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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 2024

All views expressed are our own.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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_Agri

Episode Recorded on 16th July 2024

All views expressed are our own.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.