Hi, my name is Sarah, the new Project Co-Ordinator for Argyll & Bute. It’s such an exciting opportunity to be involved in the very beginning of this project.
I didn’t grow up in farming, but was always interested in learning about where my food came from, supporting local communities and eventually managed to find my way into working in agriculture. My interest in agriculture was first sparked by the Amish community which farmed nearby to where I grew up in Canada.
I’ve been busy in the background working closely with the committee to get RHET Argyll & Bute up and running, to secure funding and get the foundations in place so that we are ready for the new academic year. The support that we have received from the community, schools, volunteers and other project co-ordinators has been wonderful. Working these last few months with RHET, meeting with those volunteers and schools to discuss the opportunities that we can offer, has been a very rewarding experience.
During August, we have been very busy attending a number of local agricultural shows, providing activities for children with an educational focus. These included decorating bunting, Farm Bingo - getting the children to explore the show and breaking down some of the barriers to understanding terms used in agriculture. They also planted seeds in newspaper plant pots and made their own cattle cake to learn more about what goes into a balanced diet for the cows and how those nutrients are then passed onto us through beef and dairy.
It was also a great opportunity to meet up with some of our wonderful volunteers! One of which was Caroline McLean who represented RHET at the Tiree show as I wasn’t able to attend. I also had a chance to work alongside Hannah Jones and her hens at the Kintyre show, Anne Paterson at the Mid-Argyll show, John Dickson at the Bute show and Euan Warnock at the Lorn show. There were also a few celebrity sightings, with some people recognising their own faces on our lovely Argyll & Bute pop up banner! Our volunteers are truly amazing!