RHET

10 things you didn't know about RHET

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) is the unsung hero when it comes to educating Scotland's children about food farming and the countryside. By providing a crucial link between urban and rural communities, this charity is making great strides in helping to promote a better understanding of our way of life and how to enjoy the countryside responsibly. Here are 10 things that might surprise you about RHET.

  • In the academic year 2006-7, RHET achieved 344 farm visits and 811 classromm speaker talks across Scotland . . . reaching an estimated 29000 children, an increase of 20% on the previous year.
  • RHET's strength is its ability to deliver learning at a grass roots level through a network of 450 dedicated volunteers made up of farmers, estate managers and education workers.
  • RHET's volunteers are supported by eleven part-time project coordinators and 3.8 members of staff based at RHASS' head office in Ingliston House
  • This year, RHET will run the Clydesdale Bank's Count & Grow potato growing initiative, distribute the Quality Meat Scotland "Meaty Matters" resource and organise Estate Visits for primary schools as well as carrying out farm visits and classroom speaker talks. Each initiative aims to support the educational curriculum.
  • RHET supports farmers willing to host farm visits by carrying out risk assessments and providing help with other health and safety and insurance issues. RHET is always looking for more volunteers
  • RHET is currently lobbying the Scottish Parliament to get on board with DEFRA's 2007 Year of Food and Farming in education. RHET has the expertise and infrastructure to deliver this initiative to Scottish children which aims to educate young people about food, farming and the countryside.
  • RHET Chairman, Texel farmer and milk producer Jimmy Warnock and RHET Manager Alison Motion have pledged to raise funds for RHET by climbing Ben Nevis between milkings on July 11th 2007. Their time was 5 hours and 35 minutes for the climb and they raised over £3500.00. Further donations can be made to RHET, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8NF
  • RHET won the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers Non-book award 2006 for its "Landscape of Scottish Agriculture" – a teaching resource bringing agricultural education right up-to-date for geography pupils of today.
  • RHET has recently been awarded the Robert Wiseman Community Award for its work with schools.
  • RHET's work is sponsored by SNH, the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, the Dulverton Trust, the MacRobert Trust, the Ernest Cook Trust, the Robertson Trust, Lantra, the Clydesdale Bank, Tesco, QMS, and HGCA amongst others with the core funding coming from the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society for Scotland.

Please see www.rhet.org.uk for further details about the work of the Trust and how to contact your local Countryside Initiative.

Image captions

1. Children on a farm visit in the Clyde Countryside Initiative area wearing wellies supplied by a local dairy, no prizes for guessing which one!!!!!

2. Children on a farm visit in the Perth & Kinross Countryside Initiative area

3. A lapwing laid 5 eggs in the large tattie pot of a school taking part in a ‘Count & Grow’ in the Fife Countryside Initiative area, the pot was fiercely guarded by the class taking part in the project and as well as having a super crop of tatties at the end of the project all five chicks successfully fledged!!