Phil Ellis, a Scottish Borders ghillie who has expanded his role to include extensive conservation of the river environment, has been awarded the 2024 Tweed Forum River Champion Award.
The prestigious annual accolade is now in its ninth year and is presented by the Borders environmental charity to an individual with an outstanding commitment to protecting preserving and enhancing the River Tweed and its surrounding natural, built and cultural heritage. The river has a catchment of 5,000 km² – 86% in Scotland and 14% in England – and in addition to its environmental importance, supports over 500 jobs and contributes an estimated £24 million each year to the local economy*.
Phil Ellis, who lives near Melrose, is a ghillie on the 1.3 mile-double-bank Tweedswood beat, a stretch of river running beneath the iconic Leaderfoot Viaduct. While his primary role is guiding anglers, Phil has engaged in tree planting and invasive species control work in his own time as part of efforts to improve the river environment and provide habitat that will support biodiversity and aid the declining Atlantic salmon population.
Phil has also altered the traditional approach to riverbank fishing beat grass management. Where once the grass was neatly mown in common with many other beats along the Tweed, he now strims only access paths, allowing the remaining grass to grow wild. This more natural approach has created habitat for insects including butterflies, voles, shrews and barn owls, contributing to a thriving ecosystem. Insects provide a vital food source for young salmon, while the riverbank trees Phil helps to plant will grow to provide much-needed shade for fish as water temperatures rise due to climate change.
Phil’s conservation work also includes the creation of a YouTube film – Tweedswood – a Modern Ghillie’s Mission – which he developed and sourced funding for in order to raise awareness of the problems faced by Atlantic salmon and explain some of the action that needs to be taken to address its decline.
Phil said: “Salmon populations are declining due to factors like climate change and issues at sea. While we can’t solve all these problems as individuals, we can make meaningful changes to improve the river environment and help provide the cool, clean water, shelter and thriving ecosystems young salmon need to survive. I believe my role as a ghillie includes an element of responsibility for the river environment, both to aid the survival of Atlantic salmon and for the good of the fishing industry which brings huge financial benefits for the region as well as personal and mental health benefits for those who enjoy it. I’m delighted to have won the Tweed Forum River Champion Award and hope that it will encourage other local people to get involved in helping to protect and enhance the river.”
Luke Comins, Tweed Forum CEO, said: “Phil exemplifies the spirit of the Tweed Forum River Champion Award. His passion for conservation is inspiring and the work he does on the ground is making a real difference to the health and biodiversity of the river environment. He is a powerful example of how local people can contribute to sustaining this vital natural asset and is a very worthy winner of this year’s award.”
The Tweed Forum River Champion is chosen from nominations received from the public and from groups and organisations involved in the management of the river on both sides of the Border. The eventual winner is decided by a judging panel and receives a beautiful, specially-commissioned trophy by Scottish artist Jane Raven and Nicko Dalton Design.
Previous winners of the Tweed Forum River Champion Award are:
Frank Turnbull from Coldstream (2016), Jim Sinclair from Galashiels (2017), Eric Hastings from Drygrange (2018), Tom Rawson from Melrose (2019), Edward Cawthorn from Berwick Upon Tweed (2020), JohnTullie from Teviothead (2021), John Clayton from Tweedbank (2022) and Wendy Cunningham from Eddleston (2023).
They have been rewarded for work in areas ranging from woodland restoration, invasive species control and fish stock protection to heritage and wildlife conservation, plastic pollution reduction and managing the land to deliver multiple environmental benefits.
