SRUC Matters - Issue 7 2022

Welcome Alumni & Friends of SRUC

A warm welcome to this special Alumni Entrepreneur Network edition of SRUC Matters . This magazine reflects what I see every day in my role as Alumni Relations Manager – an inspirational community of enterprising alumni, staff and students, who deserve to be applauded in every sense of the word.

In spring, we were delighted to launch the Alumni Entrepreneur Network Awards. The inaugural event was a huge success and celebrated the talents of enterprising business people from our alumni community. You can read all about the event and our award winners’ stories in this edition.

Another first this year was the launch of The Enterprise Academy. This new project aims to develop an enterprising mindset in our current students, enhancing the business skills of future SRUC alumni.

This year SRUC also celebrates its tenth anniversary. However, our proud history stretches back more than a century and today we are on a journey to become an ‘Enterprise University’, the first of its kind in Scotland. We are proud that our alumni are already the driving force behind

Scotland’s economic growth, making a real difference both locally and globally.

Last but by no means least, I would like to thank our alumni who have shared their journeys. We really do appreciate you taking time to connect with us and are always delighted to hear from you. Your stories continue to be the inspiration for the next generation of SRUC students. As our alumni relations programme evolves, it is wonderful to see our former students coming together to create such a diverse and dynamic community.

I hope you enjoy reading this special edition of SRUC Matters

Bridgit Edmonstone Alumni Relations Manager Scotland’s Rural College If you studied or worked at SRUC, SAC (North, West and East of Scotland Agricultural Colleges), Barony College, Elmwood College, or Oatridge College - we welcome you to the SRUC Alumni & Friends Community. It’s free to join, so stay in touch to: • Keep up to date with SRUC news • Promote your business

Reconnect with classmates • Find out about job opportunities • Receive invites to SRUC events Update your details at www.sruc.ac.uk/alumni

Do you have a story to share?

you launched a new business?

you planning a class reunion? We are always delighted to hear from SRUC alumni to find out what people are up to!

Contact: Bridgit Edmonstone Alumni Relations Manager alumni@sruc.ac.uk www.sruc.ac.uk/alumni SRUC, Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate, Aberdeen, AB21 9YA

Back to the Future Where it all started

The Cherry on Top Fruitful diversification at Castleton Farm

Spring Chicken Dishes up Success New Entrant win for Katie Phillips

A Picture Perfect Evening Snapshots from the event

Speaking Out for a Brighter Future Alumni Champion Laura Young tells all

The Berry Sweet Taste of Success Lochy Porter talks innovation

The Heart and Soul of Sustainability An environmental man on a mission - Tommy Dale

Keeping Scotland Beautiful Spotlight on judge Barry Fisher

Mitchell, The Buffalo Farm

Award Nominations and Winners 2022

Environmental Sustainability

Finalists

Award

• Elaine Booth and Peter Robertson, Ednie Farm, Aberdeenshire

• Graeme Jarron, Ogilvy Spirits, Angus

• Andrew Stewart, Marshill Farm, Lanark Winner

• Tommy Dale, Forth Resource Management, East Lothian

Diversification Award

Finalists

• Richard Black, Lindores Equestrian, Fife

• Elaine Booth and Peter Robertson, Ednie Farm, Aberdeenshire

• John Sinclair, Craigies Farm, Edinburgh

• Duncan McEwen, Arnprior Farm, Stirlingshire Winner

• Anna and Ross Mitchell, Castleton Farm, Aberdeenshire

New Entrant Award

Finalists

• Morgan Reynolds, Halflawkiln Farm, Midlothian

• Neil Gilmour, Castle Game, Linlithgow Winner

• Katie Phillips, Pasture Poultry, Borders Innovation Award Finalists

• Scott Brown, Woodhead Farm, Midlothian

• Duncan McEwen, Arnprior Farm, Stirlingshire Winner

• Lochy Porter, Angus Soft Fruits, Angus Alumni Champion Award Finalists

• Peter Eccles

• Sally Williams

• Richard Black Winner

• Laura Young

“I was really proud to have been a part of the Alumni Entrepreneur Network start up, with such a great group of like-minded people, at all different stages of their diversified journeys.” Steven

BACK TO THE FUTURE

We look back at the story behind the Alumni Entrepreneur Network and find out how the close ties between Steven Mitchell, the owner of The Buffalo Farm, and retired Agriculture Programme Team Leader Bill Dingwall, led to the creation of the Alumni Entrepreneur Network - now a highlight in the SRUC Alumni Relations calendar.

