Winners from Skye down to the South of Scotland crowned in the Helping It Happen Awards 2022

Press Release

With winners covering many parts of Scotland, from Skye to the South of Scotland and many places in between, the Helping It Happen Awards 2022 have once again congratulated some of Scotland’s most innovative, diverse and imaginative rural businesses.

The Helping It Happen Awards, supported by headline sponsor NatureScot, enjoyed an in-person ceremony at the Sheraton Hotel, Edinburgh this week, for the first time since 2019. Hosted by member organisation Scottish Land & Estates which runs the Awards, the evening was compered by Bruce Aitchison, creator of the Happiness is Egg Shaped brand.

The Helping it Happen Awards have enjoyed growing recognition in their aim of championing rural business and entrepreneurship, highlighting the contribution of farms, estates and land-based businesses to their local communities throughout rural Scotland. Wide support from the rural sector and continued sponsorship from a range of dedicated organisations demonstrate a national enthusiasm to showcase the social, environmental and economic benefits brought by rural entrepreneurship.

Finalists were previously shortlisted for each of the nine awards by an independent judging panel, and the winners were revealed and presented with their trophies at the gala dinner on Wednesday 5 October.

The 2022 winners are:

• Tourism & Visitor Management Award, sponsored by GLM: The Fairy Pools Car Park and Off-Grid Toilets Development, Isle Of Skye – finding a solution to the huge increase in visitor numbers to one of Scotland’s most popular rural destinations.
• Rural Business Award, sponsored by Shepherd & Wedderburn: Skyeskyns - the sole remaining commercial woolskin tannery in Scotland producing some of the most beautiful and handcrafted sheep skins, leather and woollen goods.
• Rural Housing Award, sponsored by Velux:  Stracathro Estates – the building of eleven houses all for let to young, local, working families at affordable rents of around 40 per cent less than open market.
• Education Award, sponsored by Bell Ingram: The Be Your Best Self personal development programme – a programme designed and delivered for women in agriculture which forms an integral part of the Scottish Government’s vision to make Scottish agriculture a fairer, more inclusive industry.
• Working with Communities Award, sponsored by The MacRobert Trust:  Countryside Learning Scotland, ADHD Rural Connect – a countryside education charity formed in 2003 which provides countryside education, awareness, training, and career opportunities.
• Conservation Award, sponsored by Anderson Strathern: The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project - an exciting, ambitious, and collaborative project between land managers and conservationists working to increase the breeding population and range of golden eagles in southern Scotland.
• The Iver Salvesen Award for Combatting Climate Change, sponsored by Murray Beith Murray: Caledonian Climate Partners - an an environmental service and consultancy firm working with landholders, communities and businesses to revitalise Scotland’s peatlands.
• Innovation in Farming Award, sponsored by Douglas Home & Co: FastBreeders - a collaborative project involving four pasture dairy farms, using data to enable precise genomic selection decisions to maximise the health and efficiency of crossbred dairy cows.
• Enhancing our Environment through Land Management Award, sponsored by NatureScot: The Mountains and The People (TMTP) - the largest and most complex upland path project ever undertaken in the UK. The £5.6m scheme created and rebuilt footpaths on some of the Highlands’ most iconic hills, across Scotland’s two national parks.

Additionally, a number of entries were highlighted as worthy of special mention:

No Mow May, Elgin Academy

Wilson’s Farm & Kitchen

Joe Gibbs, Belladrum Estate

 

Scottish Land & Estates Executive Director, Sarah-Jane Laing, congratulated all the winners, finalists and entrants and commented:

“We are delighted that our first in-person awards ceremony since 2019 has seen such an array of wonderful businesses, each doing great things for rural Scotland. Entries were consistently strong and inspiring and judging once again very challenging. The highest standards, the latest technology and embracing the expectation to prioritise environmental sustainability are key challenges facing rural enterprises and I take delight in seeing many succeed in meeting these demands.

“Having the chance to celebrate with our winners in person this year has been incredibly rewarding. Our rural communities are fortunate to have so many champions and contributors.”

Claudia Rowse, Deputy Director of Green Economy at NatureScot, said:  

“These awards are an important recognition of the farmers and other land managers who work so hard to help their communities and the environment. The wide range of the projects, from supporting young farmers, restoring peatlands and native species like golden eagles, and building mountain paths and much more, is wonderful to see. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!”