Nominee Summary
Hailey is a young gamekeeper working for Chirnside Hall Hotel. She has completed college, a modern apprenticeship and has then been employed full time with us, Throughout her whole journey she has approached and overcome every challenge with a level of enthusiasm and dedication that is truly remarkable. She is clearly a young person determined to make her mark in the rural sector and has already proved that anyone can achieve their goals with hard work and a positive attitude. She is passionate about the countryside and the way the wider public perceive country sports and the issues around them.
Nominee – Qualities
Hailey started working for us as a 13 year old, washing dishes after functions in the hotel. A family connection to gamekeeping and a few days out beating soon lead her to enrol at Borders College to start her journey into this industry. When she first told people her plan, more than a few doubted if she had what it takes to make it in an industry that still has some pretty old fashioned attitudes at its core. Well, she certainly took that as a challenge and I'm happy to say she has more than proved herself. Everything Hailey does is approached with a level of positivity that is hard to believe, I have never heard her say "I can't do that". She will always give 100% to anything that needs to be done. I have been privileged to watch her mature from a young trainee into a competent and committed gamekeeper. Her progress has been fantastic, she now runs the beating team on shoot days, takes clients stalking and takes responsibility for feeding and welfare of game birds from start to finish. One area where she shines ( that is particularly important to us) is guest relations. Hailey really goes the extra mile to make sure all our clients feel welcome and want for nothing while they are here. She has so many qualities that are all worthy of an award, but the most commendable is her determination to be the best at everything she does.
Nominee - Sectoral Impact
Hailey has done a huge amount to promote the positive elements of rural Scotland and land based industry in general. She is currently the "Youth Ambassador" for the Southern Uplands Moorland Group (SUMG). This involves taking part in many events across the Borders and Northumberland. These include schools days (both primary and high school age groups), RHET countryside days and staffing the SUMG stand at agricultural show and game fairs. People engage with Hailey at the shows far more than some of the other keepers on the stands. I think because she doesn’t fit the stereotype of a gamekeeper that many have, people take time to listen to her and hopefully absorb some of the knowledge she willingly and enthusiastically shares. The younger kids on the schools days are always entertained by her and she has the knack of holding their attention and making them feel involved in the presentation. The high school kids appreciate someone closer to their own age talking to them, some of them may be considering a career in the rural sector and Hailey perfectly demonstrates that the industry is inclusive and welcoming. Along with SUMG she has donated ready to eat game meals to local food banks, promoting game as an healthy, accessible food to all sectors of the community. She has also featured on the "women in wellies" podcast talking about her experiences as a young woman working in the countryside.
Nominee - Going the extra mile
Hailey always pushes herself, she constantly wants to improve and be the best in whatever capacity she can. She still doubts herself, never stops asking questions and is always looking at ways to improve her performance. She is to be commended for this, too many youngsters think they know it all after a few years in the job. Even 30+ years in, I'm still learning new ways to do things (some of which have been prompted by Hailey asking "Why don't we do it that way?) She's far more talented than she gives herself credit for. This year she was invited to the LANTRA awards ceremony (ALBA's). Where she was presented with the "Tam Todd Trophy" for outstand young learner and also came runner up in the "Apprentice of the year (Gamekeeping)". She was also runner up in the SGA Young gamekeeper of the year award 2025. On a personal note, I've been a keeper all my days. I've seen a lot of changes, not all of them for the better. I was becoming genuinely concerned that the industry had no real future. Having worked with Hailey, I'm reassured that the next generation are more than capable of taking the industry forwards, adapting to the changes we will face and continuing to promote and educate the public about the rural environment. And if all that didn't keep her busy enough, she planned her pretty spectacular wedding in February.
