Winter 2019 Newsletter

Have you made plans for Christmas Dinner yet?Our client The Buffalo Farm offers a quirky alternative to traditional roasts. You can see their entire festive range here.  (In the future, Scottish Buffalo Mozarella will also be on the menu after we helped them reach their £800,000 Crowdfunder target).A ConnageCheese Box is a perfect gift for a foodie containing five of their organic cheeses: Cromal, Connage Dunlop, Connage Gouda, Clava brie and Smoked Dunlop.If all you want for Christmas is to coorie in, then head for SkyeSkyns Christmas Shop and treat yourself or someone else to some beautiful and durable sheepskin gifts.Want to give a gift with real meaning and impact? Why not purchase an RSABI Supporter Scheme membership or one of the many light-hearted farming books from their shop- by doing so will be helping to provide support to individuals across the agricultural sector.Or how about a pair of tickets to the rural event of 2020?  What's that?  Read on....!

RHET Gala DinnerAs we wave goodbye to 2019 and herald a new decade, we've summarised some of the key events and anniversaries coming up in 2020 on the Scene & Herd blog, many of which present great opportunities to showcase your rural business and form new partnerships.One such event is the first-ever Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) Gala Dinner on Friday 21st February 2020 to help raise funds to continue, build on and expand their fantastic work. The RHET works with volunteers to provide free educational activities and experiential learning opportunities for Scotland’s children.Arranging farm visits and classroom education and providing teacher training and educational resources, RHET’s purpose is to bring farming and the working countryside and its practices to life for young people. 2020 marks the 21st birthday of the highly respected charity and so, in celebration, they are organising a Gala Dinner with a difference.The evening will treat guests to a three-course meal of delicious Scottish produce, much of which will have been produced by RHET volunteer farmers and will be expertly prepared by the chef from Saltire, entertainment from farmer, comedian and compere Jim Smith, as well as musicians and pipers, and last but not least, live and silent auctions with dozens of unique and exciting prizes and experiences. There will also be a few additional surprises on the night!The auction, in particular, will be a showstopper, including a number of ‘money can’t buy’ items such as Curly Sue the Highland Cow, made by Kev Paxton at ArtFe which travelled around Scotland with George Lawrie on the RHET Tractor Run this summer.Individuals or businesses able to contribute prizes or support the event through gifts in kind, sponsorship or goodie bag donations are encouraged to get in touch as soon as possible.Could you donate an auction prize?  Or perhaps you’d like to buy some tickets to support this great charity?If you are able to donate an auction prize, please email anna@sceneandherdpr.co.uk

The Year AheadThings tend to be a bit quieter for our clients over the Christmas period so the team use the time to recharge their batteries before returning to their respective desks on Monday 6th January but we are of course contactable should you need to get in touch. We've mentioned before the PR benefits of entering business awards, however, deadlines have a tendency to creep on you, especially at this time of year, so we're flagging up two business awards whose closing dates are just around the corner:  Nominations for the fsb Celebrating Small Business Awards close on 29 January and the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards are open for nominations until 14th February (You can see more awards listed on our blog post here).2020 is packed with events that you may wish to make use of in your promotions, blogs, and social media channels and we've listed some of the major anniversaries over on the Scene & Herd blog.  (If you need help with managing your digital media, let us know).One word you may hear a lot during 2020 is 'Miraitowa' - the name given to the mascot of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - which is derived from the Japanese words mirai (future) and towa (eternity). This name was chosen to promote a future full of eternal hope in the hearts of people all over the world.Wishing you a happy and hopeful 2020!Anna, Monty, Elliot, Iona, Jan, John, Kate and Lucy