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Covid-19 community champions in Ross-shire urged to enter Scottish awards


By Philip Murray

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PEOPLE and businesses in rural Ross-shire who have gone the extra mile to help their community during lockdown or those who have changed their business to deliver a local service are being urged to enter a national awards.

Organised by Scottish Land & Estates, the annual Helping it Happen Awards, which are free to enter, showcase the work done in 2019/20 by businesses, farms and estates to help rural Scotland thrive.

Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates said: “With everything that has happened over the past few months, we think it is important to shout about and celebrate the fantastic work going on in rural Scotland.

"We have heard of so many wonderful examples of people working together during the Covid-19 pandemic, so we are especially encouraging entries to our new ‘Community Champion of the Year’ category.

“If you have helped your local community during the pandemic, diversified your business in a quirky way, are doing fantastic innovative work on your farm, or perhaps you have been doing some really important work in conservation, the environment or educating kids about rural Scotland, you should enter our free national Helping it Happen Awards – or nominate someone else! A family member, employee, colleague or neighbour could all be worthy of an accolade!”

The Helping it Happen Awards are sponsored by GLM. To ensure people who have gone above and beyond during lockdown are recognised across Scotland, there will be a special ‘Community Champion of the Year’ award across five Scottish regions.

Since their inaugural year in 2017, the annual awards have firmly established the contribution that many businesses and groups make to the environment, employment, food, drink and tourism and education in the countryside.

The awards categories for 2020 are:

  • Conservation Award sponsored by Anderson Strathern
  • Enhancing our Environment Award sponsored by SNH
  • Iver Salvesen Green Business Award
  • Rural Business Award
  • Innovation in Farming Award sponsored by Douglas Home & co
  • Education Award sponsored Bell Ingram
  • Highland Community Champion of the Year sponsored by GLM
  • North East Community Champion of the Year sponsored by GLM
  • Central Scotland Community Champion of the Year sponsored by GLM
  • South West Community Champion of the Year sponsored by GLM
  • South East Community Champion of the Year sponsored by GLM

The awards are free and simple to enter via the SLE website, or search for ‘Helping it Happen Awards’ online. People can nominate themselves or someone else. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, August 5.

Finalists will be announced late summer, with the winners being announced and celebrated in the autumn.

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