The Gregor Award Trust (GAT) which provides bursaries and grants to people under the age of 30 who wish to travel throughout the UK and abroad recently met at the Royal Highland Show.
Certificates were presented for the 2023 award recipients and to the 2022 cohort for those who wish to widen their knowledge in the study of agriculture, horticulture and arboriculture.
This year, GAT is supporting Grace Rennie from Strichen Young Farmers, on her self-funded project to New Zealand.
Grace flies into Invercargill and will be living and working on a dairy unit for around 10 weeks during calving, learning as much as possible about the New Zealand low input dairy system of the South island.
Towards the end of the calving season, Grace will be exploring other units in the locality and hopes to visit some sheep farms as well.
In addition, the trust has given awards to four young farmers taking part in the SAYFC Agri & Rural Affairs study tour to Canada.
They are Eve Newlands, Lower Speyside; John Forbes, Bower; Scott Dey, Inverurie; and Lewis Gallier, Udny.
The team will set off with SAYFC colleagues from all over Scotland on the international programme during the first week of July.
Lorna Pascall, daughter of trust founders RF Gregor, MBE, FRAgS and Ada Gregor said it was a real pleasure to chat to the recipients and feel their enthusiasm.
“We are delighted to be able to issue awards to encourage rural youth,” she said.
“Part of the Gregor Award Trust ethos is to support recipients with a travel opportunity which widen their knowledge in the agricultural and horticulture industries.”
Fraser Ross from Strichen Young Farmers, shared his experiences on his recent visit to New Zealand.
He said: “I am extremely grateful to the Gregor Award Trust for helping fund this trip and I hope to be able to implement or adapt the skills and experiences gained in New Zealand at home on the family farm.”
The GAT committee also took the opportunity to meet with SAYFC Finance and Risk Chair Aimée Margrove, who hails from Aberdeenshire and is a member of both Turriff and Carluke Young Farmers.
Due to the pandemic, Aimée could only attend the Oxford Farming Conference virtually in 2022, however with further funding by the Gregor Award Trust, she was fortunate to participate in person in 2023.
Gillian Robertson, who is chair of the Gregor Award Trust said: “It was great to meet with award recipients in Edinburgh at the Royal Highland Show. A huge well done to the past participants and good luck to this year’s award winners, we look forward to hearing about their travel journeys later in the year.”
Applications to receive funding from Gregor Award Trust for the Oxford Farming Conference will be available soon.
The OFC 2024 theme is the Power of Diversity.
Interested parties who would like more information or an application form, should contact the award secretary Karen Mutch on 07974 402238 or by email karenwmutch@btconnect.com
