Dr Marian Bruce
After spending many years in academic research, Marian founded Highland Boundary, Scotland’s first botanical spirits distillery in 2016, where she is director and master distiller. Award- winning Highland Boundary spirits are produced on her small, re-wilded family farm at Kirklandbank in Alyth, Perthshire where she also manages livestock, holiday rental and sculpture businesses. She was also Enterprise Manager for Affric Highlands from 2022-2024 and is a member of the Scottish Nature Finance Pioneers Group. As a biologist specialising in biodiversity, Marian’s understanding of the need to work with nature rather than against it is fundamental to her way of thinking. Marian currently leads Bioregioning Tayside’s landscape restoration work.

Clare Cooper
Clare is an independent creative producer, working across the fields of culture, nature restoration and tourism. She is co-founder and co-director of Tayside’s ‘museum without walls’, the Cateran Ecomuseum and with her sister, operates Vanora’s Cottages. Previously a member of Alyth Community Council and a founding Director of the Alyth Development Trust, she also served on the Local Action Group of the Rural Perth & Kinross LEADER programme from 2014-2021. She is a member of the Scottish Nature Finance Pioneers Group and co-leads The Alyth River-Keepers. Clare currently leads on Bioregioning Tayside’s fundraising, communications and operational management, including project managing three live projects – the River Ericht Catchment Restoration Initiative, Communities Monitoring Landscape Change and the Bioregional Financing Facility.

Kevin Frediani MSc., MICHort, F.Arbor.A

Kevin Frediani is Operation Manager for the National Trust in Angus, leading the stewardship of some of the region’s most treasured historic and cultural sites. Previously her was Curator of the Botanic Garden and Head of Grounds at the University of Dundee. His research interests explore how spaces become places imbued with emotion through the actions and reactions of people and environment. Kevin’s previous experience is in the management of complex projects in novel rural landscapes and non-rural places while delivering innovative solutions for the development of heritage landscapes, Botanic Gardens, Zoos and productive landscapes (including Urban Agriculture). Part of the core project team for Urban ReLeaf European Citizen Observatory, he is also a Circular Tayside Ambassador. Kevin currently leads of Bioregioning Tayside’s food work.

Ruth Watson, Food Ambassador
Ruth Watson is an award-winning journalist with a strong interest in food and drink, social justice, and sustainability. Ruth grew up in Edinburgh before going to live at Faslane Peace Camp for a couple of years. She moved to the Northern Isles where she worked as a radio and television journalist. Ruth was also a founder member of ‘Orkney Women’s Aid’. She moved to Glasgow, where she worked on topical discussion programmes with the BBC. Ruth lived in Malaysia and Australia for several years before moving back to Kirriemuir where, in 2017, she started ‘Keep Scotland the Brand’, Scotland’s clear provenance campaign, which she runs on voluntary basis. A founding member of ‘Sustainable Kirriemuir’, Ruth went on to create ‘The Kirriemuir Community Garden at St. Mary’s Field’, in 2019. Ruth writes regular food and drink columns for ‘The National’ newspaper and ‘Farming Scotland Magazine’, as well as being a director of the policy think-tank, ‘The Common Weal’. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys relaxing with her family.