The latest tranche of awards from NFU Scotland’s Centenary Trust has included support for a scheme aimed at bringing more young people into farming and other rural industries.
The cash was awarded to machinery and labour sharing cooperative Ringlink based in Laurencekirk and will be used to help develop a landmark internship programme.
Reacting to the news, Graham Bruce, managing director of the company, said: “For many years we have advocated the benefits of an entirely practical work-based programme and we are delighted to have been awarded funds from the Centenary Trust towards the delivery of the internship programme.”
He added that, along with other funding, Ringlink would now move on to deliver phase two of the programme where it was intended to double the number of interns from six to 12.
Mr Bruce, who is a long-term advocate of providing the next generation with a path into rural employment, claimed: “This is a major step in our long-term aspiration to deliver a recognised method of training and development designed to encourage young people into the agricultural and associated industry.”
The Ringlink cash support of £35,000 was the biggest single award made by the union’s Centenary Trust, which has so far this year distributed almost £100,000 to various rural projects around Scotland.
The trust, which was established to mark the union’s first 100 years, has received its money from a range of centenary events taking place throughout this year as well as from voluntary contributions from the union’s 8,500 members.
In its set-up the trust set three objectives for the fund.
These were developing careers in Scottish farming, promoting food and farming industries to schoolchildren and improving the sector’s health and safety record.
The majority of projects approved build on the huge work that organisations like the Royal Highland Educational Trust, the Royal Northern Agricultural Society, the Border Union Agricultural Society and individual schools have been undertaking in giving children a flavour of what goes into producing their food.
On the support his organisation had just received, secretary of the Border Union Agricultural Society, Ronald Wilson, said he was delighted as it will help fund a children’s day at Springwood Park, Kelso next May.
This will see all Primary five children from the Scottish Borders Region schools, plus a number of schools from the Lothians, taking part in a hands on-day, learning all about everything related to the countryside live animals, food, growing crops, wool, fishing and the environment.
“The award helps to underpin the financial cost of the day and means we can expand on what we managed to achieve at our inaugural day in 2013, when more than 1,300 10-year-olds came to the event.”
Speaking on behalf of the trust, George Lawrie stressed the importance to the farming industry of encouraging the next generation of farmers and food producers.
“I hope we can inspire some youngsters, wherever they come from, that farming is a career path that is open to them all, even if they are growing up in the heart of the city.”