THE ROYAL Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland is getting set for the start of ‘Flock to the Show’, a public art trail that will travel across Scotland this spring.
The trail features over 35 specially designed sheep sculptures, decorated by artists from across the UK.
The campaign celebrates the return of the Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing & Woolhandling Championships to the Royal Highland Show, which takes place in June.
Designed to engage visitors of all ages, it aims to raise awareness of different issues related to farming, including regenerative agriculture, rural isolation and climate change.
Artists who designed a sheep include Charlotte Brayley from Comrie, Perthshire, whose art project on her pet sheep, Alan, helped pay for her wedding.
Megan Reilly from Hamliton, South Lanarkshire, designed the ‘Shepherds Delight’ sheep and has painted over 1000 murals in her artistic career.
As part of the campaign, there will be four opportunities, one in each area, to win a VIP Royal Highland Show experience for all the family.
Budding artists can download a sheep outline from the Royal Highland Show website and create their own design to be in with a chance of winning.
The tour will cover four main areas – Aberdeenshire and Inverness; Dundee, Fife and Perthshire; Strathclyde and Dumfries & Galloway; and Lothian and the Scottish Borders.
The flock will return to the Royal Highland Show during the Golden Shears in June this year, which is the only time the sheep sculptures will be together in one location.
They will then be auctioned at a gala dinner in September to raise money for the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland Bicentennial Fund.
Their work supports projects dedicated to sustainability in the rural sector.
Jim Warnock, Chairman of Royal Highland Show organisers, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, said:
“We are very much looking forward to seeing our flock out and about across Scotland.
“Not only does ‘Flock to the Show’ celebrate the return of the Golden Shears to the Royal Highland Show, but it will also shine a spotlight on some important causes.
“We hope that everyone will get involved and pay a visit to our flock – with such a brilliant and diverse range of designs from talented artists, visitors won’t be disappointed!”
Commenting on the ‘Flock to the Show’ campaign, Minister for Environment and Land Reform Mairi McAllan MSP said:
“The prestigious ‘Golden Shears’ competition taking place in Edinburgh this year highlights the high international standing of Scotland’s agricultural industry.
“Our rural communities should be rightly proud of that reputation, and this exhibition is an important way of celebrating their success.
“I hope it can help to encourage more young people into what is an essential, thriving, and highly regarded sector, to learn important skills, and even become qualified shearers.
“Through our Vision for Agriculture, we are committed to supporting our rural communities through these challenges towards a more sustainable, diverse and flourishing future.”