Even before Steven was an Edinburgh Agriculture student, Bill had close ties to the Mitchell family, frequently taking students on study trips to their farms in Fife. Bill then supported Steven during his studies and was his lecturer for livestock subjects throughout his degree.

Steven founded The Buffalo Farm at Boglily near Kirkcaldy in 2005. Fifteen years later, he became the first Scottish producer of buffalo mozzarella. To fund his new production facility, he ran a successful crowdfunding campaign with various levels of a ‘Founders Club’ membership.

“In my retirement I wanted to do something of significance for the SRUC alumni community and combine this with supporting Steven’s buffalo mozzarella crowdfunding campaign,” explains Bill. This led to Bill proposing the idea for an SRUC Alumni Entrepreneur Network.

“I am now part of Steven’s Executive Founders Club and have donated my Club rewards, which include catering services and produce, to the SRUC alumni community in order to hold an annual Alumni Entrepreneur Network awards event,” continues Bill. “The aim is to encourage collaboration between alumni members and engagement with SRUC staff and students.”

After months of meticulous planning, the first Alumni Entrepreneur Network event, hosted by SRUC alum, lecturer and social media star Wallace Currie, took place in May 2022 with the evening culminating in an awards ceremony celebrating alumni industry champions who play a key role in Scotland’s natural economy. The evening got a resounding seal of approval from those who attended, including Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC Professor Wayne Powell.

“We’re very proud of all the alumni of SRUC,” says Wayne. “I enjoyed hearing the stories of the alumni entrepreneurs and their fantastic achievements. Our alumni entrepreneurs are driving Scotland’s economic growth while also acting as environmental stewards for the future.”

“Our vision was to create an inclusive group of like-minded people who embody the entrepreneurial spirit,” adds Bridgit Edmonstone, SRUC’s Alumni Relations Manager. “Whether you have your own business or are an industry champion, we encourage you to be part of our network. Connections and collaboration are vital for the success of an alumni ecosystem. I can’t wait to see our Alumni Entrepreneur Network grow.”

SRUC’s enterprising alumni are invited to get involved. You can apply to attend our 2023 event, nominate someone for an award or even volunteer as a category judge. For further information keep an eye on the alumni webpage, check out our 2023 newsletters, email: alumni@sruc.ac.uk or scan the QR code.

THE CHERRY ON TOP

Ross and Anna Mitchell, Diversification Winners

“At Castleton Farm, in Aberdeenshire, we produce the best traditional Scottish berries, which are grown, picked and processed on our family farm. We grow premium quality strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries. But we’re about more than just fruit. Always looking to the future, we diversify and adapt as the food industry evolves.”

Ross Mitchell’s decision to study Agriculture on the other side of Scotland from the family farm sealed his fate when on his birthday, three months after arriving at SAC Auchincruive (now SRUC), he met his future wife and business partner Anna

But as the old saying goes, “Farm in the east, wife from the west!” There was never a truer word when Anna, who was raised on a dairy farm in Ayrshire and studied Leisure and Recreation Management, moved to Aberdeenshire to begin life with Ross at Castleton.

In 1998, the Mitchell family decided to sell the family’s dairy herd to concentrate their efforts on soft fruit.

“In 2000 the first polytunnels went up which really revolutionised growing fruit in Scotland, protecting our crops from the weather and allowing us to grow higher quality fruit more consistently, providing retailers with the product they wanted,” explains Anna.

Diversification came in 2004 in the form of a seasonal farm shop selling berries, other local produce and ice cream.

“The success of the seasonal retail outlet gave us the confidence to open

our purpose-built café and shop,” continues Anna. “We felt we needed the café to create the footfall which would allow us to open all year round.

“I had worked in hospitality previously and had always found it enjoyable. My interest in the industry and the management theory learned during my course certainly laid the foundations to take Castleton to where we are today.”

The first Castleton café and shop was much smaller and has been extended over the years.

