Fun on the farm as pupils enjoy festival
Hundreds of youngsters visited Dumfries House last month to take part in a fun- filled farming event.
School pupils popped along to the estate’s Valentin’s Education Farm to learn about the significance of farming as part of The Prince’ s Foundation inaugural Festival of Farming event.
The festival, believed to be the first of its kind in Ayrshire, was organised to ignite interest in farming among primary school pupils through a series of interactive workshops run by The Royal Highland Education Trust.
Pupils were given the opportunity to feed lambs, learn how to make butter, taste organic food and learn about farming practices and the importance of preservation.
Jacqueline Far re l l , director of education at The Prince’s Foundation, said: “Our guests all had a great time and left feeling more knowledgeable about the importance of farming and preservation.
“The 360 pupils have learned so much that they wouldn’t get in a classroom situation – they’ve seen cows being milked, lambs being fed and farriers fitting horses.”
Elaine Bryson, the RHET Project Coordinator for Ayrshire & Arran, said: “It’s extremely important that children learn where their food comes from, are familiar with the role of the agricultural community and understand the significance of food grown locally and of high quality.
“There were twenty different activities to choose from at the Festival of Farming – what a great experience for the children of Ayrshire.”