The total amount given to projects across the country by NFU Scotland’s Centenary Trust has now reached £178,475 with applications still being sought.

Since being launched last February, the Trust has raised £186,000, primarily thanks to the generosity of NFU Scotland’s members.  Money for the trust fund is still coming in but, importantly, trustees have issued more than 90 per cent of the funds to worthy projects in its first year, creating a legacy for years to come.

The objectives of the Trust were to encourage as many children as possible to learn more about where their food and drink comes from and to visit a farm in 2013; to educate farmers, their employees and their children on health and safety in the countryside, with a special emphasis on children’s safety; and to assist in bringing forward a meaningful apprentice programme that supports farmers and their employees.

Projects the length and breadth of the country have now been awarded cash, with more money still coming in from a specially-commissioned book and whisky, and remittances due from regional events and Gift Aid.

The Trust has now received 55 applications and approved 49, with the total project value of the approved applications being over £450,000.

As formal winding down of the Trust approaches, preference will be given to the regions who have received a smaller proportion of the funds collected, these are: Ayrshire, Highland, Argyll and the Isles, Orkney and Shetland.  The next deadline for further applications is 5 March. With limited funds, the maximum application considered in this round is £2,500.

NFU Scotland’s Treasurer and Board member, George Lawrie commented: “Throughout our Centenary year we have been raising funds and awarding it to organisations who have applied to the Trust for help with their projects and those that we see suitable to meet the Trust’s objectives.

“We have had applications from various parts of the country towards projects like fibre glass cows, wellie boots for primary school children and money towards a Countryside Classroom on Wheels.

However there are still some areas of Scotland we haven’t received many applications from. There is still time to submit an application and with money still coming in no closing date for applications has been set yet.

“We had three application rounds in 2013 with a fourth in January of this year. To date, we have grant-aided 49 projects to a value of £178,475 – with no project too big or too small to consider.  The Trust awarded as £300 Borestone Primary School near Stirling to help with transport of school children to a local dairy farm, and the largest sum of £17,500 going to Royal Northern Countryside Initiative for the purchase of a mobile classroom allowing the farm to be brought to the school.

“The breakdown between our three aims is £112,074 to helping children understand agriculture better, £48,131 to encourage school leavers to make agriculture their chosen career and £18,270 to make the agriculture environment a safer place to work.

“NFU Scotland members should be justifiably proud of what their generosity has delivered.  This is a great legacy to leave the agricultural industry with and hope this will help NFU Scotland’s members to grow as we enter our second century.”  Ends

Note to Editors
• Photographs are available of certain projects on request please contact ruth.mcclean@nfus.org.uk or 0141 472 4108.