“In the beginning, we made jams to sell alongside our scones. The next step was to sell our jam in the shop. We were also selling strawberry tarts in the café, buying in tart jelly. I was horrified to see the ingredient list contained no berries so that led to us producing our own. We were lucky to be able to use the skills of the SAC Consulting development kitchen at Elmwood to formulate the product which is now sold in several retailers as well as commercially. SRUC even uses it at the Royal Highland Show in its milkshakes!”

Today, Castleton operates an impressive large retail outlet selling its own products as well as food and drink items from other local companies. The busy café has 180

covers and serves breakfast and lunches every day. The production kitchen turns out ready meals and home baking as well as jams, vinegars and tart jelly.

It’s a match made in heaven with Anna in charge of the day-to-day running of the retail operation while Ross manages the farm.

“We started with strawberries, then introduced raspberries and blueberries,” explains Anna. “As far as we are aware we are the most northerly commercial blueberry grower in the world. At the end of the northern hemisphere growing season, we were able to fill a gap in the market. We were then asked to emulate this with cherries so in 2011, we planted Scotland’s first cherry orchard. However growing techniques have moved on and the southern hemisphere now produces much earlier, so our production overlaps resulting in us competing with their berries.”

Diversification and technological advances continue on the Mitchell farm. Biomass boilers and CHP units heat the tunnels and create electricity to run the packhouse and provide energy for the farm buildings and accommodation. The farm’s fruit growing season has been extended as a result, starting in March and finishing in early December. At the height of the season, Anna and Ross have around 600 people living and working on the farm.

“Castleton Farm is a family business and the Castleton team is our family,” says Anna.

“And on a family farm where everything is done on site, we appreciate how working together, and looking after each other, helps us achieve more.

“Farming is in Ross’ blood through and through. He truly is an entrepreneur and has the passion to follow his dreams.”

Castleton Farm Facts

Castleton had the 1st cherry orchard in Scotland

They plant 3 million strawberry plants a year There are 1491 polytunnels – laid end to end they would cover the same distance as Castleton Farm to Glasgow

They use 250,000 bumblebees and 500,000 honeybees for pollination each year

SPRING CHICKEN DISHES UP SUCCESS

Katie Phillips, New Entrant Winner

“I often forget how far I have come with my little business; from a very humble outlook to supplying some of the best farm shops and top end restaurants in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders.”

Katie Phillips has come a long way since starting her business Pasture Poultry in October 2019 after noticing a gap in the market for high-welfare quality chicken. It was the perfect opportunity for a self-confessed “feather daft” individual who had kept chickens from the age of five.

The ethos behind Pasture Poultry is to turn back the clock on poultry production and supply customers with a slowly grown traditional free-range chicken that tastes great. The birds are all processed on the farm by Katie, at a minimum of 12 weeks old, to ensure welfare and quality is maintained throughout

the entire process. This also means customers have full traceability and transparency with the food they are eating.

“My customers have peace of mind that the meat they have on their table has integrity behind it and they can pick up the phone to ask me absolutely anything,” explains Katie. “There is no point in the process that I am absent.”

Katie soon became aware that her customers not only cared about the origin and welfare of the food they were putting on their tables, but they were also becoming more conscious

of what they were feeding their pets, and so the pet treats side of the business was born. This has proved to be very popular with some retailers, who have approached Katie directly about stocking her product. It is also a clever way of using up parts of the chicken that might otherwise be wasted.

Setting up a new business has not been a smooth road for Katie, what with Covid-19 hitting hard in early 2020, followed closely by Avian Flu, which is still a major issue.

“For all poultry producers this year has been incredibly worrying,” remarks Katie. “Avian Flu has not given anyone a break over the summer, and it is only getting worse as the winter months creep in. We are preparing to batten down the hatches for another Flockdown very soon.”

As if that wasn’t enough to contend with, soaring energy prices as well as the increased costs of other supplies, including feed which currently costs 25 per cent more per tonne compared to this time last year, are also having a significant impact on the business.

The processing of the birds on the farm relies heavily on electricity and Katie has seen her bill triple in the past year. To avoid increasing prices and pricing her product out of people’s budgets, she is now processing larger volumes of birds more frequently. The set up and clean down costs are the same if you process ten chickens or 100 chickens.

There is also the worry that consumers will start to tighten their purse strings as the cost-of-living increase impacts purchasing decisions. In a bid to get out there and reignite people’s enthusiasm about good food and quality produce, despite the doom and gloom, Katie is attending more local farmers’ markets.

