Helen Rattray, a martial arts champion from Arbroath, is one of seven contestants in BBC's new competition Race Against the Tide, where teams race to build sand sculptures before the tide washes them away.
Competition details
Hosted by Scottish presenter Iain Stirling, known for narrating ITV's Love Island, the competition sees seven teams, each made up of a professional sand sculptor and a newcomer, compete against the clock, the weather, and each other. The backdrop is West Sands Beach in St Andrews.
Contestants include carpenter Alex from Wales, leather craftsman Yusuf from London, stationery designer Athena from Bristol, plasterer Mary from Surrey, and chainsaw sculptor Shane Green from West Yorkshire.
Local contestant
Helen, who grew up in Arbroath and is now studying Fine Art in Dundee, spent 30 years working as a physiotherapist in Glasgow. She rides a Ducati sports bike and is a former martial arts champion, having won Scottish, British, Irish and European kickboxing titles. She describes herself as tenacious, fiercely competitive, highly focused, and a quick learner.
Helen is partnered with professional sand sculptor Martin De Zoete. Each team has six hours to transform tonnes of sand into themed creations.
Judging and broadcast
Judges are artist Sadie Clayton and sand sculptor Jamie Wardley. Iain Stirling also keeps an eye on the tide and makes sand puns.
Speaking about filming in Scotland, Iain said: "It was genuinely amazing. I’m Scottish and I grew up wanting to be a golfer so to be on the West Sands was like a boyhood dream come true and the weather was unbelievable, and it was just so nice to showcase Scotland in its full glory."
Race Against the Tide launches on BBC Scotland on Monday, August 17 at 8:30pm and on BBC Two on Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30pm. All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from August 17.
