A record-breaking £12,254 was raised at this year’s Royal Highland Show from QMS’s annual t-shirt campaign in support of Royal Scotland Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) and Scotland Young Farmers Association’s (SAFYC) Big Build.
Show-goers, t-shirt collectors and farmers alike left our T-Shed not only with a limited-edition t-shirt on hand, but also having donated to two worthy causes; RSABI – a charity dedicated to helping people in Scottish agriculture -and the SAYFC Big Build – a campaign raising funds to rebuild SAYFC’s home at the Royal Highland Showgrounds.
The t-shirts were sold exclusively at QMS’s T-Shed from 18-21 June sporting our Make It Scotch logo on the front and a trendy cow design on the back with our Quality Assured brands and proud industry message: “Born and reared in Scotland”.
For keen collectors of the QMS t-shirt, the cow’s ear tag on the back of the t-shirt was labelled with ‘26’ to mark the year and encourage collectors to continue their support year-on-year.
While Thursday and Friday’s rain was unwelcome for most, our team-turned-salespeople made the most of the downpour by selling Make It Scotch branded ponchos which made a significant contribution to our total funds raised, selling around 500 ponchos over two days.
For the show’s rugby fans, two signed Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors jerseys as part of our community engagement partnership with Scotland’s two elite clubs were also up for grabs for a £1 per raffle ticket donation. Rebecca Cheyne will take home the Glasgow Warriors jersey, while Carol Goodsir is the Edinburgh Rugby winner.
All proceeds from the t-shirts, raffle and ponchos went toward the two causes. Half of the total amount will help RSABI fund vital support services for individuals and families in Scottish farming and crofting communities.
Head of Fundraising at RSABI, Pauline Macmillan said: “We are incredibly grateful to QMS for their fantastic support at this year’s Royal Highland Show. The team’s creativity and energy, from the brilliant t‑shirt design to the inspired poncho sales, helped create a hugely successful fundraising result.
“Their hard work will make a real difference to the people in Scottish agriculture who turn to RSABI for support, and we can’t thank them enough.”
The other half will support SAYFC in rebuilding a permanent home for our nation’s young farmers while ensuring they can invest in the future of rural youth in Scotland.
Chair of SAYFC, Euan Bremner said: “The support we saw from everyone across the show was amazing and we have left in a very positive mood about the Big Build Project.
This is a significant boost to our fundraising efforts and demonstrates the strength of support for young farmers across Scotland. The new building will provide SAYFC with a permanent home for generations to come, helping us protect our heritage while creating opportunities for future members to learn, develop and thrive.”
Follow @qmscotland on social media for more highlights from the Royal Highland Show. To find out more about RSABI, head to rsabi.org.uk and sayfc.org/donate/sayfcs-big-build to learn more about SAYFC’s Big Build.