Katie believes that NOW is the time British farmers need to throw themselves into the public eye and engage to take control of their own future. One thing she has learnt from starting Pasture Poultry is that people want to know about farming and have a genuine interest in production, management and costings.

“Now by no means am I saying that attending these farmers’ markets is going to give farmers the same pay cheque as sending a float of fat lambs or cattle to the factory because it isn’t,” says Katie. “However, doing your bit as a farmer in the UK to take time out of your day to speak to someone about the industry and being enthusiastic about what you do may just change their view or shopping habits. Without an educated public, British farmers do not have a customer base.”

It is hard to plan the next big adventure for Pasture Poultry until things are a bit more stable. Katie is considering venturing into the world of consulting and education to spread the word about what she does at Pasture Poultry. People frequently ask questions about rearing livestock themselves either to stock up the freezer or because they are considering setting up a similar business. So, what advice does she have for any future budding entrepreneurs?

“Don’t let your vision just be that. Get up every day telling yourself that your dream will come true, make small steps daily to achieve it whether that is just a conversation with someone or buying equipment to build a business. If you keep believing in your dream it WILL become a reality. I tell myself every day - nothing is impossible, some things just take longer to achieve.”

“My little business has just hit its third birthday which is the BIG milestone for new businesses. Winning the alumni award was a massive pat on the back and made me realise how proud I was of my little chicken business.” Katie Phillips

The Alumni Entrepreneur Network event was a fantastic mix of alumni, staff and industry leaders who gathered at The Buffalo Farm for an evening of great food, entertainment, networking and of course the 2022 awards ceremony.

A PICTURE PERFECT

“Our SRUC entrepreneurs clearly illustrate the diversity of our students and the wide skillset that they have developed during their time at SRUC”

Mary Thomson, Vice Principal –Skills and Lifelong Learning, SRUC

PERFECT EVENING

“Fantastic night. Making connections is great and really vital to the sector we are working in.”

“Really exciting. The first time we have ever held an Alumni Entrepreneur Network awards event and we were delighted to finally bring together our wonderful alumni community for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Julie Van Den Driesche, Advancement Manager, SRUC

If you want to apply to join us at the 2023 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards event, please email alumni@sruc.ac.uk

John Sinclair, Craigie’s Farm

SPEAKING OUT FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Young, Alumni Champion Winner

“ ”

I am honoured to have received the Alumni Champion award! SRUC is a powerful organisation which is challenging the agricultural industry to be the best it can be. I am grateful for this award and the recognition it brings to my activism work.

A self-confessed lover of the outdoors from an early age, Laura Young’s passion for the environment grew throughout school and ultimately influenced her studies. Just before embarking on a Masters in Environmental Protection and Management at SRUC with the University of Edinburgh, she set up an online platform called Less Waste Laura, which began as a small, fun way of documenting her personal journey to live sustainably, treading lightly on our planet.

Stumbling upon plastic waste and litter while on a New Year’s Day walk on a white sandy beach on the east coast of Scotland combined with the inspirational BBC series Blue Planet II, led to a resolution to cut down on waste. Little did Laura know that this simple decision to change the way she lived would grow into a community of more than 40,000 people.

“This has been a journey I have been on – it did not happen overnight,” explains Laura. “Over the last few years, I have really been able to reduce my waste, reduce my impact on the planet and live more sustainably.”

Laura’s social media platforms continue to grow, creating a community of activists. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube all under the handle @LessWasteLaura

Laura regularly speaks to the media, bringing her expertise to conversations about climate change, waste, sustainable fashion and environmental justice issues. Speaking engagements, online and in-person, have been a core part of Laura’s work, from TEDx and talks to schools and conferences to working with the private sector.

She works with businesses of all sizes from independent local shops through to global brands such as Volkswagen, Lush, Boots, Bin Twinning and the Scottish Government. Even the First Minister follows her on Twitter!

Since graduating from SRUC, Laura has been working for the international development charity, Tearfund, previously as the COP26 Coordinator and ‘Let’s Change the Climate‘ programme manager and now as an ambassador for Tearfund, attending COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. She provided daily COP27 updates on Times Radio during the early breakfast show

Laura

“When you buy something, it’s had a past. You are its present. What will be its future? What will you leave behind as your legacy?”

with presenter Anna Cunningham and was interviewed by Colin Murray on BBC Radio 5 Live and ITV presenter Peter Smith for Scotland Tonight on STV – all on the first day!

