A group of 20 pre-school children gathered on a north-east farm yesterday to launch this year’s Countryside Live event.
The event, which is organised by the Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS), takes place on Sunday, May 29, and Monday, May 30, at Uppermill Farm, Kintore, Aberdeenshire.
Host farmer Malcolm Allan will swing open the gates to his 800-acre farm, which houses more than 200 breeding suckler cows, as part of a drive to teach the public more about farming and food production.
The first day will be open to the public from 10am to 4pm, with the second day set-aside for school parties to visit the farm.
Mr Allan, who also runs a house-building company, hosted the society’s first event 30 years ago in 1986, which focused on beef.
He said the event would help connect the public with agriculture and educate people who had little knowledge about farming and the countryside.
RNAS president David Green, of Duncan Farms, Turriff, said: “It has never been more important for the rural sector to foster a closer relationship and develop a closer understanding of farming and the countryside amongst urban dwellers who are becoming increasingly divorced from their rural roots with each generation.
“They are our customers and we need to play a part in ensuring a better understanding of the ways of the countryside and the provenance behind the quality food produced on Scotland’s farms.”
To help launch the event, pupils from Cherry Tree Pre-School at Blackburn near Aberdeen, gathered on the farm to see Mr Allan’s cows.
Director at the pre-school, Keith Walker, who chairs the event’s organising committee, said the society hoped to build on the success of a similar event at Dunecht Estate in 2011 which attracted around 5,000 visitors over the two days.
He said: “The event will give the general public the opportunity of enjoying a day out on a working farm and see how the countryside is managed. The event at Dunecht demonstrated the tremendous interest the public has in the countryside and how their food is produced.”
He said the event would feature everything from farm tours and sheep shearing to a farmers’ market and butchery and cooking demonstrations.
The event, whose two mainline sponsors are Breedon and Titan Steel of Kinellar, will also be used to raise funds for three charities.
These are: rural charity RSABI; children’s charity Charlie House in Aberdeen; and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.
Entry to the first day of the event is £5 for adults and free for children under 15. School visits for the second day will be organised by rural education charity the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative.