Farming college set for major expansion

Exciting new plans have been announced by Askham Bryan College which will see a £9m investment into new projects both at the York campus, as well as its sister college at Newton Rigg near Penrith.

Chief executive Liz Philip said: “We have just received news that our bid to the Skills Funding Agency for capital funding has been wholly successful.

“We will receive £3m from the SFA which will be matched by a further £6m from our funds.

“This is hugely significant, not only for the college, but for the education of tomorrow’s young people, for the economy across the North of England, and for the positive impact it will have on agriculture generally.”

A total of £6m has been earmarked for the York campus, with the remaining £3m going to Newton Rigg. Subject to consultation and planning approvals the development will take place over the next two to three years.

Among the planned works which have been outlined are a new wildlife and conservation centre and a new canine centre with veterinary nursing suite, hydrotherapy, dog grooming and kennels.

Meanwhile, the Newton Rigg College is set to receive a state-of-the-art dairy unit and a new building for the recently announced National Centre for the Uplands.

The plans will also lead to greater student numbers and a larger portfolio of courses offered, says Mrs Philip. “We are already the fastest growing land-based college in England – our student numbers have increased three-fold in the last five years from 800 full-time students in 2007 to today’s figure of 2,500, plus around 3,000 part-time students.”

It is anticipated that new courses will be offered across a range of sectors including animal collections management, canine and companion animals, (eg cats, guinea pigs and rabbits) wildlife and conservation and animal science. Veterinary nursing is a growing area which will also benefit from the facility.

Additional jobs are also expected to result. “I would anticipate that around 75 new jobs will be created. We currently employ 520 people in full and part-time roles, but as you would expect, to deliver more courses to more students, we will need to recruit and that will be a further boost to the local economy,” said Mrs Philip.

Mrs Philip said that the next step for the York campus will be to work towards an application for planning permission – beginning with the Wildlife and Conservation Centre.

The vision is that this will be open on a commercial basis to the public as well as for students’ studies.

It will become the new home to the college’s existing animal stock which includes meerkats, marmosets, aquatics, mammals and reptiles.

New animal species will be introduced including lemur, tapir, capybara and a children’s farm.

Uplands director appointed

Askham Bryan College has appointed the first Director of the National Centre for the Uplands which is creating a focus for excellence and a national forum for debate about an important sector of agriculture and the countryside.

Julia Aglionby, a nationally renowned Uplands and Common Land expert, will take up the role on December 1.

Mrs Aglionby is a chartered surveyor and agricultural valuer by profession, and for the last 15 years she has worked at H&H Land and Property in Carlisle.