Alongside her professional experience, Laura has held a wide variety of voluntary positions, and is currently part of the 2050 Climate Group, Scottish Wildlife Trust Young Leaders and Marine Conservation Society Youth Ocean Network. Seeking to bring younger voices into influential spaces, she also sits on a variety of boards and advisory committees. Laura works with a wide range of organisations and has strong links with the media, including the BBC and Sky News.

So, what is next on the agenda for this awardwinning climate activist, environmental scientist and ethical influencer who is living proof that every single person on the planet has a sphere of influence?

Laura has decided to return to education, with a move to Dundee in October 2022 to begin a PhD in Climate Science between the University of Abertay and the University of Dundee as a Hydro Nations Scholar. Her project is entitled: ‘Enhancing Scotland’s resilience to climate

change – a blue-green infrastructure inclusivity framework based on community-centred nature-based solutions’.

Long-term, Laura will continue to fight for the environment, advocating for environmental education and climate justice. Her boundless energy and commitment remain strong, and undoubtedly, she will continue to harness the power of the internet and social media to drive her work forward which continues to have a significant impact on climate and environmental issues.

What advice does she have for any future budding entrepreneurs?

“Take every opportunity available! Saying yes is a huge part of how you build up your business, portfolio or network of people. I remember doing my Masters and having just one year to squeeze the most out of SRUC and the University of Edinburgh. I went to events, connected with staff and linked organisations and tried to always say yes to what was going on. It really pays off as after just a few months you feel more connected to your network and begin gaining momentum in your chosen field.”

THE BERRY SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS

THE BERRY SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS

Lochy Porter, Innovation Winner

When Lochy Porter started an HND in Agriculture at SRUC Edinburgh he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, he just knew he wanted to do some sort of farming. A one-year placement on a sheep farm in New Zealand helped to clarify things and he returned to his studies with a renewed focus and an end goal.

“I wrote to my dad in the airport as I was coming back,” says Lochy. “I said this is what I want to do and this is how I will do it – it was quite a long letter. I was absolutely focussed, determined and ambitious at that point.”

During his final year at SRUC, Lochy travelled

with his father to look at production techniques for strawberries. He saw new techniques and ways of growing fruit which was quite different from what had been done since his father started growing strawberries in the 1960s. Lochy graduated in 1990 and hit the ground running straight into fruit production, initially taking on a few acres of strawberries at valuation, followed by tenancy of the fruit business at East Seaton from his father the following year.

“I took out an overdraft and paid him a rent,” explains Lochy. “That was his thinking, which was a great idea, because it created my own

“Our business is all about innovation, having a hook and developing something that customers want to be a part of. The Alumni Entrepreneur Network award for Innovation is particularly important to our business - we try to innovate so the award means a lot.”

business and my own responsibility. It was for me to sink or swim.”

Within the year, Lochy started to develop his own soft fruit team. The expansion was quite rapid. Initially he was selling to a multinational but very quickly started to develop the idea to sell directly to customers to be closer to the market. The timing could not have been better as the whole agronomy in soft fruit was changing, as well as the growth in strawberries and the markets themselves. There was a move from wholesale to supermarkets which meant very little processing of the fruit.

“I could develop fruit, produce it and as you saw it in the retailer was how we sent it out the door,” says Lochy. “I was dealing directly with retailers and developing innovative ideas, new varieties, new packaging. With knowledge and understanding of agronomy we started producing raspberries in a season that no one expected we could. Lots of different doors opened.”

The year 1994 was busy. Lochy married Debbie and, along with his father and his father’s cousin, set up Angus Soft Fruits, now a leading supplier of berries to UK and European retailers, food services and wholesalers. Angus Soft Fruits breed, grow and source from around the world and pack berries to ensure consistent supply of the best tasting fruit for their customers. They currently operate in the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Morocco and Chile and work with more than 100 suppliers in 16 different countries globally. By 1996 Lochy and Debbie were able to buy East Seaton from his father.

“I remember just packing half a pallet of strawberries back then, loading a lorry and being quite pleased about it and now we are selling 28,000 tonnes a year!” remarks Lochy. “At the time it was only strawberries and raspberries. Now it is also blackberries and blueberries. We just do a little more each year, keep moving, keep progressing, keep developing and keep connecting with the market, with customers.”

