GSC Grays Scholar: Lucy Bland

Lucy Bland, is a second year Rural Enterprise and Land Management (REALM) student and recipient of the GSC Grays Scholarship and Placement.

“I applied for the scholarship on the basis that the placement job attracted me. I wanted to work for a large firm, but one which wasn’t national and which had a friendly, approachable atmosphere. GSC Grays is exactly what I was looking for and their work with upland management particularly interested me”, says Lucy, 20.

“The scholarship will be a large help financially during my placement year, with both living costs and accommodation. The distance means I will be moving to North Yorkshire, as I wanted to get a taste of living and working away from home. The scholarship means I will have more choice when it comes to finding accommodation and will make the process of moving a smoother one.”

For Lucy, from Mottram, Cheshire, her studies mark a link between her background and her career aims. “I grew up on a hill farm in Cheshire near the Derbyshire border. We keep British Blue/Limousin sucker cows and Swaledale sheep which we use to breed North of England mule lambs. I have flocks of Blue Faced Leicester ewes and pedigree Suffolks. The Suffolks are a stark contrast to the swales and require a lot more attention!

“Although I have a keen interest in the farm and stock, I wanted a career which is farming related, but isn’t farming directly and running the business. Rural surveying was the ideal option as I enjoy interacting with people as well as managing the land. Harper Adams has always been my first choice of university and I have thoroughly enjoyed the course so far.”