorn Dairy, near Darlington, has been named Organic Business Person of the Year by the Soil Association in its national awards.

The dairy farmer converted to organic production in 1998 and established Acorn Dairy in 2000 to sell his own organic milk direct to the doorstep.

Not long afterwards, Mr Tweddle said the fledgling dairy was "knocked sideways" by the foot-and-mouth epidemic in 2001 and 2002.

But, despite having no fixed assets, as tenant farmers on Church Commissioners land at the tiny hamlet of Archdeacon Newton, the family has secured business development funding and an overdraft to build an organic dairy processing unit for a 180-cow herd.

They also made an important breakthrough as the first organic producer to supply organic milk to the local NHS trust for staff and patients. The switch to organic milk at the Darlington Memorial Hospital last autumn has proved popular, and Mr Tweddle hopes to secure an ongoing supply contract soon.

"Gordon has shown huge resilience and initiative to overcome the difficulties he has faced," said Martin Cottingham, the Soil Association's marketing director. "The ground-breaking partnership with his local hospital is an inspiration to other organic enterprises as education and health authorities start to respond to the demand from parents and patients for healthier food."

Gillian McKeith was also an award winner at the ceremony, winning the Consumer Education Award for the impact she has made in encouraging healthier eating through her series You Are What You Eat.

Mr Cottingham said: "This year's winners demonstrate the combination of imagination, commercial flair and integrity which characterises the UK's leading organic enterprises. The calibre of entries for the Organic Business Person of the Year points to a healthy future of continuing growth for the organic movement."