Scottish agriculture’s major charity, RSABI, is launching its biggest-ever campaign this week to raise awareness of the range of support it provides.
The six-week campaign, called #supportRSABI, is designed to draw attention to the charity’s capacity to offer help with many issues, from money worries and employment concerns to accident, illness and mental wellbeing.
The charity is also embarking on a major drive to double the membership of its supporters’ schemes by September 2020.
This will be a key focus of the campaign, especially encouraging people with links to agriculture in Scotland to take out either individual, business or corporate memberships.
RSABI chief executive Nina Clancy said the charity had been preparing to step up its resources in response to anticipated increased demand for its services, as the farming industry faces the uncertainty of the post-Brexit era.
Ewan Pate, chairman of RSABI, added it was essential the charity has sufficient resources to allow it to fully deliver its range of services, and that people who are experiencing difficulty do not hesitate to ask for, and receive, help.
“We are reaching out to the agricultural and wider rural community to ask for their support for our campaign and to help us to both raise awareness of our services and generate much-needed funds to allow us to step up the resources we provide,” he said.
Festive fundraising initiatives include urging people to buy a £25 individual membership as a Christmas gift and to consider making a donation to RSABI on Christmas jumper day, which takes place on Friday December 13.
Christmas cards and other items, including two light-hearted farming books produced by Andrew and John Arbuckle, are also available from the shop on the RSABI website.
The #supportRSABI campaign is being backed by a host of organisations including NFU Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs and the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.