Seven Students Recognised at Great Yorkshire Show

Seven students beginning their futures in land-based careers were being honoured at the Great Yorkshire Show after being chosen as the region’s finest.

The annual Best Agricultural Student Awards are presented to students from seven colleges and universities across the region: Askham Bryan, Bishop Burton, Craven, Myerscroft and East Durham Colleges, as well as the Universities of Leeds and Newcastle.

The award winners are:

Francesca Shaw from Askham Bryan College. Francesca, who is studying Level 3 agriculture, is actively involved in organic farming operations at her home farm in Monk Fryston near Selby and working at a beef and sheep farm local to home. She takes every opportunity with gusto, competing to a high standard in the college Stockmanship competition, attending the RAFT Precision Livestock Conference, Sheep Scanning Course and her Vet and Med qualifications alongside all her academic work.

Hannah Fawbert from Bishop Burton College. Hannah is studying the Foundation Degree in Farm Business Administration. She joined the college from the East Riding District Council, where she worked in the pensions department but had decided that a career change was needed as she and had a passion for agriculture. During her time with Bishop Burton she strove for excellence in all she did and completed a wide variety of work placements to ensure she gained as much experience as she could. This winter will see her achieve a life’s ambition to work a harvest in New Zealand.

Louie Elsey from Craven College. Initially Louie, who is not from a farming background, wanted to specialise in dairy farming but enjoyed the variation of working with sheep so decided that was the pathway he would choose. Louie produced an excellent portfolio over the course of his apprenticeship and achieved an overall distinction which he absolutely deserved.

Evan Taylor from East Durham College (Houghall Campus). Evan has made an excellent contribution to college life, academically in his agricultural and business modules as well as excelling in practical tasks and assessments. Although not originally from a farm, Evan has taken every opportunity to learn and gain practical skills both at the college farm and on his placement.

Yu De Chao from Leeds University. Having grown up in Singapore, Chao has always been fascinated by animals and nature, which motivated him to pursue a degree in Zoology. It was at the University of Leeds where he developed a keen interest in sustainable agriculture. This includes improving livestock feed efficiency, exploring alternative proteins for feed and sustainable intensification of production systems. Soon, Chao will be returning to Singapore for work in the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to help with a nationwide effort to improve food security and safety.

Matthew McClymont from Myerscough College. Matthew has achieved a First-Class Honours Degree Agriculture award. He won the RABDF Farm Health Planning competition in 2020, was also runner-up in the prestigious RABDF Dairy Student of the Year award in 2022 and was one of four students who successfully gained a NFU bursary to attend the NFU Conference and AGM in 2002.

Harry Darley from Newcastle University. Harry is a top achiever academically at the university and is awarded a First-Class BSc Agriculture with Honours in Farm Business Management, with the highest overall credit score for the year. Despite having not come from a farming background, Harry has always had a strong interest in the importance of agriculture, from a production and environmental point of view. In September Harry will start his MSc Real Estate degree at Henley Business School in Reading and is looking to take the strategic Rural land management route and become a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

The Great Yorkshire Show has become a four-day event after a raft of changes were implemented at the 2021 show due to Covid 19 regulations.

Tickets for the show have now sold out. Tickets will not be available on the gate. The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days. To see what is happening on which day, go to: https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/whats-on/

EDITOR’S NOTES

• The Great Yorkshire Show is England’s premier agricultural event, organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), a registered charity supporting rural Yorkshire.
• YAS supports and promotes the farming industry through health care, business, education and scientific research.
• The Society is supported by its family of businesses including Fodder, Yorkshire Event Centre, Pavilions of Harrogate and the Harrogate Caravan Park as well as events Great Yorkshire Show and Springtime Live.
• Businesses and events held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in 2019 contributed £73.7 million to the economy.

CONTACT

Jo Francisco
PR Manager
Direct Line: 01423 546215 | Mobile: 07954 007414
Email: jof@yas.co.uk

Sara Lamper Press officer
Mobile: 07759 795990
Email: sara@saralamper.co.uk