Kildare Trust awards for Herefordshire and Worcestershire students

Posted 1 March 2014

Four Herefordshire and Worcestershire students are benefitting from Kildare Charitable Trust scholarships, awarded through their university.

Siblings Beth and Jack Hanson, from Dilwyn;  Alex Skittery, from Ledbury ,and Anna Bird, from Malvern, are all studying at Harper Adams University, and have received a financial boost after competing for the Kildare Trust awards.

Jack Hanson, 22, is in the final year of an agriculture degree, having previously studied at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire.

"It's a fantastic feeling to be awarded this scholarship which will help me finish my studies at Harper Adams and hopefully allow me to move forward into the industry with a better insight into business and fresh ideas," says Jack, who has ambitions to both return to the family farm and to improve the current suckler cow industry.

Sister Beth, 19, is a second year Rural Enterprise and Land Management student, who is also taking additional French studies at Harper Adams.

The former Hereford Sixth Form College student said: "I am extremely grateful to have been awarded the Kildare Charitable Trust Scholarship and would like to thank the trust. Being awarded the scholarship enabled me to gain work experience outside of my home county and travel 250 miles away to Wolsingham, County Durham to work at George F White. This provided me with the opportunity to experience how rural land agents jobs vary across the country and extend my knowledge in a range of matters including compensation claims and client disputes.

"For my sandwich year, I have accepted a Trainee Surveyor position at Roger Parry & Partners and will be joining the Minsterley office in June 2014. I'm really looking forward to beginning placement and putting all of the knowledge I have learned so far, whilst studying for my degree, into practice."

Beth, Dilwyn Young Farmers' Club's Promotions Representative for Herefordshire YFC, has ambitions become a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)-qualified rural practice surveyor, then a registered valuer with the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. She is the REALM course rep and has been elected as a RICS matrics representative which, she says, is a great opportunity to network with other young surveyors in region.

Alex Skittery, 23, from Little Marcle, Herefordshire, is in year five of the Harper Adams Masters degree in Agricultural Engineering. A previous pupil of the John Masefield School, Ledbury, Alex has received three scholarships this year, from the Douglas Bomford Trust, Kildare Charitable Trust and Harper Adams Club.

He said: "I really do thank my sponsors very much for the generous scholarship awards. Their financial help is much appreciated. I'm in my final year of university, so spend all of my time studying - the scholarships let me focus 100 per cent on studying without having to worry about finding part-time work."

Alex completed a placement year working for a company in New Zealand, where he designed and built a working prototype mower. He has ambitions to "work at the forefront of engineering".

The fourth Kildare scholar, Anna Bird, 21, from Malvern, Worcestershire, is a final year BSc (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Well-being student at Harper Adams. The former Chase Technology College and Hartpury College student said: "I really didn't think I would receive the scholarship but was delighted when I found out I had been awarded it. It's great that the university can offer scholarships to students and I am very grateful to the trustees for awarding it to me."

Anna completed her work placement year with MMUK, the UK's largest citrus and grapes specialist. "As part of the AMC Group, they have world-class alliances, from Spain to Australia, from China to the USA. I spent my time working at their site dedicated to Tesco citrus and juice. I worked with various teams including commercial and technical. The experience confirmed that I want to remain in the fresh produce industry.

"When I graduate from Harper Adams I am going to work for Pixley Berries, based in Herefordshire, as supply chain manager for juice," added Anna, a member of the Harper Adams Hockey club and summer ball organising committee.

Scholarships worth more than £220,000 have been awarded to nearly 100 Harper Adams students this year.