ALBAS 2025 announced

Scotland’s top land-based and aquaculture trainees were celebrated on Thursday 6th March at Lantra Scotland’s ALBAS (Awards for Land-based and Aquaculture Skills) at the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire.

Over 200 finalists, event supporters, employers, training providers and industry leaders, including Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie, attended a glittering awards ceremony, hosted by Dr Jenna Ross OBE and Mike Duxbury of Inclusive Farm. Industry awards were made for agriculture, aquaculture, equine, game and wildlife, horticulture, land-based engineering, trees and timber and veterinary nursing.

As well as prizes for Overall Winner, Runner-up and Modern Apprentice of the Year, there were awards for Higher Education, School Pupil, Secondary Schools, Research Project, Mentor award, the Tam Tod Trophy for outstanding young learner, and the Anna Murray Award for Partnership Working.

The winners and runners-up for ALBAS 2025 were chosen by an independent judging panel made up of influential figures from across the land-based and aquaculture sector, chaired by Rebecca Dawes, Agri and Rural Communicator at JCM&Co and trustee of The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth.

The evening’s highlights included Stewart Smith receiving the much-coveted Overall Winner Award, the highest accolade of the night. Stewart was also awarded Trees and Timber Learner of the Year and the Modern Apprenticeship of the Year Award. Stewart from Cromarty in the Highlands is doing an SVQ in Trees & Timber through the Scottish School of Forestry UHI Inverness while working as an Apprentice Craftsperson with Forestry & Land Scotland. He said:

“It’s amazing to win an ALBAS award and to be chosen as Overall Winner is incredible. Thanks to Laura Henderson and all my tutors at the Scottish School of Forestry, Forestry & Land Scotland and my family for everything they have done. Thanks also to Lantra Scotland for presenting me with this award.”

Overall Runner-up was horticulture apprentice Max Campbell from Newton Mearns in Glasgow, who also won the Horticulture Learner of the Year category. Max is doing an SVQ in Greenkeeping at SRUC Elmwood while working as an Apprentice Green Keeper at Prestwick Golf Club. Max said:

“Winning an ALBAS award is a great feeling, and to be Overall Runner-up is more than I could have hoped for.  I’d like to thank Chris Dixon my tutor at SRUC, and my employer Prestwick Golf Club for taking me on as an Apprentice Greenkeeper and giving me an opportunity to work in this sector. Big thanks also to Lantra Scotland for this award.”

The Secondary Schools Award in recognition of schools with exceptional standards in rural skills training was won by Selkirk High School with Auchmuty High School as Runner-up. Selkirk High School has created a community woodland and orchard in Selkirk, where students between ages of 12 and 18 have planted over 1800 native trees and learned about tree identification, woodland habitats, sustainable forestry and care and maintenance of trees. 

The Anna Murray Partnership Working Award went to Borders College, Borders Machinery Ring (BMR) and Tarff Valley, who are delivering a Pre-Apprenticeship course in agriculture in partnership. This hands-on educational initiative is aimed at enhancing practical skills and knowledge.

Awards for Higher Education went to Charlotte Masson for HNC level, with Alejandro Casabuena coming runner up. Eilidh Simmons won the HND level award, with Lucie Shand coming runner-up. Robaidh Halliday was runner-up for BSc level, with James Douglas winning the award.

The Tam Tod Trophy went to game keeping Apprentice Murray Henderson of Forestry & Land Scotland, who also won the Game and Wildlife industry award. The Tam Tod Trophy is made in association with Countryside Learning Scotland to an outstanding young learner and was created in memory of the late Tam Tod, described as a well-loved gamekeeper, ghillie and lifelong friend of the countryside.

Other prizes on the night included the Lantra Mentor Award for most inspirational tutor, won by Marc Pickering, who works for Forestry & Land Scotland in Lochgilphead. The School Pupil Award NPA Skills for Work went to Ailie MacLeod from Kingussie High School through UHI NWH.

The ALBAS are organised by Lantra, the sector skills council for the land-based, aquaculture and environmental conservation industries.  Dr Liz Barron-Majerik MBE MICFor, Scotland Director, Lantra, commented:

“It is a privilege to be part of the ALBAS and to help put the spotlight on some of the incredible people in Scotland’s land-based and aquaculture sector, while also encouraging employers to look ahead at their future workforce.

“Everyone who was nominated for our awards should be proud of that achievement, but with the standard of entries continuing to get better each year, it means that our winners tonight are quite simply the best of the best from our sector. As well as being important to Scotland’s rural economy, they also play a vital role in their local communities and in caring for the environment. We were delighted to be joined at the Crieff Hydro by leading figures from industry and skills organisations, including the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie, and to have as hosts for the evening Dr Jenna Ross OBE and Mike Duxbury of Inclusive Farm. 

"Our independent judges under chair Rebecca Dawes contribute a huge amount of their own time and expertise reviewing the nominations and interviewing short-listed candidates, and the event could not take place without them.

"I’d also like to thank all the generous supporters who have helped make our event possible: SRUC, Confor, Salmon Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, Tarff Valley, Borders Machinery Ring, Horticultural Trades Association, NatureScot Peatland ACTION, Ringlink, SAOS, SQA, BAGMA, Equido Horsemanship, Bakkafrost Scotland and Andy Murray”.

ALBAS 2025 winners and runners-up:
 

ALBAS Overall Winner 
Stewart Smith

ALBAS Overall Runner-up 
Max Campbell

Agriculture Learner of the Year
Winner: Hannah Walsh
Runner-up: Emily Slater

Aquaculture Learner of the Year 
Winner: Derek Dunning
Joint runner-up: Lewis Henderson and Mary Collins

Equine Learner of the Year
Winner: Zoe Barclay

Game and Wildlife Learner of the Year
Winner: Murray Henderson
Runner-up: Fenna Whittaker

Horticulture Learner of the Year
Winner: Max Campbell
Runner-up: Patricia Berakova

Land-based Learner of the Year
Winner: Findley Reid
Runner-up: Callum Adams

Trees and Timber Learner of the Year
Winner: Stewart Smith
Runner-up: Kirsty Gibson

Veterinary Nursing Award
Winner: Caitlin Gilhooly

School Pupil Award NPA Skills for Work 
Winner: Ailie MacLeod

Secondary Schools Award
Winner: Selkirk High School
Runner-up: Auchmuty High School

Higher Education Award HNC
Winner: Charlotte Masson
Runner-up: Alejandro Casabuena

Higher Education Award HND
Winner: Eilidh Simmons
Runner-up: Lucie Shand

Higher Education Award BSc
Winner: James Douglass
Runner-up: Robaidh Halliday

Modern Apprentice Award
Winner: Stewart Smith

Anna Murray Award for Partnership Working
Winners: Borders College, Borders Machinery Ring (BMR) and Tarff Valley who are delivering a Pre-Apprenticeship course in agriculture in partnership.

Highly Commended: A partnership between SRUC and Borders College supported by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE).

Tam Tod Trophy
Murray Henderson

Lantra Mentor Award 
Winner: Marc Pickering
Highly Commended: Darren Reid

Research Project
Winner: Eilidh Geddes
Runner-up: Robert Stewart

To find out more about the ALBAS, visit www.scotland.lantra.co.uk/learner-year