Paterson ATV welcomes new Polaris ambassadors
Long-time dealer of Polaris Off Road Vehicles, Paterson ATV has recently announced two Polaris ambassadors to support the future of young farmers.
We caught up with the team at Paterson ATV for a deep delve into why having ambassadors is important to the farming industry, the dealership and Polaris.
Who are the ambassadors and what was the reasoning for selecting them to help support young people?
“Our two ambassadors are, 12-year-old, Carragh Dunn, who lives on Lairdmannoch estate and attends to her own sheep and pheasants and 20-year-old Rachel Barr. Rachel works on her four family beef and sheep farms.
“We felt they showed the dedication it takes to look after livestock and by supporting them we can raise awareness of the farming industry. We really want to focus on supporting young people this year and we combined this with wanting to show our products in real life and being used by real people – much better than a showroom picture!”
What was the process for selecting the right ambassador for Paterson and Polaris?
“So Carragh’s dad is our Service Technician, Kevin. Kevin was hugely impressed with the Polaris RANGER 150 that he bought one as a Christmas present for Carragh. After seeing what Carragh did with her RANGER, we knew she would be a perfect fit as she really is the future of farming. She’s always out in her RANGER feeding the sheep and pheasants. It also gives her safe independence. We feel that Carragh can inspire very young farmers by showing them that at such a young age you can have a vehicle that is safe allows for your independence.”
“Rachel entered our recent Brand Ambassador competition with Dumfries and Galloway District of Young Farmers and the team at Paterson’s ATV was so impressed by her hard work she won. Rachel is studying a HND in agriculture whilst also farming 13000 acres of land with a 430 suckler herd, calving all year round and also tends to her 520 sheep. Due to her dedicated hard work Rachel was awarded with a Polaris Sportsman 570 as she can show what it takes to be a hardworking individual and that a Polaris Sportsman is invaluable in this industry.”
Are you planning on expanding the number of ambassadors you have?
“Yes! We have one more lined up for the middle of the year, which we are very excited for!”
Specialising in ATVs, UTVs and Motorcycles, Paterson ATV was started in 1947 and is a third-generation family business. Paterson’s ATV has grown to now have a team of 19 dedicated employees across two depots in Dumfries and Galloway.