£7,000 up for grabs to inspire Lancashire’s rural youngsters - Cowsmo

£7,000 up for grabs to inspire Lancashire’s rural youngsters

Lancashire’s rural youngsters get chance to grab up to £7,000 this winter, thanks to a scholarship fund created to inspire young people to develop their rural business ideas abroad.
The 2015 scholarship launches 7pm on Wednesday 28th January at Myerscough College where past recipient Ian Atkinson explains how he benefitted from the funds.

The scholarship fund launched by the Lancaster and Morecambe Agriculture and Horticultural Society Trustees in 2009 encourages young farmers and horticulturalists to study or explore business ideas abroad. In 2014, winners of the scholarship included Ian Atkinson who received £3,500 travelling to New Zealand studying different strategies for selling stock. At the launch event, Ian will be highlighting what he learned and the value of the scholarship opportunity. Joe Towers was awarded £3000 to travel to China to look at the Chinese Dairy industry and discover the opportunities that exist for UK businesses, he will report on his findings.

In addition to the travel bursary, the Lancaster and Morecambe Agriculture and Horticultural Society trustees also funded an entrepreneurial young farmer to attend the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2015. Bethany Carr received £600 towards her trip and will be encouraging people to apply for the funds.

To date over £30,000 has been provided for rural youngsters to expand their horizons. They have travelled to France, USA, Australia and New Zealand, looking at a varied range of issues from walling techniques to beef rearing, sheep marketing, equine development and wholesale flower businesses. Applicants must prepare a proposal outlining how they would use the fund and why they would benefit.

The judging panel includes Lancaster and Morecambe Agriculture and Horticultural Society Trustees, Craig Thompson – Myerscough College’s Learning Manager for Agriculture and Philip Halhead from Norbreck Genetics who said “we’ve had some excellent and diverse applications in the past and following the candidates on their journey and beyond, we know the scholarship is making an impact. There’s a wealth of entrepreneurial spirit in Lancashire and we’re keen to hear from young people who want to gain a global insight into their dreams.”

Entries for the 2015 scholarship close Friday 13th February 2015, enabling travel this summer.  Anyone interested in applying for the scholarship should attend the launch event on 28th January, or to find out more by visiting www.norbreckgenetics.com or calling Philip Halhead from Norbreck Genetics on 07949 733 747.

Scroll to Top