RSABI’s first-ever Great Scone Palace Challenge has raised more than £80,000 to support people working in Scottish agriculture.
From tractor pulls to black-tie dining, the charity's challenge combined competition with celebration, putting farming firmly in the spotlight.
The funds raised will help RSABI continue its work providing practical, financial and emotional support to the farming and crofting community.
The two-day fundraiser began with a lively Welcome Party at Perth Racecourse on 12 September, before the main challenge day in the grounds of Scone Palace and a black-tie Celebration Ball in the Palace’s Long Gallery.
Thanks to live streaming, the event reached a worldwide audience, with viewers tuning in from Norway, Holland, Australia and the US. Posts about the challenge attracted more than a million views on Facebook in the week that followed.
The Welcome Party featured stars from Emmerdale, including Mark Charnock, Lisa Riley and Nicola Wheeler, alongside the Only Fools No Horses celebrity footrace, won by Jack Simpson after a summer spent training through shearing.
Guests also enjoyed entertainment from Lesmahagow Young Farmers’ Bagri, the Emmerdale cast band, and a charity auction which boosted fundraising further.
The team challenge tested brains and brawn alike, with tractor pulls, bale-pushing obstacle races and a mission through the Palace maze.
Pauline Macmillan, RSABI’s head of fundraising, praised the result: “We are thrilled with the success of our very first Great Scone Palace Challenge and the dedication shown by all who took part.
"The incredible total raised will make a huge difference in supporting RSABI to provide emotional, practical, and financial support to people in Scottish agriculture.”
She extended thanks to sponsors, volunteers, celebrity participants and supporters, adding that everyone involved had helped to make the event “such a memorable weekend.”
Lois Newton, partner of land and rural business at headline sponsor Gillespie Macandrew and an RSABI trustee, described the dhallenge as “an inspiring day to be a part of” and congratulated all involved.
“As longstanding advisors to the sector, we are familiar with the challenges facing people in Scottish agriculture and just how invaluable the work of RSABI is in providing support,” she said.
