All is fair in this game Scone Palace event a success
Thousands of people descended to Scone Palace over the weekend for the 32nd Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Scottish Game Fair.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal officially opened the popular event in a ceremony last Friday.
In front of Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, The Princess unveiled a brass plaque in the main arena to commemorate her visit.
The Princess was joined by vice admiral Sir Tim Laurence and welcomed by Earl and Countess St o rmont , together with GWCT Scotland director Rory Kennedy and show director James Gower.
After lunch with the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association, The Princess Royal presented the young gamekeeper of the year award to 21-year-old Jamie Renwick and a lifetime achievement award to Richard Cooke, who recently retired as chair of The Association of Deer Management Groups.
She also visited The Moredun Foundation, of which she is the Patron, a charity that supports livestock health and welfare through research and education.
Her visit concluded with a tour of the gundog scurries and birds of prey.
Organisers claim the event will provide the Perthshire economy with a potential £ 5 million b o o s t , d rawing an estimated 30,000 visitors and nearly 300 exhibitors for the three- day annual festival of countryside and conservation.
Show director James Gower commented: “We feel incredibly honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness.
“Th e r e ’ s b e e n a t re m e n d o u s effort to arrange the event in these challenging times.
“Her recognition feels like a huge reward for everyone involved.”
GWCT Scotland director Rory Kennedy added: “It is an honour to host Her Royal Highness and is testament to the huge place the event has in the hearts of those who live and work in the countryside.”
Highlights this year included gundog competitions and the food theatre, with plenty of great talks and demonstrations to get taste buds tingling.
Ac ro s s all t h re e days, visitors got to experience a huge variety of demonstrations of everything from falconry to pipe bands in the main ring.