The 2026 Harper Adams Club Lunch once again proved to be a memorable occasion, bringing together alumni from across the generations to celebrate their shared connection to the University.
Held on campus on Saturday 4 July, the annual gathering welcomed members to celebrate significant milestones, including cohorts celebrating their 60th, 55th and two 40th anniversaries, alongside two individual alumni marking remarkable 68th and 63rd anniversaries since their time at Harper Adams.
David Pearce was one of those two alumni, celebrating his 63rd anniversary. To celebrate, he brought along a selection of memorabilia and memories, including a medal and one of his farm diaries - something that all Harper Adams students had to complete as part of a year's work experience before enrolling at the College at the time.
Harper Adams University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan provided guests with an update on recent University achievements and exciting plans for the future, and the forthcoming celebration of the institution's 125th anniversary later this year.
This landmark anniversary will recognise the rich history and achievements of Harper Adams - while also celebrating the students, staff, and alumni whose contributions have shaped it into the University it is today.
The event was not solely focused on longstanding alumni – recent graduates and current student ambassadors also attended, sharing fond memories and insights from within industry.
Following lunch, attendees were invited to take part in guided tours of the campus. Many visited some of the University's newest facilities, while others chose to revisit familiar locations, including the Main Building and former lecture spaces, now transformed for new uses, prompting many fond and light-hearted reflections.
A group of alumni posing at Jubilee Adams Building when it was student accommodation
The University and the Harper Adams Club were delighted with the success of the event and particularly grateful to alumni who travelled considerable distances to attend, including guests from Kenya, Spain, and Finland.
Since graduating last year with a degree in BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Mechanisation, Oli Rudd has returned back home to Kenya to work with smallholders developing systems for improving soil health through regenerative practices, and working with Agroforestry to support areas where they have lost their forests – and has so far seen positive results!
Speaking about the early successes of the projects, he said: “We’ve had a lot of interesting results on the research side, looking at alternative sprays and making our own biosprays out of tea ferments, and we’ve had some positive results out of that.
“We’ve also had a lot of positivity from the communities and people that we’re working with about the soil science principles that we’re teaching and about the work we’re doing around pest control – so there’s been a lot of excitement!”
Oli joined us for his first alumni lunch and reflects on his time at Harper Adams in the video below.
The Harper Adams Club Lunch remains an important fixture in the University's calendar, celebrating both its rich heritage and vibrant future. As preparations continue for the University's 125th anniversary celebrations, alumni are encouraged to stay connected and remain part of the Harper Adams community.
See more pictures from the day on our Facebook page.
You can also keep up to date with upcoming alumni events through our Alumni Newsletter. If you are not yet subscribed to our newsletter, please contact alumni@harper-adams.ac.uk.
Our alumni community are invited to join us for our annual Alumni Lunch Reception at the Royal Welsh Show later this month on July 22 at 16:00. You will have received an email invitation through our Alumni Newsletter.
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