Oatridge students triumph again at Lantra Awards
04 March 2011
Former Oatridge College students Scott Simpson and Rebecca McWilliams amassed enough trophies to grace FOUR mantelshelves when they took the top titles at a national awards ceremony run by Lantra Scotland, the sector skills council for the landbased and aquaculture industries.
Scott, a 22 year old agricultural engineer from Bute, became the sixth Oatridge nominee to be named Landbased Learner of the Year in the last seven years of the Awards, while Rebecca, who is 20, from Irvine in North Ayrshire and hoping to become a farrier, was runner-up. Both also left the ceremony in Crieff with healthy cash prizes.
It was Scott who got the ball rolling for Oatridge College, when he picked up the category award for Agricultural Learner of the Year, but he was quickly followed by Rebecca, selected as Equine Learner of the Year, with a current Oatridge student, 20 year-old Susan Torrance from Raploch in Stirling, picking up the prize as the runner-up Equine Learner of the Year.
The highlight of the ceremony came right at the end of the evening when Rebecca was named over-all runner-up and then Scott, who works for agricultural engineers Hamilton Brothers in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, was declared over-all Landbased and Aquaculture Learner of the Year for 2010 to 
cheers from the guests.
Oatridge College Principal David James said later: "Oatridge has a remarkable record in these, the most important awards for the landbased industries in Scotland. Everyone at the College will be immensely proud of these three learners. The competition gets stiffer every year and this time there were a record 61 entries from all over the country. Scott, Rebecca and Susan have once again demonstrated the quality of our learners and the success of our basic aim, to help all learners reach their full potential."
Scott admitted that he was stunned by his success: "I was really pleased to get as far as the finals, but this is almost unbelievable," he said.
For Rebecca her awards could not have come at a better time. "I've been trying for months to find an apprenticeship with an approved training farrier and I have appointments to be interviewed by some prospective employers and this can only help my chances of being taken on," she said. Susan said she was delighted to be named runner-up to Rebecca: "I'm just pleased to get my award and I think Rebecca really deserved hers," she said.
Prizes were presented by Richard Lochhead, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment in the Scottish Government.
