Golden girl Sophie gets Gaisce award from the President

Influencer Sophie Bell from Virginia received a Gaisce award at Arás an Uachtaráin from President Michael D Higgins at the weekend.

“You have shown what it means to care deeply, to act responsibly and to strive for a more inclusive future,” the President told the Cavanwoman as he presented her award.

The 25-year-old part-time farmer and Masters student was the only Co Cavan recipient this year and was acknowledged on the national stage for her voluntary work, as well as personal and agricultural achievements.

Speaking to the Anglo-Celt, she added: “The award was for my work over the past few years for participating in certain activities and voluntary work, as well as reflecting on myself from the start of this award, to now, and how much has been achieved since then, inside and outside of agriculture.”

Elsewhere, Sophie is in a farm partnership. She also engages in freelance work and will finish her Masters Degree shortly. She believes there are numerous issues that continue to impact young people’s lives these days.

“As a general perspective, and from young people that are my age, they want to stay in Ireland and have a future here,” she continued.

Currently, despite doing everything correctly, as they were told - to get a good education, go to college, get a decent job, work hard and save as much as possible - it’s still nearly impossible to live here and afford to get on the property ladder or rent comfortably as most housing prices outpace their own income.

“All of this is inhibiting so many things, for our young people. These factors contribute to a sense of insecurity and frustration among young adults trying to establish their independence and stability in an increasingly challenging housing market.”

And from a young farmer’s perspective? “All these emotions can often be amplified due to the stress and tiredness most farmers can suffer from. That creates a sense of insecurity due to the lack of predictability within parts of the industry.”

Sophie is also a content creator and has amassed a huge following, both online and on social media. With around 120,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, her posts challenge misconceptions about women in agriculture daily.

She has also documented her Gaisce journey online.