An impressive 189,851 visitors flocked to the prestigious Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, in Edinburgh, over the last four days (21-24 June) demonstrating the growing appeal, of Scotland’s iconic celebration of farming, food and rural life.

Organised by the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), Scotland’s largest event is not only ticking the boxes in supporting Scottish agriculture, it is also displaying its green credentials.  An estimated 160,000 journeys were made on public transport over the four days, a staggering 250,000 toilet flushes used 1.75 million litres of recycled water and 160 tonnes of waste environmentally processed.

The Show delivers over £65 million in economic benefit to the UK with visitors expected to have spent around £8 million on shopping at the event.

Reinforcing the importance of the Royal Highland Show on a political level, the event attracted elected key leaders from across the political spectrum including Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, The Scottish Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, Fergus Ewing, Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity and Ruth Davidson, Leader of the Conservative party in Scotland.

Commenting on the success of the 178th Show, Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) Chairman, Jimmy Warnock said: “The feedback on this year’s Show has been incredible – yes the weather played its part but overwhelmingly visitors are amazed with the scale and size of the event with every part of the showground brimming with things to see and do for the whole family.  We have pushed public transport and arriving seamlessly to the event adds to the overall enjoyment of the day. This is a once in a year opportunity to get face to face with the countryside and we hope we will leave a legacy for families to go out and discover what rural Scotland has to offer beyond the last four days of the Show.

“Thanks must be given to the volunteers, exhibitors and public who have again supported this event in their thousands – it all goes to ensuring the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland continues its charitable remit to support and showcase the best in food, farming and rural life.”

The Royal Highland Education Trust, the educational arm of RHASS, had another successful Show with over 6,000 children visiting on Thursday and Friday.  An estimated 30,000 are expected to have visited over the four days, with children 15 and admitted to the Show for free.

The Lothians Initiative showcased the Jobfarm project – initiated by the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland’s 2018 presidential team and led by Sir Crispin Agnew.  Its aim was to make young people aware of the wide range of jobs in agriculture, food industries, science and rural businesses by promoting work experience opportunities for young people aged 16 -24.

Malcolm Buchanan, Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Scottish board, said: “The Royal Highland Show is one of the longest continuous partnerships in Royal Bank of Scotland’s history, and this year it once again illustrated why it is one of the country’s greatest events.

“We have supported the event since 1981 and once again it showcased the very best Scotland has to offer and helped thousands of visitors understand why the agriculture sector is so crucial to the country’s economy.

“This year, Royal Bank of Scotland also worked with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers at the show to assist a new generation of farmers as they make inroads into the industry and help lead the sector in the years to come.

“It has been a fantastic four days.”