Having lots of fun down on the farm

The Caledonian Estate, near Kirkintilloch, opened its gates the public for the first ‘LEAF Open Farm Sunday’ event on Easter Cadder Farm.

The event, which was organised by property consultants Galbraith and real estate advisers CBRE, not only gave visitors an insight into the world of farming and estate management but showcased the good relations and effective partnerships between landowners, tenants, contractors, employees and the wider public.

Easter Cadder was one of hundreds of farms across the country which welcomed visitors as part of the farming industry’s annual open day.

Activities and live demonstrations on the day included; machinery, livestock and arable cropping displays, a casting demonstration, fishing display, and gundog presentation.

Caledonian Estate is a fairly unusual estate due to its proximity to Glasgow and, whilst this can provide the estate with some additional challenges such as increased rural crime and fly tipping, it also offers a wealth of opportunities.

Parts of the estate have been leased for use as a waste recycling plant, a golf driving range and a children’s care home charity.

The Coast House Trust, a local charity who offer rehabilitation workshops in art, gardening and woodwork, also lease the Buchley Eco Centre from the estate, where they collect garden waste and turn it into high quality compost.

The estate enjoys with its tenants and neighbours and nearby farms provided livestock, conducted demonstrations, helped with the setup and arranged for the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) to host a stand.

The estate’s farm contractors, the Wilson family, played a key part in the event’s success, together with estate tenant James Rankin and the estate maintenance team, led by foreman Graham Robson.

Richard Oliver of Caledonian Estate, added: “We were thrilled to host the estate’s first LEAF Open Farm Sunday on Easter Cadder Farm.

“There are countless individuals, organisations and groups involved in the day to day running of the estate and this was very apparent to all the visitors at the event.

“Their hard work and commitment is the reason the land remains so productive and well utilised, the estate’s survival depends on them and this in turn has a positive effect on the local economy and community.”