Women In Wellies

Deirdre Stewart is Programme Director for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, leading the Trust’s project at Dalnacardoch, Blair Atholl. Having been a practising land agent for well over 20 years with a focus on the management of upland estates across Perthshire, Angus and Deeside, Deirdre brings her passion for all things rural, with a focus on deer and wildlife management to our conversation. Join us as Deirdre takes us from growing up as a crofter’s daughter in Inverness-shire with days spent rolling wool, plucking grouse and getting her hands dirty through university, life as a female land agent and on to life as a female factor! Deirdre reminisces on highs and lows, the challenges and opportunities she has been afforded over the course of her career so far and the fantastic people she has met, collaborated with, worked alongside and had the privilege of learning from. We discuss change in the sector, the impact of a new type of landowner and the opportunities this presents for new skills and therefore people to enter rural Scotland. An often familiar theme across Women in Wellies episodes, we chat about self-confidence and the power of having conviction, a firm footing in your knowledge.Deirdre rounds out season 1 of Women in Wellies and her episode with some fantastic advice and another endorsement for the Scottish Rural Leadership Programme!Connect with Deirdre on social media : LinkedIn - Deirdre Stewart \\ Instagram -  @deirdrefstewart Episode Recorded on 10th July & 27th August 2024.All views expressed are our own.

In the third of our ‘Next Generation’ episodes we are joined by Hailey Anderson. Hailey is a gamekeeper in the Scottish Borders working on a low ground pheasant shoot having joined the business working in the kitchens at the age of 13. Join us as Hailey shares her journey from the kitchens to joining the keepering team, how she has found her place as a young female in a traditionally male dominated environment and her passion is certainly infectious. The journey from beating in her pink wellies and yellow waterproof to the pride in rearing the pheasants and seeing a successful shoot day demonstrate Hailey’s determination to succeed.Hailey shares how her Papa was her inspiration, how those around her who she has worked with have built her confidence and how she has built physical strength to conquer the demands of the job. We discuss college, the future of the sector and inspiring others to consider roles within the rural sector through her work with Scotland’s Regional Moorland Groups before rounding out the conversation with her goals for where she’d like to be in five years time! We certainly can’t wait to see all Hailey achieves next so do tune in and hear what she has to say!This episode is sponsored by the Landed Estates and Rural Business Team at Henderson Loggie Chartered Accountants.Connect with Hailey on social media : Instagram : @haileyanderson05 \\ Tiktok : @haileyanderson151  Episode Recorded on 28th July 2024All views expressed are our own.

Eleanor Kay is Senior Policy Advisor - Agriculture & Climate Change at Scottish Land & Estates. Eleanor is a passionate advocate for farming and integrated land management, working with land managers and partners to develop clear messages for influencing policy makers and seeker of solutions for land managers looking to adapt to climate change and work with nature. Join us as Eleanor’s passion for people, agriculture and her time working with peas all come together in this conversation. Eleanor shares how her upbringing in an agricultural family shaped her love for the sector and how she overcame challenges of deafness and extensive surgery to thrive at school, develop a love for learning and research and instill her love for reasoned arguments and challenging assumptions.Eleanor discusses her roles with Scottish Land & Estates, the US Embassy and the draw of a return to domestic policy and “doing it for my own farmers” with a return to Scottish Land & Estates at a time of change for policy in the UK. We discuss the importance of representative voices influencing our policy making and the determination Eleanor brings. She also shares her experience of reaching an Endometriosis diagnosis, the impact this has had on her and draws a fantastic comparison between land management / farming and managing endo. We round out the episode chatting about Women in Agriculture Scotland, the Farmer’s Club and Cricket!Find out more about Scottish Land & Estates here : https://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/This episode is sponsored by the Rural Scotland team at Savills.Connect with Eleanor on social media - LinkedIn - Eleanor Kay \\ X - @agrieleanor \\ Instagram - @Eleanor_AgriEpisode Recorded on 16th July 2024All views expressed are our own.

Alison Baker is the Restoration Director at the Atlantic Salmon Trust.  A self-confessed disruptor, Alison creates solutions and works with partners across the country to deliver an agenda to make a difference across rivers and the landscape for the benefit of species, including ourselves. Join us as Alison shares her career from life as Building Surveyor in London, to undertaking an MSc in Environmental Management, becoming Clerk of the Forth District Fishery Board and Director of the Forth Rivers Trust, and recently joining the Atlantic Salmon Trust.  We dive into the world of wild Atlantic salmon, including the benefits of riparian planting, the factors of decline and the impact of working at a landscape scale.  We discuss some of the projects Alison has been involved with, like Project Laxford on Reay Forest Estate, and building the largest rock ramp in the UK on the River Almond.Alison also shares her experience of navigating and overcoming some major challenges, including the Wild Fisheries Reform, COVID, the threat of bankruptcy, and misogyny, and her modest view of her own inspiring leadership skills. Find out more about the Atlantic Salmon Trust here : https://atlanticsalmontrust.org/This episode is sponsored by the Landed Estates and Rural Business Team at Henderson Loggie Chartered Accountants.Connect with Alison on social media : LinkedIn : Alison Baker \\ X : Cold Clean Water \\ Instagram : @alison.rivermeanderings Episode Recorded on 27th June 2024.All views expressed are our own.

