Borders firms help it happen in rural awards

Tom Rawson has been making bird boxes for schools with his wife Emma and sons Fergus, 8, Hector, 6 and Lochie, 4.

Now in its fourth year, the awards – organised by Scottish Land and Estates and sponsored by GLM – have become firmly established in recognising the role of estates, farms and businesses who are helping rural Scotland thrive.

Borders Bird Box took the Conservation Award after it supplied each of the 60 primary schools across the region with 10 boxes and associated learning resources to monitor and enjoy.

The independent judging panel were really impressed with the project and said it was an “innovative and effective conservation concept which has clearly made a difference already”.

Peelham Farm at Foulden in Berwickshire was awarded the Innovation in Farming Award after judges said it was “a great example of a farm that is constantly innovating, with a strong commitment to sustainable self-reliance and biodiversity.”

Forth Resource Management, with a site at Galashiels, was named winner of the SE Scotland Community Champion of the Year category, pipping Border Eggs and Roxburghe Estates to the title.

The organisation recycles garden waste generated across the region, handling 70,000 tonnes each year, and judges said it had “really stepped up during lockdown and had a real impact, making themselves accessible to a wide range of people, while promoting recycling.”

And Hudson Hirsel, based in Peebles, scooped a surprise judges’ Special Award for its outstanding work in house building in rural Scotland.

Handing out the inaugural award, the panel said Hudson Hirsel was “a fantastic example of the landowner working with the community ... challenging the status quo in housing”.

Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, born and raised in Kelso and who now lives on the family farm in Hume said: “I want to offer my congratulations to all of the winners from the Borders.

“The judges had a really tough time deciding on the winners for each category, but these entries really stood out.

“They have all made a considerable contribution to the environment, conservation and local communities across the Borders.”

Six other finalists from the Borders narrowly missed out on the top prizes: St Mary’s School, Melrose, finalist in the Education Award; Broadmeadows Farm, Yarrowford, and Jim & Graeme Sinclair, Crookston Hill Farm, Galashiels, finalists in the Enhancing our Environment Award category; Border Eggs & Maclean Eggs, Hutton and Roxburghe Estates, Kelso, finalists in the South East Community Champion of the Year category; and Borderlink Broadband based in Duns, finalist in the Rural Business Award category.