Tag: RHET

Scottish education charity launches campaign to raise £50k for children’s rural learning

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) has launched its ambitious fundraising campaign KEEP RHET FREE, aiming to raise £50,000 by December to ensure that children across Scotland continue to access free, unbiased, high-quality rural and food education.

The campaign was launched at a food and farming day at Bonnington Farm near Peebles last week (15 May), where close to 100 school children, farmers, teachers, and RHET supporters gathered to celebrate the hands-on learning that RHET has delivered for over 25 years.

The campaign was developed to support RHET to evolve and focus on securing a new rigorous, long-term fundraising stream alongside Scottish Government funding.

“RHET is free for schools — but it’s not free to run,” said Katrina Barclay, RHET’s Executive Officer. “With rising costs and increasing demand, RHET needs to find new and robust funding streams to continue its important work.”

Each year, RHET engages children through farm visits, classroom talks, and food education activities, helping young people understand where their food comes from and how the countryside works.

RHET Chairman, Hugh McClymont, says: “Every year, over 80,000 young people across Scotland experience something they’ll never forget thanks to the Royal Highland Education Trust.

“But without new avenues of support, these important experiences for children to learn about food, farming and the countryside could be at risk.

“I’m asking for individuals and businesses to dig deep and support a charity that makes a real and lasting difference in the lives of young people and supports vital storytelling for the agricultural industry.”

RHET’s goal is to give every child in Scotland the chance to learn about food, farming, and the countryside, to create a wider understanding of the environmental, economic, and social aspects of rural Scotland.

“This is so much more than a school trip,” said Nicki Istephan, a local teacher from Peebles. “RHET brings the curriculum to life. It helps children see the real world beyond the textbooks. It is important that our curriculum reflects our local community and provides the children with life-long skills”

Every pound raised via the KEEP RHET FREE campaign goes directly to delivering rural learning experiences across Scotland’s 12 RHET Countryside Initiatives.

To find out more, donate, or get involved, visit www.rhet.org.uk/keep-rhet-free.

Rural education charity launches schools ‘Snack Attack Challenge 2023’

RHET challenge Scottish Schools to discover the power of the superhero Scottish seeds and grains. 

Four new superheroes, “Awesome Oats”, “Brilliant Barley”, “Wicked Wheat” and “Omazing Oil Seed Rape”, will be embarking on a sustainable healthy eating campaign during the 2023 school summer term. 

Have you ever wondered how these super seeds, the staple of our diet, are grown in Scotland, and incorporated into so many of our everyday foods? Join the Snack Attack challenge to find out. 

Rural education charities, The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) have been working to create a super powered journey of discovery of our sustainable Scottish seeds and grains.

As part of the year-long spotlight on arable crops, RHET have produced a number of focused teaching resources for all age levels, linked to the Curriculum. Journey of Food – Seeds and Grains is now entering the final few months of the project and with the summer approaching, why not have some fun with our Super Heroes!? 

“Food production in Scotland is as wide and varied as our landscape” explains Katrina Barclay RHET Executive Officer.

“Our ‘Journey of Food…’ activity offers an opportunity to spotlight a different sector within Scottish agriculture (each year,) which demonstrates local food production, careers, nutritional information, environment and land use, data gathering and meeting the people behind the sector, to name a few areas.

“This makes it fully interdisciplinary, accessible to all and based on current practices. We pride ourselves on working in collaboration with a variety of businesses and organisations to bring the facts so pupils can investigate further, enquire, and use their curiosity to make informed choices.

“With support from organisations such as the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, James Hutton Institute and Scottish Agronomy, we are able to access not only research data but also people in the food sector using cutting edge technology who can explain the ‘how’ the ‘what’ and the ‘why’.” 

Scottish companies Nairns and Hamlyns are both generously supporting the Snack Attack challenge. A spokesperson from Nairns commented: “Oats are one of the earliest known superfoods and the Scots have been eating them for hundreds of years, usually in porridge and oatcakes.

“At Nairn’s, we’ve been baking oatcakes since 1896 and, whilst we have made a few small changes over the years and expanded our range of products, we still insist on the very best oats and only a few natural, simple ingredients.

“Our aim is to make it easy for everyone to find tasty, versatile oat snacks which are healthy, low in sugar and full of natural goodness.”

Hamlyns have been working with RNCI and RHET on projects over the years and support from industry is an excellent opportunity to follow the Journey of Food. 

If you are a teacher, or have children in school this challenge is now live and after a school is signed up for the ‘Snack Attack’ they will be entered into a draw to have a real tractor visit their School!

Pupils will be encouraged to help find these Super Heroes in their snack and vote for their favourite.

Competition is heating up, so be sure to visit https://www.rhet.org.uk/teachers/the-ghret-snack-attack/ or see our social media posts for more information.