#BrewWithAView winners announced

A woman from Larbert has scooped the top prize in our Cup Movement® in the Highlands’ #BrewWithAView competition.

Lorna Smith has won £250 after her photo of her reusable cup at Lochend, near Inverness, was chosen as the winner.

Cup Movement® in the Highlands is our scheme which aims to reduce the amount of single-use cups used across the North Coast 500 route.

Laura Smith won £100 after her photo came second, and Andy Watson received £50 for finishing in third.

Lorna’s photo, taken after a wild swim with her sister, was selected by an online random number generator.

She said: “It’s one of the places that me and my sister go wild swimming. I only started at Easter. My sister persuaded me to have a go.

“Me and my sister both have caravans up at North Kessock and whenever we’re up there together we make a point of going somewhere for a wild swim.

“Lochend is our favourite, you’re at Loch Ness and there’s such beautiful scenery around you, you’re surrounded by hills and it’s so quiet.”

The #BrewWithAView popped up on Lorna’s Facebook page and she always takes a hot drink with her when she goes wild swimming to avoid after shock from the open water.

“We usually take a flask or reusable cups that are already filled and waiting for us when we come out,” she said.

Thankfully Lorna says she hasn’t seen many discarded cups around the areas where she wild swims, but has noticed how many single-use cups are being used.

“We stopped at a farm shop and everyone in front us was taking a disposable cup. And we’re saying, ‘can you just fill ours up?’

“From that point of view I feel it’s a good thing to do. I have to say a lot of the places where we’ve been swimming I haven’t noticed a lot of litter which is really good.

“I think a lot of people who do wild swim are very conscious of what they leave behind them.”

Emma Glencross, our Highland Cup Movement Campaigns Officer, said: "We’ve had some fantastic entries for our #BrewWithAView competition and I’m delighted Lorna’s entry has won.

“Cup Movement® in the Highlands is a campaign designed to promote the use of reusable cups and reduce the number of takeaway drinks sold in single-use cups and we’re well on course to save more than 1,000 cups.

“We are facing a litter emergency and reducing the amount of single-use cups in circulation not only reduces the chances of them being littered, but also helps everyone enjoying a takeaway drink contribute to Scotland’s journey to net zero.”

Our Cup Movement® in the Highlands campaign is closing in 1,000 single-use cups being saved.

Visit Highland Cup Movement | Keep Scotland Beautiful to learn more about Cup Movement® in the Highlands and how you can enjoy guilt free takeaway drinks across the NC500.