Rural business management students from Scotland’s Rural college (SRUC) were recently welcomed to Mellerstain estate, near Kelso by George Baillie-Hamilton, the 14th Earl of Haddington.

SRUC had approached Galbraith to see if any of our clients would offer a visit to a rural estate as part of its land use and diversification module.

Mellerstain seemed perfect with its variety of traditional land uses including livestock farming, arable farming and forestry and a number of non-traditional uses such as an archery course, a sculpture park and a natural woodland burial site.

The Hundy Mundy woodland burial site was set up in 2005 by the 13th earl, John Baillie-Hamilton. It offers eco-friendly burials in natural surroundings. During their visit, the students spotted the estate’s lawn mowers (the sheep flock) which continue to graze the grass areas of the woodland to preserve the landscape naturally.

The afternoon included a chance to see the Borders sculpture Park, where contemporary British artists showcase their sculptures in the grounds of Mellerstain House. From its early days Mellerstain has been steeped in art and architecture and the sculpture park continues this tradition. It has been open since 2016 and offers an impressive diversity of installations. 

Scott Murray, lecturer and programme leader of rural business management at SRUC’s Edinburgh campus, said:

Many thanks to Galbraith for organising such an interesting and informative visit for us.
All the information was very relevant to the coursework that has been set and you and your colleagues also covered other topics that feed into the wider course.
Following the visit I’m sure some of the class will be applying to Galbraith for work experience and your graduate programme over the coming year.

Galbraith Graduate Programme

Galbraith is delighted to support students studying at SRUC, not least because a number of our current and past employees are SRUC graduates. We hope our relationship with SRUC will continue to prosper.

Applications open in November of each year for Galbraith's comprehensive graduate training scheme which includes many benefits and results in our graduates achieving consistently high pass rates.

With nine graduates joining us in our 2019 programme alone, we have a superb graduate community which you will become part of, enabling you to share your learning among your peers.

If you would like to apply for the Galbraith rural graduate recruitment scheme, please keep an eye on our website: galbraithgroup.com/careers/graduates