Advent Day 19: 19 years of the Development Trust

The Harper Adams University Development Trust has marked its 19th year – and, oh, how far it has come!

The Trust was registered with the Charity Commission in July 2003 by former Vice-Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn (then Director of Corporate Affairs.)

Created to raise funds for high quality learning opportunities for students and staff, over the years since its formation, the Trust has grown tremendously. Now, in addition to its Board of Trustees, it has a team of staff, led by Head of Development, Doris Taylor.

Scholarship funding has grown from £17,000 a year – with £500,000 awarded at this year’s ceremony, supporting 141 individual students.

Read about the 2022 scholarship awards here.  

Scholarships are provided by companies, private individuals, charitable trust and other organisations.

Some are created by alumni with a desire to give back, others are created to support businesses to secure the talent they know they can draw from the University. The Trust liaises regularly with every scholarship sponsor – helping them to find the best candidates to the benefit of all.

Other development work has supported investment in the University campus – co-founding a range of new facilities, the latest being the Veterinary Education Centre, with spaces created thanks to and named after our generous donors.

In 2022, the Trust has supported links between Harper Adams University and the Odessa National University of Technology through Twin For Hope, which sees colleagues from each respective twin university stay in regular contact via online meetings to build relationships, make plans for sustaining Ukrainian education during the war, and create relationships that will make a real difference.

The links being built between Shropshire and Odessa will see a group of four students from ONUT studying at Harper Adams during the 2022/23 academic year, thanks to generous support from the Harper Adams Club alumni association, the Harper Adams Development Trust and Rabobank UK.