• A list is detailed below of all the applications which were successful since the inception of the Trust:
• Royal Northern Countryside Initiative, Keith, AB55 - £17,500 to commission and build a new Country Classroom on Wheels (CCOW)
• Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) Dumbarton, Lomond and Renfrew, Alexandria, G83 – total of £8,470 through two applications. One for a mobile resource trailer to house life-size fiberglass farm animals and secondly for signage and handwash facilities for school farm visits.
• RHET Borders and RHET Scottish Borders Countryside initiative, Biggar ML12 – four applications totalling £9,586, including purchase of fiberglass ‘milkable’ cow, a food and farm day and for the refurbishment of RNCI’s old CCOW.
• RHET Fife, Anstruther - £3,650 for two food and farming days in 2013 and a further one in 2014.
• RHET Clyde, Blantyre G72 - £2,500 to help fund a food and farming day in their region.
• Slamannan Primary School, FK1 - a total of £2,685 for three projects, including suitable clothing for primary school children to visit farms, also for incubation equipment to track progress of an egg through to hatching, and for raised beds to grow own herbs and vegetables.
• RHET Forth Valley, FK7 - £7,966 for banners promoting their events, as well as a trailer including life size fibreglass animals. In the latest round £2,250 was given to help fund a countryside day later in the year.
• Queensberry Initiative, Thornhill, DG3 - Formed in Dumfries and Galloway to encourage young people to consider rural employment opportunities, they have been awarded £15,000 over two years.
• RHET Dumfries and Galloway, Annan, DG12 - two projects totalling £4,331 for portable sinks and a farm safety and food and farming event.
• Peebleshire Agricultural Society - £1,250 to stock their education tent with display boards and fiberglass life size animals.
• Ringlink Scotland, AB30 - £15,516 was given to them to help support the costs of three interns on their Rural Internship Programme  preparing and encouraging young people for a career in agriculture.
• Gergask Primary School, Newtonmore, PH20 - £2,000 to develop a school croft with a kitchen garden and wildlife area.
• Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore, PH20 - £1,773 for a fibreglass ‘milkable’ cow for their dairy project.
• Borestone Primary School near Stirling, FK7 - Three different projects totalling £780 including a farm visit, model animals and the cost of hiring a coach to take P7 pupils to the Royal Highland Show in 2014.
• Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, Ingliston, EH28 - £10,000 to fund a nationwide health and safety project promoting the importance of safety in rural areas.
• Kincardine in Menteith Primary School, Blairdrummond, FK9 - £2,000 to build raised beds and a kitchen garden to grow and eat their own food.
• RHET Angus, Brechin, DD9 - £10,995 for a CCOW with potential of housing a combine harvester cabin simulator.
• Argyll College UHI, Campbeltown, PA28 - £7,200 to help fund its HNC in Agriculture specifically to aid students from remote areas in their studies.
• Alva Academy, Alva, FK12 - £1,040 to arrange trips to local farms.
• Border Union Agricultural Society, Kelso, TD5 - £8,765 to help with their annual show in 2014.
• Leadhills Primary School, Midlothian, ML12 - A “Garden Fork to Plate” project funded with £900 from the Trust to not only grow food from seed or tuber, but also for a cooking demonstration trolley when harvested.
• RHET Lothian, EH34 - Two projects “Country Comes to Town’ and “Taking the Classroom to the Countryside” were awarded a total of £4625.
• Gorgie City Farm, Edinburgh, EH11 - £4,700 to help fund upcoming projects for the charity.
• Sanday, Orkney, KW17 - Two projects from this island totalling £1,928. One for the purchase of a marquee and the second for wet weather gear for primary schoolchildren to local farms.
• Breadalbane Community Garden, PH15 – £2,500 to take forward their main objective of making young people aware of the land and its potential.
• Leckmelm Estate, by Ullapool, IV23 - £3,100 allowed the Estate to buy clothing and sheep handling equipment so that students on work placement, including disabled students can learn valuable rural skills.
• Wiston Primary School, Biggar, ML12 - £500 to buy a cooking trolley and small cooker to prepare their own school grown produce.
• East Fife JAC, Anstruther - £2,000 to initially fund Emergency First Aid training for 36 young farmers.
• RHET Ayrshire and Arran, Dalry, KA24 - This ambitious project involves this RHET donating a raised bed kit, topsoil and vegetable seeds to as many schools as possible in their region with teachers willing to take part. The £10,000 awarded amounts to a third of the project cost.
• RHET Highland, Dingwall, IV15 – £5,115 to set up a central storage hub and satellite groups to manage its fiberglass cow, posters and display boards they already have.
• SRUC, Crianlarich, FK20 - £5,000 to support and monitor hill farming students at their Kirkton Campus.
• Wester Dollarbeg Farm, Clackmannanshire, FK14 - £1,500 towards a £12,000 capital project to build on site facilities for the 28 annual farm walks. 
• Soil Association, EH16 - £320 will help towards teaching children the importance of home grown cereals.
• RHET Perth and Kinross, PH1 - £3,280 for resources to support farm visits by children and to visit schools. Items purchased include a fibreglass calf and lamb and portable hand washing facilities.