Kintyre Monitor Farm Open Day and Evening Event Raises £4k for Charity

Charity fund-raising activities during the recent Kintyre monitor farm open day and evening event raised a phenomenal £4,000 for a local branch of the Mairi Semple Fund for Cancer.

The events at Glenbarr Farms, one of the network of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) monitor farms, attracted more than 150 people from the local community and beyond.

The open day included lunch and a farm tour which covered updates on the topics which have been focal point throughout the three-year monitor farm period and included a range of expert speakers from Shearwell data, Soilquest, Drumdow Farm in Stranraer and QMS.

Organisers were also on hand to keep the younger attendees occupied. Among the activities aimed at children were tractor face painting, a bouncy castle and Scotch Beef temporary transfers.

The evening event kicked off with a BBQ and “final fling” ceilidh, with Glasgow-based band Ceilidh Minogue providing the music. Guests also had the opportunity to jump in a photo booth with their favourite farmer to take home a monitor farm memento.

The evening finished with a charity auction, conducted by guest auctioneer Jim Bennett, which comprised of 19 prizes including: a magnum of champagne; four tickets for Arsenal football club; a framed Map of Glenbarr; and three nights in the Grand Hyatt, Dubai.

The proceeds of the charity auction and raffle, plus some other generous donations, raised an impressive sum of £4000 for Mairi Semple Fund for Cancer.

“We were over the moon with the turnout on the day and to raise £4000 for a local charity is just simply fantastic,” said monitor farmer Duncan Macalister.

“The open day, BBQ, ceilidh and auction have been a fitting end to what has been a very successful and highly enjoyable three-year period as a monitor farmer.”

Caption: LtoR Kerry Hope, Linda McLean, Arlene Black, Elaine Fraser, Ann Macdougall and Louise Millar posing in the photo booth at the “final fling” ceilidh.