In addition to growing and supplying berries to the retail trade, in 1998 Angus Soft Fruits started a breeding programme. The aim was to develop new varieties of raspberries and strawberries especially suited to Scottish conditions, which would extend the season as well as increase yields and improve flavour. The breeding programme has produced several premium varieties which are trademarked under the AVA name. AVA was the first new strawberry variety produced and

its superior taste and shelf life established the reputation of the business. An R&D Innovation Centre was set up in 2002 and has been a contributing factor in the overall success and global expansion of the business.

Lochy is keen to point out that he did not do this alone. He was lucky enough to marry a woman who shared his ambition, and they built the business together. Their son, Gordon, has joined the business and is currently working in the Spanish office. The family is also supported by a brilliant team of people who share the same values and aspirations.

“Once you have a clear plan and you want to do something, absolutely follow your dream. If there is a market opportunity take it. Always say yes to a sales opportunity, then work out how to deliver. You will find a way. You must be tenacious, determined and incredibly positive about it.”

MAKE A DIFFERENCE… SUPPORT THE STUDENTS OF TOMORROW

We are proud of our alumni community and are inspired by the support they show SRUC students: through giving talks, hosting student visits and tours and providing work placements.

To reach their full potential, some of our students need financial help.

In 2023 we will be launching our first appeal to our alumni asking for donations to provide bursaries for our promising students – helping them to go on to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs, leaders, change-makers and global citizens.

www.sruc.ac.uk/donate

Dale, Environmental Sustainability Winner

“To win the first ever Alumni Entrepreneur Network award for Environmental Sustainability means a great deal to me. The idea to start an organics recycling company directly stemmed from a college project on farm diversification.”

SRUC MATTERS / Alumni & Friends

Tommy

THE HEART AND SOUL OF SUSTAINABILITY

“I am hugely grateful for the support of all my SRUC lecturers and college friends. Without their support I would never have had the idea or the confidence to start out in business at such a young age and, alongside my colleagues, build Forth Resource Management into a successful national business.”

Tommy Dale’s plan to provide a sustainable recycling solution for garden cuttings started as an idea for a college project during his HND Agriculture course at SRUC Edinburgh. Previously, the material collected by councils and landscape gardeners was either sent to landfill or burned in bonfires – a huge waste of a valuable natural resource. Tommy approached his local council, and a successful trial took place with East Lothian Waste Services using garden cuttings collected from across the local authority.

In 2002, during his final year at SRUC, Tommy set up Forth Resource Management (FRM) with Ben Gray, funding the business with his student loan. A year later, third partner Alex Dunbar joined the team. Celebrating its 20th birthday this year, FRM now operates out of ten sites across lowland Scotland, working with 12 local authorities, recycling more than 150,000 tonnes of material per year.

“We take in the garden cuttings and, using natural processes, turn these organic materials into quality compost,” explains Tommy. “We now recycle farm plastics, make biomass and offer various other environmental based services.”

Never one to miss a recycling opportunity, when a change in Scottish legislation banned the incineration of plastic agricultural waste, FRM initially joined forces with Agri Cycle, based in Lincolnshire, to provide a farm plastics recycling service. The service allows farmers to fully comply with this change in legislation while providing an auditable recycling solution for all the materials collected.

“Huge amounts of plastic were being incinerated on farms across Scotland,” says Tommy. “We take in triple rinsed chemical drums, fertiliser bags and silage wrap from farmers and bale them. They are then sent on to specialist processors where they’re

shredded and recycled into a range of new plastic products.”

Tommy is fully committed to running a business with both a positive environmental and social impact as well as a strong community focus. From beach cleans and charity fundraisers to donating compost to local schools and community projects, FRM continues to give back to the local community and provide educational opportunities to benefit both future generations and the environment.

“As a business, as well as having a green conscience we try and do our bit to be as socially inclusive as possible,” says Tommy. “We have a policy of inclusivity, and we try to create work opportunities for people who may otherwise struggle to find employment.”

