Scottish agricultural charity, the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), will hide 1,920 toy sheep across Scotland as part of a year-long programme of events to celebrate its 240th anniversary.
The charity, which organises the Royal Highland Show, will kick off the event on Monday (March 25), with hundreds of toy sheep hiding across the country in shopping and tourist destinations, farm shops and agricultural centres.
Sheep will be hidden in the eight RHASS regions of Scotland:
- Edinburgh and Lothians;
- the Borders;
- Dumfries & Galloway;
- Strathclyde;
- Stirling;
- Perth;
- Aberdeen;
- Highlands and Islands in both rural and urban landscapes.
Sheep toys will also be hidden in and around Angus and Fife.
Hide & Sheep
The first to find a sheep can keep the sheep and be in with the chance of winning one of eight VIP experiences at the Royal Highland Show 2024.
Those who find one of the lost flock can scan the QR code on the sheep’s ear tag to discover if they are a winner.
RHASS chair, Jim Warnock, said: “It is a great honour to chair RHASS during its 240th anniversary year.
“We hope Hide & Sheep alongside our other family-friendly events this year encourage people across Scotland to learn more about the Scottish agricultural community, the challenges they face, and the important role they play within Scotland.”
RHASS chief executive, Alan Laidlaw, said: “At RHASS we have 240 years of history in championing Scottish agriculture. Inspiring the next generation through events like Hide & Sheep remains a key part of that.
“We hope lots of young people and their families get involved with the event and also continue their interest by visiting us at our milestone event, the Royal Highland Show, in June.”
With spring an important season in the agricultural calendar, RHASS said, each ear tag code will also reveal five farming facts including insights on lambing, crop sowing and more, as well as raising awareness about the farming sector and the important issues facing the rural community.
In addition to Hide & Sheep, this year will also see RHASS launch a mass Munro challenge, a series of Harvest Thanksgiving services and a yearlong audio and visual storytelling project.
The planned activities all aim to raise greater awareness around key times in the agricultural calendar, unheard stories from across the sector, and issues that face the rural community and will all generate funds for land initiatives preserving Scotland’s countryside.
