CURRY TO HAND OUT HARPER ADAMS AWARDS

Posted 20 August 2003

SIR DONALD CURRY, author of the report “Farming and Food - a sustainable future” will make the award of Degrees and HND’s to graduates of Harper Adams University College next month.

He will attend the 2003 Graduation Day celebrations, held at Harper Adams’ Shropshire campus on Friday, September 19, as Guest of Honour and deliver the keynote address.

Sir Donald Curry KB, CBE, 59, chaired the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food, which made its report to the Government in January last year. “Farming and Food – a sustainable future” was widely welcomed and is now regarded as an important vision for the industry and a blueprint for future policy.

Amongst his other commitments, Sir Curry is Deputy Chairman of the NFU Mutual Insurance Co and a Crown Estate Commissioner. He was a founder and is Chairman of both ‘At Home in the Community,’ a charity managing residential homes in the North East for people with learning disabilities, and North Country Primestock, a livestock marketing company based in the North of England.

He was awarded a CBE for services to Agriculture in the 1997 New Year’s Honours list and a Knighthood in the Birthday Honours of 2001.

He farms 250 hectares in Northumberland comprising arable and lowland grass. His farming enterprises include beef cattle and suckler cows, as well as a breeding flock of ewes with lambs for finishing.

In addition to the main graduation ceremony, there will also be a special, private ceremony at which more than 25 individual trophies and prizes will be presented to students. This will include poultry and engineering industry awards as well as prizes sponsored by organisations such as Lloyds TSB, The Worshipful Company of Farmers and The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers.

Friday, September 19, will also see the launch of the Centre for Rural Innovation, a flagship project, which will encompass as many as 50 current and forthcoming projects for rural business, sustainable farming and food upon its launch – effectively providing a one-stop shop giving access to and a contact point for, Harper Adams entire range of knowledge and expertise.

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Notes to Editors: Members of the press are cordially invited to attend the Prize Presentation Ceremony and the main Graduation Ceremony on Friday, September 19, 2003. A buffet luncheon will be served. To attend or for further information on any aspect of this press release, please contact Nick Barnes on +44 (0) 1952 815 371 or E-mail nbarnes@harper-adams.ac.uk