Countryfile extraordinare and outdoor enthusiast Julia Bradbury will be delighting the audience as compere at the Isle of Man Newspapers’ 2019 Awards For Excellence (AFE). Jess Ward writes about the mum of three, who has previously praised the island’s landscapes on television.

She’s known for gracing our screens when out walking across Britain and further afield, but as of next Thursday (November 14) she will be gracing the stage of the Villa Marina in Douglas.

Julia Bradbury has become a household name after presenting a number of popular television programmes, with her most recognised work being as a co-presenter on the BBC One programme Countryfile with Matt Baker from 2004 until 2014.

In 2017 she brought the island’s heritage and landscape to screens in ITV’s Britain’s Best Walks - a six-part series that reached more than four million viewers per programme.

Julia began her 7.2-mile journey on Manx soil with Dhoon glen river in Maughold.

From there she guided viewers through the ’beautiful sunken valley’ and past the ’lovely big girl waterfall’ to admire the stoney beach before walking to Laxey valley to explore its mining heritage.

There, she took the opporunity to climb the Laxey Wheel.

Hitching a lift on a mines train before picking up a ride on one of the trams belonging to the famous Manx Electric Railway, she made her way to the Bungalow for the start of a short walk to Snaefell’s summit where she enjoyed ’glorious views across all of the British Isles’.

’An unbeatable, action-packed three-part island walk,’ she summarised in the episode.

She also met with Adrian Cain, Manx language development officer (Yn Greinneyder) at Culture Vannin to talk about Yn Gruffalo, a Manx language version of the well-loved kids book The Gruffalo.

As an ambassador of Keep Britain Tidy, Julia is often seen highlighting the issue of litter harming the countryside and ruining views through campaigns, tweets and taking part in the organisation’s 2019 Great British Spring Clean.

On the night of the annual awards, the presenter will guide the audience through a number of awards including the Award for Protecting Our Environment.

Four finalists have been selected for playing important roles in looking after the local ecosystem. They are:

The Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society has been recognised for its works to save the hedgehog population from perils such as discarded crisp packets to careless driving and more;

Known as Harrods of the west due to its niche collection of toys from the iconic London store, the Western Civic Amenity Site has been recognised for its public environmental messages through a recycling roadshow trailer;

Isle of Man Creamery made the cut with its green credentials around operational effectiveness and efficiency, plus further environmental initiatives such as its plant-based milk cartons;

And family business Ballakarran, which supplies lamb and Aberdeen angus beef that is 100% grass-fed and completely traceable, is up for the award due to its commitment to sustainable farming.

To share her love of the great outdoors, Julia launched The Outdoor Guide with her sister Gina Bradbury Fox and a team of like-minded enthusiasts who regularly post blogs and helpful information on walks, gear and how to be mindful of nature.

It’s not all outdoors for Julia. She is also a petrolhead, having presented Top Gear in 1999, Auto Sport in 2001, Stars in Fast Cars for BBC One in 2005 plus various other motorcycle shows. With many other incredible feats in the world of television and beyond, she has managed this successful career while raising her son Zephyrus and twin girls Zena and Xanthe along with her partner Gerard in West London.

For more information about this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence visit www.excellence-awards.im

Tickets are available. Call 695695 and ask for Rachel Kay or Trudi Williamson.