UHI Inverness apprentice wins top honour at Lantra Scotland’s ALBAS Awards
Scottish School of Forestry student Stewart Smith received the much-coveted Overall Winner Award at the Lantra Scotland’s ALBAS (Awards for Land-based and Aquaculture Skills). As well as winning the highest accolade of the night at the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire, Stewart was also awarded Trees and Timber Learner of the Year and the Modern Apprentice of the Year Award.
Stewart from Cromarty on the Black Isle is studying SVQ in Trees and Timber through the Scottish School of Forestry at the Balloch campus of UHI Inverness, while working as an Apprentice Craftsperson with Forestry and Land Scotland.
UHI Inverness is also celebrating the achievements of Alejandro Casabuena who was runner-up in the Higher Education HNC category and Kirsty Gibson for being runner-up in the Trees and Timber category.
More than 200 finalists, event supporters, employers, training providers and industry leaders, including Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie, attended the 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.
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 Greenkeeper at Prestwick Golf Club.
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.
Highly Commended for the same award was a partnership between SRUC and Borders College supported by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE).
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 and 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.
ALBAS 2025 winners and runners-up:
ALBAS Overall Winner
Stewart Smith
ALBAS Overall Runner-up
Max Campbell
Modern Apprentice Award
Winner: Stewart Smith
Research Project
Winner: Eilidh Geddes
Runner-up: Robert Stewart
Higher Education Award BSc
Winner: James Douglass
Runner-up: Robaidh Halliday
Higher Education Award HND
Winner: Eilidh Simmons
Runner-up: Lucie Shand
Higher Education Award HNC
Winner: Charlotte Masson
Runner-up: Alejandro Casabuena
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
Secondary Schools Award
Winner: Selkirk High School
Runner-up: Auchmuty High School
School Pupil Award NPA Skills for Work
Winner: Ailie MacLeod
Lantra Mentor Award
Winner: Marc Pickering
Highly Commended: Darren Reid
Tam Tod Trophy
Murray Henderson
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).
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, said:
“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.
Issued by Lantra Scotland