STAN Bargh's 50-year labour of love was officially recognised this week.

The Dales farmer was only ten when he began repairing every limestone wall on his 220-acre upland sheep farm.

And this week his Herculean efforts were rewarded when he was named Yorkshire's champion waller.

The biennial competition is organised by the Country Land and Business Association in association with the Yorkshire Dry Stone Walling Guild.

It is believed to be unique in that it judges long stretches of dry stone walls in the countryside, unlike agricultural show competitions where short sections are built on the day and then demolished.

Mr Bargh was born on his farm at Chapel-le-Dale, near Ingleton, which lies between the peaks of Whernside and Ingleborough.

The terrain includes scree slopes and steep cliffs and the winning section of wall runs almost vertically up a rocky fellside - but despite the difficult conditions it attracted an all-time record score of 94pc.

The judges were astonished to discover that Mr Bargh never uses a line or other equipment to ensure the walls run straight and are tapered.

"These are notoriously hard to build cobbly limestone walls," said Dorothy Fairburn, CLA Yorkshire regional director.

"The terrain is difficult, punctuated by cliff faces, outcrops and scree. Some of the walls are 6ft high.

"It is back-breaking work which Stan has had to do in addition to the rest of the farm work."

James Goodhart, CLA regional president, presented Mr Bargh with a glass perpetual challenge trophy on Wednesday.

"Dry stone walls are an essential and much-admired feature of the Yorkshire landscape," he said.

"This is why the CLA decided to play a major role in the revival of this traditional craft.

"There can be no finer example than your lifelong devotion to walling and the encouragement it has given to others."

Mr Bargh, who is a well-known breeder and judge of Masham sheep, said he had no intention of retiring.

However, he does plan to cut back on the sheep to devote more time to walling.

"I pack the fillings by hand, I don't chuck them in," he said, " I'm still learning a few tricks. In fact, I reckon I can do the job better and faster now than I could 20 years ago."

None of his four children has chosen to take up farming but one son who is a builder is currently converting a barn on the farm.