'Helping it Happen' Rural Awards nominations deadline extended

Following a flood of entries at the Royal Highland show and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust Game Fair, Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) has extended the entry deadline for its Helping it Happen awards until 20th July.

The Helping it Happen campaign aims to highlight how landowners and rural businesses across Scotland play a key role in enabling and supporting success in rural areas. This campaign provides case studies covering a diverse range of sectors, including examples such as providing affordable rural housing, the development of renewable energy schemes and partnerships with local schools to deliver rural skills qualifications. For more information, visit www.helpingithappen.co.uk.

SLE director, Sarah-Jane Laing explained,

"We are delighted with the high number of entries received to date, and hope we can convince many more rural business from all sectors to share their stories of business and community success.

"We created the Helping it Happen campaign to try to increase awareness of the many instances of landowners and businesses working with communities and others to deliver a huge range of positive activity from employment creation to educational opportunities and local conservation projects.”

Scottish Land & Estates created the Awards in 2017 in recognition of the contribution made by rural businesses to all aspects of their local communities. Entries from diversified farm businesses, commercial enterprises, estate and land-based businesses, community partnerships and many more have been submitted for judging to the panel of experienced business owners and sector leaders.

Entries from diversified farm businesses, commercial enterprises, estate and land-based businesses, community partnerships and many more have been submitted for judging to the panel of experienced business owners and sector leaders.

The awards categories cover tourism, education, housing, innovation, conservation and the environment, and invite the general public to nominate a relevant business as well as direct nominations from entrepreneurs and owners. Judging criteria centre around the involvement, impact and effect of a business on its local community, with the aim of demonstrating the extent of these positive outcomes throughout rural Scotland.

The Awards will be judged over the summer and presented at a gala event at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh on the evening of 3rd October.

Entries are open to all rural businesses and can be submitted online at www.helpingithappen.co.uk