The Scottish Countryside Alliance Educational Trust (SCAET) was set up as a Scottish charity in 2003 by the Scottish Countryside Alliance, in response to the very obvious need to reconnect the people of Scotland with its countryside. We realised the need to increase knowledge, awareness and appreciation of the countryside within the largely urban Scottish population.

Because Scotland is one of the most urbanised countries in Europe, we need to raise public awareness of the opportunities and delights of the countryside. Very few young people see rural Scotland as a place offering opportunities for employment or business ventures. Nor do many young Scots enjoy country sports. Nor do most Scots appreciate the fabulous quality of Scotland's own natural products, and the advantages of eating fresh local produce. Scotland has one of the most diverse natural environments in the world. Our wildlife and variety of landscape are acclaimed globally. Yet many of our own people neither appreciate, nor use the best that our landscapes can offer.

The SCAET manages a number of major projects itself, and also provides seed funding for other smaller initiatives throughout Scotland, within the broad areas of:

• Advancing the education of individuals interested in working in rural or countryside areas.
• Support for educational organisations involved in the advancement of education on rural and countryside matters
• Promotion of rural and countryside leisure activities, especially country sports with their associated knowledge of habitats, and sustainable development, to young people.
• Activities which promote awareness and understanding of the importance of the resources of rural or countryside areas, their habitats, conservation and sustainable development.
• Pilot projects involving research, promotion or study of countryside resources to those interested in employment, learning about or enjoying rural or countryside areas with associated habitat, flora and fauna.

As young people have drifted away from the countryside they have not been replaced and, as a consequence, this has meant that the rural infrastructure and services have diminished. It is essential to develop our rural sector to attract entrepreneurs and young people with families to live and work in the countryside and it is this that prompted us to set up the SCAET. The existence of the Trust underlines the absolute necessity of promoting the countryside as a place offering leisure, healthy living, affordable and nutritious foods and employment opportunities, especially to young people. Only if this happens will the countryside become vibrant and self-sustaining and make the valuable contribution to Scotland's economy and brand, which is its true place in Scottish life.

SCAET strives to see a Scottish countryside, which is not only accessible to all, but is also understood and fully appreciated by the people of Scotland. We would like to see a countryside where everyone is able to participate in the myriad of country sports and activities available, and where they understand the importance of these to Scotland's countryside. We hope to achieve this by engaging the next generation, raising awareness of rural issues and by supporting education and training for rural employment.

The success of the first two years of SCAET operations has shown the importance of the issues the Trust is addressing. Landowners and country sports enthusiasts have been ready to donate very generously, indicating that they see SCAET's objectives as one way of protecting their investments in rural Scotland. The take-up of the varied range of SCAET projects has been hugely encouraging, as you will have read in my report earlier in this review, and this impressive range of achievements is just the beginning. In the next five years we expect to see SCAET move onto a national basis as it pursues its goal of "connecting Scotland with her countryside". The basis of the Trust's policy is that the countryside is essential to Scotland's national wellbeing and, for its full potential to be realised, the Scottish people must understand, appreciate and benefit from it.