Hawkstone Farmers' Choir members speak of 'pinch me moment' after Britain's Got Talent win

It was a glorious moment of TV history, with plenty of tears, joy and a "pinch me" moment for those involved. The Hawkstone Farmers' Choir was named the winners of Britain's Got Talent's latest series, bagging the £250,000 prize, and a chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance. The 34-strong choir, which has 10 Welsh members, captivated millions of viewers with emotional performances throughout the heats, before a final - show winning - performance which included a powerful message highlighting mental health and suicide prevention in the farming industry. Set up by TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, he wanted to find a way to support farmers with their mental health. The choir's audition performance of Elbow's One Day Like This earned the coveted Golden Buzzer from judge Amanda Holden, sending them straight through to the live shows. After winning their semi-final with a moving rendition of Bastille's Pompeii, they reached the grand final, where they performed an original song, This Is Home, inspired by their farming roots. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter A select handful of the members were allowed on stage as hosts Ant and Dec delivered the results on May 30. Among them was heavily pregnant Rosie Jones who described the moment as “surreal”. The 34-year-old from Welshpool told WalesOnline: "The semi-finals, I think, were more nerve-racking because I think we had a point to prove that we weren’t just a gimmick. "By the time the final came around we were just so happy to be there and we were so happy with all the support and we just loved that song. Simon Gwilliam our musical producer wrote it and everyone had such an attachment to it so we really just went out there and had a good time at the final - which I think came across. "We were just so happy and excited to be there. "Unfortunately they could only have a certain number of us on stage which was a bit of a shame, but understandable. It just felt so surreal as they kept going down the numbers, then being in the final two with Celestial. "It was great to be on the stage and then to speak to Simon Cowell afterwards. It was quite a pinch-me moment actually.” Sending thanks to everyone who voted, Rosie said: “I think we got around 28% of the vote which is huge, so we really did have a lot of support. [I want to say] a massive thank you for supporting us and going out and voting. I don’t think farmers or rural people necessarily have the best access to the internet, so the fact that people did go out and vote for us means a lot. “I think it shows that we resonated with different people. We’ve had support from all different communities like the fishing community and anyone who wanted a positive story. Hopefully we can use whatever this opportunity presents to us in a good way, and continue doing good for the community.” The choir formed in May 2025 after more than 500 auditioned to become part of it. The group originally came together for a Hawkstone beer advertising campaign before evolving into a close-knit support network for those working in agriculture. Following its success it has become the first choir to have won the show in its 19-year history. Member Will Rogers from Presteigne said: “We’re over the moon. Everyone has banded that word around: surreal, and yes it is a pinch yourself moment. “We’ve felt the support all the way through, from the rural community and the farming community, and that's what we were trying to do, to raise the profile of the farming sector and shine a light on some of the issues that trouble farmers and people who work rurally. “We’ve had so much support and we are so grateful for that - but we didn’t know that was going to transfer into votes. It’s amazing that we've done it.” The choir want to use their new platform to talk about some of the issues encountered by farmers, he said: “It’s not just farming but the straw that breaks the camel’s back in farming is the fact that you’re alone. “You get all of these normal stress factors that come with running a business but with farming if you had to do everything by the book as other industries do, you wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of making money, so there is a lot of pressure. "You’re working on your own and it’s a pressured environment. You’re reliant on weather and you’re reliant on markets which you haven’t got a clue about what they’re going to do and when. "There’s financial pressure that everyone is under and these sorts of things can sometimes send people into a downward spiral. It culminates with the fact they’re quite often on their own and in their own thoughts which can send them into not a good place. “It’s about raising awareness that we all suffer from it and no one is alone; we all need to talk about it because we are all in the same boat together. We all need to talk to each other and share problems.” But mental health awareness in the farming community isn’t the only issue that he hopes the choir will help highlight. He said: “There’s also the health and safety side of things, because you’re on your own and because you’re working with animals and heavy machinery it’s a risky environment you’re in and there are a lot of accidents that happen.”