Great Scone Palace Challenge Raises Over £80,000 for RSABI

RSABI’s first-ever Great Scone Palace Challenge has been hailed a huge success, raising an incredible fundraising total of over £80,000 to support people in Scottish agriculture.

The brand-new event took place over a weekend of activities, beginning with a lively Welcome Party at Perth Racecourse on Friday 12th September, followed by the main team-challenge competition day in the grounds of Scone Palace on Saturday, and concluding with a spectacular black-tie Celebration Ball hosted in the Long Gallery of the Palace on Saturday evening.

The event was proudly sponsored by headline partner Scottish law firm, Gillespie Macandrew and gold sponsor Algo, with RSABI extending sincere thanks to both companies for their invaluable support.

The two-day event was streamed live on RSABI’s Facebook page, engaging a global audience with viewers tuning in from Norway, Holland, Australia and the US. Over the past week, posts about the event – including a live stream – have generated over one million views on Facebook, extending the reach of the event far beyond Perthshire.

Emmerdale cast and crew members joined the Friday night welcome party after travelling up as soon as filming finished on set.  The Friday night highlight was the Only Fools No Horses celebrity footrace, which saw well-known farming personalities line up for a 2k dash. Commentated brilliantly by RSABI Honorary Vice-President David Leggat MBE, the race was won by Jack Simpson, who had been shearing all summer by way of training. Joining him on the start line were well-kent farming faces Andrew Morris, Ben Imrie, Jim Smith, Ben Best, Jillian Kennedy, Ally Brunton, and Will Murray.

Following the race, attendees enjoyed a night of top-class entertainment, starting with a spell-binding performance by Lesmahagow Young Farmers’ Bagri, followed by the Emmerdale cast and crew band. Attendees mingled with the “Dingles” – Marlon (Mark Charnock) and Mandy (Lisa Riley) – alongside fellow cast members Olivia Bromley, Katie Hill, Lawrence Robb, Nicola Wheeler, Bradley Riches, and Jack Downham.

The Welcome Party also featured a charity auction which alone raised a great amount thanks to the generosity of supporters and Emmerdale fans who attended. RSABI’s #KeepTalking Ambassador Jim Smith, also in attendance, lent a hand with the evening’s prize draw.

Saturday’s much-anticipated main event saw teams of five battle it out in a series of fun, high-energy activities, including a tractor pull (with tractors kindly supplied by Agricar) and an obstacle race featuring a round bale push. However, the day was not just a fitness test, brains were tested as well as brawn thanks to an hour-long quest mission in the palace grounds, ending up in their famous maze. Congratulations to the Challenge winners:

• 1st place: Blackhall & Powis – Cameron Finnie, David Tyler, Ross McWilliams, Lenz Bartelt
• 2nd place: Dalscone (Keeping Up with the Cowdashians) – Kyle McKellar, Connor Cairns, Ben Best, Joe Best, Kristoff Henderson
• 3rd place: Algo – Kelly Strachan, Scott Cameron, Craig Nixon, Louise Nixon, Daryn Jolly

Special recognition went to the team at Dalscone, who raised a phenomenal £24,000 plus Gift Aid, making them the top fundraising team.

The weekend concluded with an unforgettable Celebration Ball in the Long Gallery of Scone Palace, hosted by Lord Stormont. Guests enjoyed a three-course dinner, charity auction, and live music, with a highlight performance from the Emmerdale cast band alongside musicians Nader and Lia, Andy Moseby, Andy Schofield, and Alli and Don Piggott.

Pauline Macmillan, Head of Fundraising at RSABI, said:

“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. We couldn’t have done it without our headline sponsor Gillespie Macandrew and sponsor Algo, and our thanks go out to each and everyone who helped us with the event in so many ways and of course our celeb runners, teams, volunteers, supporters and, of course, the cast of Emmerdale, all who helped to make it such a memorable weekend.” 

Lois Newton, Partner of Land and Rural Business at Gillespie Macandrew and RSABI trustee, added: “We were delighted to support RSABI with their flagship fundraising event for the third consecutive year and in particular the launch of this year’s new Great Scone Palace Challenge. 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.  Our congratulations go to RSABI, the participants, volunteers, and supporters who made it all possible, it was an inspiring day to be a part of, and we are delighted to see such a positive fundraising total for RSABI.”

RSABI offers free practical, financial, and emotional support including counselling services, delivered quickly after receiving the initial enquiry. Its free, confidential support service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by calling 0808 1234 555 or through a confidential webchat service, available on RSABI’s website www.rsabi.org.uk.