On March 6 and 7 we were joined by 12 of our Industry Champions for their annual knowledge exchange event. With the days falling either side of this year’s ALBAS, the event was hosted at the Lantra Scotland office in Perth.

On day 1, the Industry Champions had the opportunity to get to know one another a little better and we delivered our ‘how to do an event’ training. This was a very practically focussed session, largely about group work, role play and setting up a stand, with participants challenged to reflect on their own ideas, contributions and reasoning, as well as constructive feedback being given by other Champions and Lantra. There was a great atmosphere throughout the session and the mix of established and newer Industry Champions brought a huge range of experiences to the training.

The Champions were also treated to a relaxing rendition of Goldilocks, before being having their active listening skills put to the test – an activity that became unexpectedly competitive!

The group then joined us at the ALBAS and supported us by meeting and mixing with this year’s finalists, talking about their experiences and the benefits of the Industry Champions programme.

Day 2 on of the Knowledge Exchange event saw the Industry Champions travel Scone Palace, where they were given a very insightful tour of the landscaped gardens by head Gardener Brian Cunningham, who not only kept his visitors engaged but who also explored a range of topics through lively discussion.

In the afternoon, Industry Champion Niall Provan from Forth Rivers Trust hosted a group visit to the Allan Water to explore re-meandering and fisheries enhancement works that have been carried out on the river. He also discussed the many challenges that need consideration, including the perspectives of landowners, their land-managers and neighbouring areas.

These knowledge exchange activities are invaluable for our Industry Champions. Not only do they extend their knowledge and understanding of other industries, but they also learn how to support improvements elsewhere.  

By the way, if you’re wondering how many Industry Champions it took to go around a tree the answer is 10!