A Moray farmer has been recognised for his contribution to rural education in the past year.
Rural charity the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) has presented the John Telfer Trophy for 2015 to James Taylor of Bloomfield Farm, Finechty.
The award is presented annually to an individual or organisation that has helped the charity achieve its aim to help children and their teachers in the north-east develop a greater understanding of farming and the working countryside.
Mr Taylor was given the award in recognition of the work he has done assisting Findochty, Portknockie and Portessie Primary Schools with their Totally Tatties growing projects as well as his work supporting farmers’ markets at Buckie and Milne’s High Schools.
He received his award at the launch of the charity’s new Grow Your Own Soup project, which replaces the tatties growing project this year.
More than 1,600 pupils from 50 primary schools across Moray, Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire are set to take part in the new project, and 70 teachers attended introductory sessions at the project’s launch at the end of March at Pitgaveny Farms, near Elgin, and SRUC’s Craibstone campus.
The latest project requires pupils to grow a crop of vegetables within the classroom or school garden by the end of the summer term, culminating in the creation of a vegetable soup.
RNCI project manager, Rachel Turner, said: “The aim of the project is to provide pupils with the opportunity to learn about the story of vegetables (the raw product) right through to a finished product (soup).
“All participating schools have received a growing kit containing seed potatoes, onion sets, vegetable seeds, compost and pots thanks to the generous support from Raemoir Garden Centre, A&I Supplies, Benzies Scotty Brand and TLC Potatoes, as well as a project workbook which is linked to Curriculum for Excellence.”
