The 2024 International Sheep Dog Championships, hosted in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, showcased the very best of rural Scotland this year. BayWa r.e. UK were proud sponsors and thrilled to support such a beloved event being hosted in South Lanarkshire; an area which we have excellent relationships with the local communities. This year it was fantastic to see rural traditions being championed while also embracing the benefits renewable energy can bring to the future of farming.
Across three days of action-packed content the BayWa r.e. team, together with our guests from the local community, got to enjoy the whole competition firsthand.
Stuart Davidson, Head of Project Development at BayWa r.e. UK, said:
“This was a fantastic three-day event organised by the International Sheep Dog society. With a strong community presence in the South Lanarkshire region, through Dalquhandy and Broken Cross wind farms in addition to upcoming projects, it was great to see this event bring a real buzz to the local communities! We were delighted to invite along our connections within the local communities to the event to enjoy this remarkable occasion. Congratulations to all the competitors who took part and of course the winners.”
Sponsoring this year’s International Sheep Dog Championships is part of our programme of investment and support for communities in South Lanarkshire and across Scotland. It’s important that as many local people as possible share the benefits of renewable energy development.
In partnership with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET), we ran a series of workshops on renewable energy and rural farming practices to nearly 100 children from local schools. At the BayWa r.e. workshop, the children learnt about the importance of renewable energy to build a sustainable future. Engaging with a wind turbine and solar panel model to generate their own electricity!
To support accessibility to education, BayWa r.e. also provided transport for the children across four different local schools to attend the event, supporting teachers to bring the classroom outdoors for interactive education activities.
The team were also honoured to meet HRH Princess Anne to was visiting the event. The Princess Royal kindly took the time to visit the BayWa r.e. stand for an enthusiastic conversion about the importance of renewable energy to build a sustainable future. Learning about our education workshop, various wind and solar projects across the UK & Ireland, and our vital work with local communities.
Gemma Hamilton, Head of Commercial Strategy, celebrated the initiative:
“It’s always rewarding to see young people exploring the links between rural farming and energy for themselves. Sponsoring the International Sheep Dog Championships has been a fantastic and memorable experience for all parties. Investment in events that are important to the local communities we work with is important to BayWa r.e., and we were delighted to welcome those people along to celebrate the event with us.”
Congratulations to all the participants and winners at the International Sheep Dog Championships 2024, it was fantastic to see this incredible competition first hand. A special thanks to the International Sheep Dog Society for bringing this event to South Lanarkshire.