You could say that recycling is in his blood. In the past, Tommy’s great grandfather had a swill run round the hotels in Edinburgh, collecting food waste and feeding it to the pigs on his two farms. Fast forward to today – the food waste goes to an anaerobic digestor on the edge of the city. The methane is harvested and used to power generators to create renewable electricity. The remaining soup, digestate, is taken from the plant by Tommy and his team, supplied to local farmers and spread on their fields by FRM as a natural fertiliser.

It is heartening to think that progress is happening and people like Tommy are paving the way for sustainable, ethical businesses with a social conscience that care. It is hard to say what is next on the horizon for this ‘man on an environmental mission’ but meantime, what words of wisdom does Tommy have for anyone thinking of starting up in business?

“Have total belief in your business idea and fully commit to making a success of it. It will not be easy and there will be bumps in the road. It will take time and you may miss opportunities to travel and socialise, but these costs are far outweighed by the satisfaction gained from building your idea into a successful enterprise.”

KEEPING SCOTLAND BEAUTIFUL

Where did you go from here?

I had a real passion for sailing, but inevitably it was time for a change, and I moved to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, leading on training and development. Three years later I had the great privilege of becoming Director for Scotland, working with all schools and expanding the programme into the criminal justice and university internship sectors. We should never underestimate the power of skills development and achievement in young people. I was in that role for ten years.

Like many young people, I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do when I left school. I was lucky to grow up on Arran surrounded by the sea and had dreamt of becoming an Outdoor Education Instructor. The best thing that could have happened was a change in circumstances which led me to study Leisure and Recreational Management at what was then SAC. Had I become an instructor, I would never have been aware of what was possible in terms of a career path. I was still passionate about outdoor education, so I continued to volunteer during my studies. Volunteering together with my degree gave me a much broader perspective.

Shortly after graduation I took a gap year as a volunteer with Ocean Youth Trust, sailing with young people from the UK to New Zealand. It was a fantastic voyage of self-discovery. Around that time I was offered the Scottish Manager’s role, which allowed me to apply the management theory I had learned during my studies. A few years later I sought charitable status and formed Ocean Youth Trust Scotland. That’s when I became more aware of the benefits of a broad business education.

I have fantastic memories, had tremendous fun and met some incredibly interesting people. Although based in Edinburgh, I still believed it was important to highlight the success of island communities and recognise the challenges that many rural areas face in supporting young people to succeed. My rural background has never left me, and I am now delighted to be living in Perthshire where agriculture and forestry are such an important part of daily life.

Tell us about your current role at Keep Scotland Beautiful

In March 2020, I became Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, the charity which works to combat climate change, reduce litter and waste, and protect and enhance the places we care for. It was an interesting time to take on leadership of any organisation. I arrived in post as everyone was sent home due to the pandemic! We have an amazing team who did extraordinary things and seamlessly moved a lot of activity online but like a lot of organisations, we are now glad to be back in our new Hub. The cross fertilisation across teams is tremendous.

Bridgit Edmonstone caught up with alum Barry Fisher, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, to find out how his student days and interest in volunteering helped shape his career and his lifelong passion for environmental issues and the great outdoors.

Barry sat on the judging panel for the Environmental Sustainability category of the Alumni Entrepreneur Awards.

What we do to reduce litter and waste, and our work with communities, really resonates across our individual teams. The organisation works not only with young people but with whole communities. Through our programmes, we strive not only to help Scotland achieve its Net Zero ambition but to improve the places where people live and work as well as help with inward investment.

Tell us about judging the Environmental Sustainability category

What makes Keep Scotland Beautiful unique is that we like to celebrate when people take action, like those organisations nominated

for the Environmental Sustainability award. The variety of approaches presented by the nominees was impressive and a great example of the creative ways that SRUC alumni businesses are embracing the opportunities presented because of climate change. Raising the profile of the success of the nominees is an important way to share interesting and impactful business ideas with the sector.

Both the environment, and seeking to engage young people with activities dependent on clean, healthy surroundings, has always played a massive part in my career, so it was a real pleasure to be a judge in the Environmental Sustainability category.

“We should never underestimate the power of skills development and achievement in young people.”

Alumni are eligible for a 15% discount off SRUC Masters Programmes. Find our range of Postgraduate courses at www.sruc.ac.uk/pgdiscount.

As a valued member of the alumni community, we are offering a continued two-year careers advisory service with one-to-one advice and guidance. Contact alumni@sruc.ac.uk to book an appointment.