Photos from the Helping it Happen Awards 2023
Planning for the Helping it Happen Awards began in January, right at the start of the year. Over the following months a significant amount of determination, time and energy went into ensuring that the 7th annual celebration of the awards would go on to be the success that it was.
Supported by our Headline Sponsor NatureScot, the aim of the Helping it Happen Awards is to highlight the achievements of the forward-looking businesses, estates and individuals who are helping rural Scotland thrive.
This blog will showcase a number of photos taken on the night, demonstrating a clear display of the joy and celebratory mood on display throughout the evening.
On the subject of the photos, it would be remiss not to mention our photographer for the evening, Alan Rennie, who captured the feeling of the night through the photos available to view below. Alan’s work and website can be viewed here.
The Drinks Reception
As our guests arrived at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, they were welcomed with a drinks reception, generously sponsored by Trinity AgTech. Attendees enjoyed a glass (or two) over conversation with finalists and SLE colleagues!
While our guests enjoyed their drinks, finishing touches were made to prepare the hall for dinner, and main event. This is no small feat, and it speaks to the commitment and professionalism of the staff at the Sheraton for helping to pull this together. I hope you’ll agree that they did a fantastic job!
Welcoming speeches, a game for charity, and dinner
Once our guests had been directed to their seats, our host for the evening, Bruce Aitchison, of Happiness is Egg Shaped fame, got the evening started by welcoming our Chief Executive Sarah-Jane Laing to the stage to formally commence proceedings.
Following a quick word from our Drinks Reception sponsor Trinity Agtech, Bruce launched a game of Hit or Miss. This really broke the ice for a lot of people across the room, and people seemed to really enjoy themselves. In addition to being a bit of fun, the game played part of a larger, more important goal of raising money for charity.
We were delighted that donations raised by guests at the Helping it Happen Awards totaled £2,689, to be split between our three charities for the evening:
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- RSABI is a unique Scottish charity which plays an integral part within the agricultural community. The charity provide help to those throughout rural Scotland who find themselves in hardship, providing important confidential financial assistance and support.
- Doddie Weir was our host for the first ever Helping It Happen Awards will recall our fantastic host for the night Doddie Weir. In 2016 he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. Following this, he established the "My Name'5 Doddie" foundation which had raised £8 million for MND research by the time that he died from this condition in November last year.
- The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust exists to support gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies, and their dependants past and present. The Trust provides Financial grants, Educational grants and a Confidential Helpline with information and support on a wide variety of issues including health, retirement, redundancy, housing and employment issues but first and foremost as a confidential listening service.
The Ceremony and our winners
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for had arrived! Category by category, our guests were treated to videos created by our finalists, describing their projects and outlining why they deserved to be finalists (you can watch these videos on a separate blog here). As the results were revealed, the winners collected their trophies and our other finalists received certificates, ensuring that no one went home empty-handed! Scroll down for photos from the awards presentations, and for a full list of our winners on the night. Once again, a huge congratulations to all of our finalists and our winners this year, and we can’t wait to do it all again in 2024!
The 2023 winners are as follows:
The Award for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Scotland
Henry Graham - Henry has been involved in land management all his life. A farmer himself, he was also an advisor to the Scottish Agricultural College before becoming a senior figure in agricultural banking and then holding non-executive positions with SRUC, Forestry & Land Scotland and Lantra as Chairman for Scotland.
The Conservation Award sponsored by Anderson Strathern
East Neuk Corn Bunting Project - The Corn Bunting is one of the rarest birds in Scotland and one of its last strongholds is East Neuk where there is a remnant population of about 200.
The Education Award sponsored by SRUC
The Cairngorms National Park Junior Ranger Project - The Cairngorms National Park Junior Ranger Project is a fun and exciting way for young people aged 11-18 to learn about the outdoors.
The Enhancing Our Environment through Land Management Award sponsored by NatureScot
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative - The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative is an exciting and ambitious partnership project providing an innovative, community-based, strategic approach to the management of invasive non-native species at a landscape scale along the rivers of northern Scotland.
The Innovation in Farming Award sponsored by Douglas Home & Co
Arbikie Highland Estate - Owners of Arbikie, the Stirlings, have been farming for over 400 years, and since the three brothers who currently run it, Iain, David and John, added the distillery to their operation nearly a decade ago, they have made it their ambition to develop a ‘field to bottle’ model of growing, harvesting and distilling everything on-site.
The Iver Salvesen Award for Combatting Climate Change sponsored by Murray Beith Murray
Balbirnie Home Farms - Balbirnie Home Farms has been working with AHDB over the last three years as its Strategic Cereal Farm in Scotland, and an approach that has prioritised plant and soil nutrition to save money and reliance on chemical inputs has the potential to reduce variable costs across different crops, around £200 per hectare.
The Rural Business Award sponsored by Shepherd + Wedderburn
Leys Estate - Leys Estate is the historical home of the Burnett of Leys family and has been within the ownership of the family since 1323. As well as traditional rural activities, Leys Estate provides land and buildings for a diverse range of over 150 independent local businesses, community organisations and charitable organisations in addition to operating a number of Group businesses.
The Rural Property Award sponsored by Bidwells
Active Kids Adventure Park - From small beginnings, Active Kids Adventure Park has grown to become a destination venue for families. It provides educational play for children up the age of 12 years and now includes a full restaurant and kitchen providing home cooked meals for all to enjoy.
The Rural Rising Star Award
Claire Taylor - Claire Taylor is a specialist in communications within agriculture, food and the rural environment, and a Nuffield Scholar. She grew up on a farm on the West coast of Scotland, going on to study politics and International Relations at Edinburgh University.
The Tourism & Visitor Management Award sponsored by GLM
Duncan McConchie, Laggan - Duncan is Chief Executive of Laggan, a rural destination of excellence with tourism, hospitality and sustainability at its core. He is a board member of South of Scotland Enterprise and Chairman of the Scottish Wedding Industry Alliance.
The Working with Communities Award sponsored by Hampden & Co
Communities Housing Trust - Communities Housing Trust engage with local communities throughout Scotland with particular reference to the Highlands to promote, support and develop affordable housing plans and the wider benefit these bring to the local communities.
Two commendations were also awarded by the independent judging panel:
Highland Cinema - Located in Cameron Square in the heart of Fort William's High Street, the Highland Cinema replaced a dilapidated 1980s building on the site of the old town hall. The town had been without a cinema for 15 years. The client had a vision to improve the social life and the environment of the town through a new development. Over two years, the designs were developed, the existing building was demolished, and a bespoke cinema building and cafe bar were constructed.
Pick-ups For Peace - A charity set up to send vital aid to Ukraine to support them during their conflict with Russia. The charity sends used 4x4 vehicles loaded with useful items such as medical equipment, generators, clothing, food, hand tools, spare tyres, motor oil etc. donated by the rural farming community directly to where they are needed in Ukraine.
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