Duchy of Lancaster Scholar Grace Gardiner

Posted 11 January 2019

Grace Gardiner, second year BSc (Hons) Rural Enterprise and Land Management student, and recipient of the Duchy of Lancaster Rural Land Management Scholarship

I grew up in a small village in Essex and have always loved being outdoors, as I got older I developed an interest in farming, which led me to getting a job as a grain sampler, in a farm feed store, and working on a hill farm near Inverness., explains Grace, 20, from Manuden, Essex.

“I chose my course because I would like to work alongside farmers, estate owners and other rural occupiers, to help preserve and maximise profit from Britain’s most precious landscape. My degree course leads me to my APC and CAAV exams, to become a chartered surveyor. My goal is to achieve these soon after graduating, as I believe they’re vital to pursuing my career in land management.

I applied for the Duchy of Lancaster Rural Land Management Scholarship as I have a love for rural life, farming and the outdoors, and have a keen ambition to work in the rural land management industry. I felt applying for the scholarship would enable me to develop my knowledge and skills and enhance my success in the industry. I am planning to use the scholarship to gain my telehandler and trailer licenses to enable me to work and gain experience on a wider variety of farms. I am also hoping to gain my drone pilot license as I am keen to become involved in drone surveying. Land management is a traditional career but I believe it is at the forefront of pushing modern technologies in agriculture and land management and this something I am keen to be at the front of.

“I have just been awarded a placement with Clinton Devon Estates. This is a completely new area of the country for me and a long way from home, but I am very excited to get to know the area, and get involved in the large interesting variety of work at Clinton Devon and put into practice all the knowledge I have built during my last two years at Harper.

“The Scholarship will make things easier in regard to settling in the area and contributing towards accommodation and fuel costs. I would like to thank the Duchy of Lancaster and the Development Trust for awarding me this scholarship, I feel very honoured and will strive to continue to work hard and use the scholarship to help me achieve my goals and to accelerate my career.”

Grace’s main interests away from her studies are horse riding and shooting. “I have been riding since I was young and used to volunteer at the stables and completed my gold DofE on horseback. Shooting was something I had done a small amount of before university, but since coming to Harper I have joined the shooting club, and visit the ground for practice most Wednesdays and have even been able to shoot in some competitions, which I have really enjoyed doing and hope to do more of. I am also a member of the local young farmers’ club and have taken part in activities such as stock judging and netball”

“And I really enjoy travelling. I spent 3 months of my gap year travelling around South America visiting Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil, and visited places including Machu Picchu, Uyuni Salt Flats, stayed on a ranch in Argentina and enjoyed the festivities of Rio Carnival. I have also been to Malawi, where we painted educational diagrams and aids on walls of new teaching blocks which we raised money to build. We played with the children and gave them gifts, which was a very rewarding experience. I am hoping to do some more travelling after graduating.”