PREPARATIONS are starting to gear up for this year's Open Farm Sunday event, taking place on Sunday, June 11, 2017.

Scottish organisers are hoping to surpass last years 21 farms, and collective attendance of 20,758 people – and to encourage greater participation, this year will see the introduction of some new resources to help support host farmers.

A dedicated Scottish 'webinar', to be held on Tuesday, February 28, will provide some guidance on how farmers can get involved, new ideas for the day and recommendations from experienced host farmers. This can be accessed from a home or office computer by pre-registering at https://farmsunday.org/open-my-farm/bitesize-webinars

It will feature talks from LEAF Open Farm Sunday manager Annabel Shackleton; Brechin dairy farmers Emma and Sandy Milne; Orkney buffalo farmers Naomi and Ross Bremner, and Scottish coordinator, Rebecca Dawes.

LEAF have also set up a closed Facebook group for any current or potential host farmers to join. It is hoped that this will provide a platform to share ideas, ask questions and gain some tips to help with your event. Request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1469890293025368/

If farmers are planning to take part in the main June event, they must remember to register via www.farmsunday.org. It is free to sign up and in exchange they will be entitled to a range of free resources to help, both before, and on the day. The host handbook will also soon be available.

Ms Dawes has now taken on the role of Scottish coordinator for the event, and can be contacted at ofsrc.scotland@gmail.com