2020 – The Year Ahead

2020 - as we wave goodbye to the tumultuous twenty-tens and herald a new decade, we've summarised some of the key events and anniversaries coming up in the year ahead, many of which present great opportunities to showcase your rural business and form new partnerships.

2020 has been designated Scotland’s Year of Coast & Waters and if you're an accommodation provider, visitor attraction, food producer or any business with a strong connection to the lochs, canals and rivers of Scotland, get ready to make a splash!

There are some great tips on getting involved here – remember to use the hashtag #YCW2020

Launching in 2020 is the new Heart 200 touring route around Perth, Stirling, The Trossachs and Highland Perthshire. The Heart 200 website aims to showcase various tourism businesses along the route through its membership programme.

In December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health  - a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. Although #IYPH2020 will be of interest to our agricultural clients, everyone has a role to play in keeping plants healthy - after all, plants make up 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe!  Find out more on the IYPH website.

(Additionally, the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 aims to shed new light on what it means to be a family farmer in a rapidly changing world and highlights more than ever before the important role they play in eradicating hunger and shaping our future of food.)

The first event in the Scene & Herd 2020 calendar is surely the rural event of the year!

The inaugural RHET Gala Dinner on 21st February is a celebration of their 21st birthday and will  help raise funds to continue, build on and expand their fantastic work which includes farm visits and classroom education and providing teacher training and educational resources, RHET’s purpose is to bring farming and the working countryside and its practices to life for young people.  Tickets are on sale now.  

(You can see the full 2020 Scottish Rural Calendar here)

2020 is packed with anniversaries that you may wish to make use of in your promotions, blogs and social media channels. (If you need help with managing your digital media, let us know). Some major anniversaries include:

• 6th April 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath  
• 26th July 200th anniversary of the opening of the Union Chain Bridge across the River Tweed between England and Scotland
• 29th August 90th anniversary of the last 36 remaining inhabitants of St Kilda being voluntarily evacuated to other parts of Scotland
• 6th September 5th anniversary of the reopening of the Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.
• 19th September 50th anniversary of the most famous farm diversification project, The Glastonbury Festival held at Michael Eavis's dairy farm in Pilton, Somerset.
• 16th October 25th anniversary The Skye Bridge is opened.
• Further afield, much of the news in 2020 will be dominated by the United States presidential election which will be held on Tuesday 3rd November.

One name you will hear a lot of during the summer of 2020 is 'Miraitowa' - the name given to the mascot of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - which is derived from the Japanese words mirai (future) and towa (eternity). This name was chosen to promote a future full of eternal hope in the hearts of people all over the world.

Wishing you a happy and hopeful 2020!