RCF Awards £10,000 Rural Champion prize at Scottish awards
On October 1st 2026, the RCF team attended the tenth annual Helping it Happen Awards in Edinburgh, organised by Scottish Land & Estates to celebrate the innovation, determination and community spirit helping rural Scotland thrive.
The RCF sponsored the Rural Champion Award, which recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond, making a significant, lasting impact on their rural community in Scotland.
The Award was won by Emma Ruxton, of Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) and also comes with a prize of £10,000 to support the vital work of the RNCI.
The RNCI was founded in 1997 and has grown from links between the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and the Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS), together with the participation of several leading local agribusinesses. Its aim is to increase countryside awareness through the education of 3-18 year olds and their teachers to greater the understanding of farming and the working countryside.
Keith Halstead, Chief Executive of the Royal Countryside Fund, said:
“The RCF has supported rural community groups from all over Scotland and the rest of the UK for more than 16 years and so we understand the power of communities in setting and achieving their own ambitions to improve rural life. The hard work of these organisations usually takes place far away from the limelight, so we are very proud to sponsor the Rural Champion Award to celebrate this work publicly and provide £10,000 in funding to support the amazing work of the RNCI. I would like to extend my congratulations to Emma Ruxton as well as my thanks to everyone who was shortlisted for this award, for all they do for their rural communities.”
Also shortlisted for the Award were Jillian Kennedy from Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs who won the Rural Rising Star Award and John Scott who’s Farmstrong Scotland team won the Good News Award for their ‘Blether Together’ podcast.
Thank you to the team from Scottish Land & Estates for a fantastic event and the very warm welcome they gave us, and congratulations to all the winners.
Find out more about our work with rural communities here and read more about the Helping it Happen Awards here.