Julie Clark is the Lead Farmbench Manager at the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), responsible for the promotion of Farmbench throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North West of England.  She is also secretary for the West of Scotland Holstein Club and involved in supporting the Mauchline Young Farmers. Join us as Julie shares her journey from growing up in agriculture in Ayrshire, her experiences of Young Farmers and how her passion for the rural sector has built over time. Julie shares stories highlighting the benefits she has witnessed of peer to peer learning, shared experiences and bringing the industry together. We discuss the confidence built through young farmers and the desire Julie now has to give back to this community. We discuss how the challenges Julie has experienced, including her Mum’s cancer battle, have built her resilience and driven her forward.  We round out the conversation with some fantastic advice relevant to us all, not just the next generation, so listen in and let us know what you think!Ayrshire Hospice : https://www.ayrshirehospice.org/West of Scotland Holstein Club : https://www.facebook.com/westofscotdairyThis episode is sponsored by the Rural Scotland team at Savills.Connect with Julie on social media - Facebook : Julie Clark \\ Instagram : @jac140292 \\ LinkedIn : Julie Clark \\ X : @JulieAnnClark2Episode Recorded on 17th June 2024.All views expressed are our own.

Luisa Hendry is best known as the Scottish Geologist across her social media platforms, where she is the girl who makes videos about rocks. By day Luisa is a Senior Engineering Geologist working on construction projects across Scotland. Join us in a conversation with Luisa where we dive into some of the challenges she has faced as a woman in engineering, the drivers behind the Scottish Geologist videos and the opportunities it has opened up for her. We discuss the challenge of balance with such a hectic schedule and so much going on as well as the confidence the videos have helped Luisa to build.Luisa talks about her desire to inspire younger girls to show up as themselves alongside highlighting the opportunities to work in geology. This is a conversation filled with authenticity, passion and enthusiasm - you won’t be able to help but smile as you listen in and of course Yura, and Luisa’s other four-legged friends, join the conversation too!Fancy heading on one of Luisa’s Scot Rock Walks? Find out more and book here : https://www.scottishgeologist.co.uk/This episode is sponsored by the Landed Estates and Rural Business Team at Henderson Loggie Chartered Accountants.Connect with Luisa on social media - LinkedIn : Luisa Hendry \\ Instagram : @scottishgeologist // @scotrockwalks \\ TikTok : @scottishgeologist Episode Recorded on 29th May 2024.All views expressed are our own.

Sarah Millar is Chief Executive of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), the Public Body for the red meat sector in Scotland. Join us as Sarah shares her journey from growing up on a farm in Lanarkshire and working in her family's butchery business, to exploring different avenues in the food and farming sector including agronomy and organics recycling, before realising her passion and finding her niche at QMS. Sarah talks about the role the Scottish Young Farmers Association has played in her life, her involvement with the National Council of Rural Advisors, and having the opportunity to be heard and valued as a young person. We talk about the responsibility that comes with helping shape the future of not just the red meat sector in Scotland, but of her family and friends lives and businesses, and how she balances that with having a life outside work. Sarah gives us an insight into what it was like to go off on maternity leave at the height of her career, how she navigated being diagnosed with MS at the age of 24, and how she now makes a conscious effort to seize the day. This episode is sponsored by the Landed Estates and Rural Business Team at Henderson Loggie Chartered Accountants.Connect with Sarah on social media - LinkedIn : Sarah Millar / Quality Meat Scotland \\ Instagram : @qmscotland Episode Recorded on 7th March 2024.All views expressed are our own.

Having started her career working as a freelance stage manager in theatre and opera, Ros Wardman is now Forest Industries Advisor with Scottish Forestry, alongside being a Mum and passionate advocate for forestry and the wider sector. Join us as Ros shares her story of swapping the wooden boards of the stage for the real thing as she studied forestry at Newton Rigg. Since then Ros has been working across south and central Scotland in a variety of roles with Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Forestry. Her love of forestry began on family holidays and days out so, despite growing up in urban Liverpool, Ros has a deep rooted love for forestry and woodlands. We discuss the challenges Ros has overcome - progressing on return from maternity leave, a male dominated sector and so much more besides. Ros demonstrates her passion and advocacy for forestry and the development of small businesses that are connected to the sector through the stories she tells us and experiences shared. If you’ve been inspired by this conversation and want to know more about a career in forestry then do reach out to Ros Wardman - she’d be delighted to speak to you.This episode is sponsored by the Rural Scotland team at Savills.Connect with Ros on social media - LinkedIn : Ros Wardman MICFor / Scottish Forestry \\ Instagram : @scottishforestry \\ X : @scotforestryEpisode Recorded on 27th February 2024.All views expressed are our own.