18 Aug OATS shortlisted in prestigious rural industry awards – Helping It Happen!
The Mountains and The People project in Scotland’s national parks and the Fairy Pools car park development project on Skye are both finalists in The Helping it Happen Awards 2022
OATS is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted in two of nine categories in the Scottish Land & Estates’ The Helping it Happen Awards 2022, supported by headline sponsor NatureScot. The categories focus on areas in which rural businesses are positively impacting Scotland’s economy and environment; and also how rural businesses interact with their local communities and with visitors.
OATS’ The Mountains and The People, the largest and most complex upland path project ever undertaken in the UK, is a finalist in the Enhancing our Environment through Land Management Award, sponsored by NatureScot. The £5.6m scheme, inspired, initiated, planned, and built by OATS, created and rebuilt footpaths on some of the Highlands’ most iconic hills, across Scotland’s two national parks, repairing environmental damage caused by walkers and preventing further damage. Seeding the budget with its own resources, OATS brought together agencies, and, crucially, won support from multiple landowners at 43 diverse sites. The project completed 120km of paths over six years. It trained 36 path-builders of the future and attracted help from volunteers across Scotland.
The Fairy Pools car park and toilets development project on Skye, in which OATS provided a unique solution to a local problem created by the global phenomenon of social media-driven tourism, is a finalist in the Tourism and Visitor Management Award, sponsored by GLM.
In recent years annual visitor numbers at Skye’s iconic Fairy Pools have risen exponentially, from 13,000 in 2006 to 180,000 recorded in 2019. The resulting car parking and toileting problems created in a remote glen, accessed using a single-track road, have been severe, with the local community suffering under the pressure.
OATS stepped in to partner with the Minginish Community Hall Association (MCHA) to come up with a solution that would also give OATS and the community additional income. OATS had to tackle a range of obstacles, including raising more than £800,000, to create the 140-space car park and off-grid toilets that have largely solved the problems. The extremely effective OATS-developed model of community partnership, based on a long-term site leasing agreement to benefit both the community and the local environment, is already being used on other OATS trailhead infrastructure projects.
The Helping it Happen Awards recognise the role estates, farms and rural businesses play in enabling and supporting success in rural communities, rural businesses, and rural landscapes, a true demonstration of the way in which rural businesses help Scotland to thrive.
Dougie Baird, CEO of the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland, said: “We are delighted that two of our most recent collaborative projects, together with the Board and staff, our project partners, funders, contractors, trainees, and volunteers, who have been essential to their success, have been recognised by Scottish Land & Estates.
“To be shortlisted in these prestigious rural business awards highlights the positive work we do developing, building and fixing upland and lowland paths, path networks, habitats and trailhead facilities in popular, remote, and fragile places throughout Scotland; supporting outdoors enthusiasts, land managers and local communities.”
Sarah-Jane Laing, Scottish Land & Estates Chief Executive, and a member of the judging panel, said: “Our judging day was such a privilege for all involved. It’s not often you see a hundred inspiring businesses, initiatives and projects all in one place and we all came away feeling inspired by and proud of rural Scotland.
“The judges noted, in particular, strong success stories of collaboration, national impact and projects which are going that extra step in terms of delivering for people and nature. Selecting the winners was no easy task but we look forward to recognising them, and all those shortlisted, at the ceremony in October.”
All award winners, in addition to a small number of special judge awards, will be announced at the Helping it Happen Awards ceremony which will take place on 5th October at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh.
