BRACE OF CONFERENCES AHEAD FOR HARPER

Posted 5 September 2003

THE PACE OF EVENTS LEADING to the launch of the Centre for Rural Innovation will pick up next week with a brace of conferences taking place at Harper Adams University College.

From Monday, September 8 until Thursday, September 11, the International Society for Terrain Vehicle Systems (ISTVS) will stage their ninth European conference at Harper Adams’ Shropshire campus.

The event will be attended by more than 100 delegates from around the world and will feature renowned speakers in the areas of off-road vehicle design, testing and development as well as a huge range of practical demonstrations.

Diesel fumes and roaring engines will be the order of the day on Wednesday, September 10, when white knuckle trips for ISTVS delegates and invited guests in an array of off-road vehicles will christen the University College’s newly unveiled test track and other facilities.

Then on Friday, September 12, the focus of the Centre for Rural Innovation moves on to the maxim ‘Waste not, want not’ as the second national On-Farm Composting Conference, called ‘Growing With Confidence,’ gets underway.

There are social, economic and environmental benefits to be gained from composting municipal and farm generated green waste on farms and rapidly changing legislation within the industry make this event, which offers advice and guidance on obtaining a Waste Management License, amendments to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations and the Animal By-products Order, one not to be missed!

The initiative’s first national conference took place in 2001 and since then, the On-Farm Composting Network has offered advice, guidance, support and training to entrepreneurs setting up, running or expanding composting enterprises of their own. More than 200 delegates are expected to attend.

Although they mark a busy week for Harper Adams, this brace of high profile conferences is just a part of the lead up to the official launch of the Centre for Rural Innovation, which will take place on Friday, September 19.

Sir Donald Curry, KB, CBE, 59, has agreed to launch the flagship project for Harper Adams and will spend the day on campus. He chaired the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food and his report, ‘Farming and Food – a sustainable future,’ was widely welcomed as an important vision for the future and a blueprint for policy developments.

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Notes to Editors:

Members of the press are cordially invited to attend any or all of the above events:

Ø The launch of the Centre for Rural Innovation will take place at Harper Adams University College at 12.30pm on Friday, September 19, 2003 with a keynote address from Sir Don Curry.

Ø The second national On-Farm Composting Conference: Growing With Confidence runs between 9am and 4pm on Friday, September 12, 2003.

Ø The opening of new off-road vehicle facilities at Harper Adams takes place on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 – trips around the test track are available on request to members of the press and offer a good feature/photo opportunity.

If you would like to attend any of these events, please contact the Press & Publications Officer Nick Barnes on +44 (0) 1952 815 371 or E-mail: nbarnes@harper-adams.ac.uk