The Partnership’s 2020 Biodiversity Champion Award Winners
Our Biodiversity Champion Awards aim to acknowledge and celebrate the individuals and organisations who help our wildlife.
The Partnership first presented the Biodiversity Champion Awards in 2017. Even while the loss of wildlife might frequently feel “too big” or “to difficult” for one person to handle, our winners demonstrate that small actions added together do make a difference. Hopefully, they will inspire you to join in and help turn around the Biodiversity Crisis recognised by the Scottish Government.
Originally scheduled to take place on March 20, 2020, as part of Climate Week North East 2020, was our Seminar and Awards day. Unfortunately, health concerns related to the COVID-19 virus forced the cancellation of this, as well as many other public activities. At first, our plan was to just postpone the event till a later time of the year. But as time went on, it became evident that we would not be able to give our prize winners even a small in-person presentation.
Instead, our 2021 Awareness & Involvement Group Chair, Ewen Cameron, delivered a video presentation of each of our award winners. In addition, a video message from Mairi Gougeon, who served as the MSP for Angus North and Mearns and as Minister of Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment from June 2018 to December 2020. If we had met in person, Mairi Gougeon would have presented the prizes to our 2020 Biodiversity Champion Award Winners.
Biodiversity Champions
NESBats – The North East Scotland Bat Group
Course Manager Richard Mullen from Banchory Golf Club
Beth and Roger Polson from Knock Farm, Huntly
Matthew Agnew from the Bin Rangers Club
Kirsten Dickson from the Aberdeen Wildlife Watch Group
Cally Smith from the Huntly & District Swift Group
The Huntly and District Development Trust
Dan Gordon from Kirkside Farm, Banff
The Branching Out South Aberdeenshire Group
Lifetime Achievement Award
David Welch
The Award Winners
The 2020 Biodiversity Champion Award winners were all nominated by members of the Partnership’s Management Group, Steering Group and Awareness & Involvement Group. We asked these members to nominate individuals or groups they thought deserved to be recognised for making a real difference for their local environment. These nominations were then whittled down to ten Biodiversity Champion Awards and one Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Partnership would like to express its sincere gratitude and congratulations to all of the 2020 Award recipients, even if we are regretfully unable to hold the more formal celebration that our award recipients so richly deserved. We think you are all a true example to others since you have all gone out there and really improved your local environment.
So if you are sitting at home right now, feeling inspired from learning about our award winners, the question is – what are you now going to do to help your local biodiversity?
Why not start by looking the through the News, Projects and other Pages on our website. You can also follow our Facebook Page and join our online Wildlife Gardening Group.
Biodiversity Champion Award