PHILLIP Holden describes his life as "a bit of a mish-mash" but the combination secured him the title of Yorkshire Farming Personality of the Year - not bad going for a Tynesider.

It was his work with Rejuvenate, a self-help group of Dales farmers hit by last year's foot-and-mouth crisis, which brought him Farming in Yorkshire magazine's accolade.

"It's strange winning a Yorkshire award when you're a Geordie," says Mr Holden, who has run his own animal health supplies business in the Yorkshire and Durham Dales for 33 years.

When anyone points out that Gateshead-born Mr Holden is not strictly a Geordie, he is quick to reason that holding season tickets for St James's Park and being a lifelong supporter of Newcastle United is qualification enough.

His self-confessed lack of academic prowess led to some anguished childhood moments with his parents, a headmaster and headmistress.

"I was a failure at school, for which they never let me off the hook until I was in my mid-thirties and they realised that you don't have to be an academic to be successful," he recalls.

After leaving school at 15, Mr Holden, by then living in Chester-le-Street in County Durham, worked as a relief railway clerk in the Tyneside and County Durham area.

"I worked for the railways for about 14 years and it was a great grounding in basic skills," he says. "I was selling tickets to the travelling public, so I had to be on the ball, and I learned a lot about the geography of the North-East and the countryside and people in general."

His love of the countryside, which he reckons he inherited from his grandfather, grew and, in 1970, Mr Holden, then 30, and his brother opened an animal health supplies business in Galgate, Barnard Castle. The venture was a success and the pair opened premises at Leyburn and Hawes.

"I took the Hawes premises on in 1976 and it took 20 years for me to not be considered an incomer," he recalls. "I was accepted by the community and there is a social element to the business. People gather in the shop and chew the fat with their neighbours and friends for a while before they tell me what they've come in for - I like that."

In 2000, Mr Holden, who lives at Spennithorne, near Leyburn, received the MBE for his services to agriculture. He is also vice-chairman of the Animal Health Distributors' Association, which is fighting European proposals to make all animal medicines prescription-only.

"We seem to be making some headway, but it is still a tough fight," he says.

The onset of foot-and-mouth disease, which struck Wensleydale in the first week of March 2001, heightened Mr Holden's role as a campaigner and countryside activist. He was a founder member of Rejuvenate, which met weekly, then fortnightly and, finally, monthly during the crisis, sometimes attracting up to 130 people.

"We spent a lot of time gathering farmers together," he says. "In the early days, it was mainly those who had lost livestock. Then, from late March to the summer, we discovered there were farmers with livestock trapped because of the draconian movement regulations."

Part of Mr Holden's role was to go to London every two weeks to represent Dales farmers at stakeholder meetings with senior Government officials. "It was difficult - very, very difficult - as these people really had no idea of what life in the countryside was like or what a devastating and frightening effect foot-and-mouth was having," he says.

"In some ways, very little has changed and the future of livestock farming depends on people who think they know best listening very carefully to the practical people who have farmed these hills and dales for hundreds of years."

With his high profile in farming circles, public speaking is second nature to Mr Holden, but it hasn't always been so. "My father was a great public speaker and it was something I decided to do," he says. "It was a baptism of fire. I got a group of farmers together in 1972 at the Buck, in Reeth, for a talk about pneumonia in sheep.

"The rep from the company asked me to introduce his boss, a veterinary surgeon, in front of about 50 farmers. I nearly died; I can't remember what I said but I fumbled my way through for about 30 seconds and then thought: 'You idiot, Phillip, you have to learn to do this properly'.

"I then pushed myself to the point where I have no fear whatsoever and will happily stand up and talk to farmers and anyone else who'll listen."

He also has no fear where lobbying top officials is concerned and will gladly take on all-comers.

In the aftermath of foot-and-mouth, Lord Haskins referred to industries such as coal mining, steel and ship building, which had disappeared, and urged farmers who lost their livelihoods to re-train for other jobs.

"When these heavy industries disappeared, most of those people, including the executives, were given handsome redundancy payments," says Mr Holden. "Who is going to pay the farmers any redundancy?"

While his business suffered, along with every other agriculture-related concern, during the foot-and-mouth crisis, things are looking up and there are plans to move the Barnard Castle arm to a purpose-built distribution centre on the town's Harmire industrial estate.

The process of moving focused Mr Holden's mind on similar problems to those encountered by farmers eligible to apply for grants.

"There are too many agencies offering grants and money, but the time needed to jump through all the hoops to apply makes it not worthwhile for small companies," he says. "I won't chase any grant aid, as the process is so complicated and long-winded that I can't afford for anyone to spend the necessary time on it. We have survived for 30-plus years on our own without help from anyone."

Mr Holden's family are all involved in the business. His wife, Janet, works part time; son Adam and daughter-in-law Rachel run the Leyburn operation; full-time employee John Gibson looks after the Barnard Castle premises, and part-timers Alec Robinson and Diane Watson complete the team.

When not running a business or campaigning on behalf of the Dales farmer, Mr Holden enjoys supporting Newcastle United , singing with East Witton male voice choir, gardening and walking in his beloved countryside.

But, even while enjoying leisure activities, his mind is on how he can stay active for the sake of the agriculture industry. "When I'm out walking I see all these Dales cottages that have become holiday homes and second homes and I am anxious about the future for young people in the countryside," he says.

"Cheaper homes have got to be provided so we can encourage young people with aspirations to stay in the dales and further those aspirations."

Reflecting on the last 63 years, he muses: "It has been a bit of a mish-mash of a life - but I wouldn't have missed it for the world."