Borders College BASE Mountain Biking Programme receives top accolade

Borders College has plenty reason to be cheerful after their BASE Mountain Biking Programme bagged the Academic to Business Project of the Year Award at the recently held Scottish Mountain Biking Awards.

Attended by Darren Burns (Curriculum and Learning Manager for Sport and Outdoor Activities at Borders College) and Andy Barlow (Dirt School), the event was held locally in the Tweed Valley, after previously being held in Glasgow and Aviemore.

Andy Barlow, of Dirt School, who work in conjunction with Borders College to deliver the BASE programme, was delighted to be able to collect the award at the event, which was attended by over 170 guests.

The annual awards profiles a range of achievements from world-class riders to key grassroots volunteers and innovative businesses, and celebrates the progression, development and sheer good fun of being involved in the Scottish mountain bike scene.

The BASE Mountain Biking course is a performance based, three-year full-time academic programme that allows the students to ride their bikes and work on their technique two days a week while attaining a recognised HN level qualification.

Over the years, the course has produced some of the finest talent in the world of mountain biking, as well as creating an inclusive environment that has allowed over 100 young people to learn important life skills.

The excellent reputation that Borders College and Dirt School have achieved over the last ten years, along with the economic benefits this course has brought to the Borders region, was the driving force behind the award nomination, so to receive this on the night was a great honour.

Darren Burns commented:

“It is great for the course to be recognised in this way, and is a reflection of all the hard work that staff and students put in.  We have had a lot of success from the course but we don’t take anything for granted.  We are continuing to work to make the course even better and more successful”