The Gift of Grouse is an exciting new campaign and marks a step change in how we explain the many benefits of grouse moor management to the environment, economy and people of Scotland.

On the Glorious Twelfth we gathered in Glen Clova, at the heart of the Angus Glens, to launch the initiative following months of planning and preparation.

There has long been a recognition that landowners need to improve their visibility and tell the world how we are delivering for Scotland. The Gift of Grouse provides just that opportunity for sporting estates and the people and communities that prosper from their activities.

The Glen Clova event was the first occasion in an initial year-long campaign of activity and it perfectly summed up what we hope to achieve over the next twelve months.

As you will know, grouse management occurs in some of our most remote regions, and there exists a significant knowledge gap between those familiar with estates and the population who have never visited an estate or do not have a significant understanding of rural affairs. This lack of contact can lead to misunderstanding, and we hope the Gift of Grouse banner will enable us to address this.

Above all else, it is a people campaign. It is people using their own words to tell their own stories. And through the use of social media and video, it is one that we hope will connect with the public, media and politicians. The Gift of Grouse is all about explaining how people and communities thrive in some of the more remote parts of Scotland to look after the moorland wildlife and landscape for everyone’s benefit.

We need your help and enthusiasm too! It may be that we need help to stage an event, or providing participants for publicity activity. Or, it could be something as simple as displaying a Gift of Grouse car sticker in your vehicle. Whatever it is, the more people we can get involved, the better the chance we will have of telling the Gift of Grouse story to the widest audience.

Tim Baynes
Director, Scottish Moorland Group