Reaseheath College equine students and staff have again been under the spotlight at the world’s most famous horse show, the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), by providing the arena party for the sixth consecutive year.
Twenty-one trainee dairy technologists reached a significant career milestone last week when they graduated from their unique Eden training programme, delivered by Reaseheath College in Cheshire.
Although studying for a degree could be costly, it would prove to be a phenomenal investment in later life, new graduates from Reaseheath College heard.
Speaking at the Nantwich, Cheshire, college’s Faculty of Higher Education (HE) graduation ceremony, Principal Meredydd David said that an independent analysis had shown that spending £40,000 on course fees and living expenses would bring in nearly a third of a million pounds during a career.
Eighteen of our Level 3 Diploma in Animal Management students were privileged to spend part of this summer studying and traveling within the Shamwari Game Reserve, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
This amazing two week opportunity, which opened our students’ eyes to the range of issues facing conservationists, was organised by our animal management department in partnership with gap year specialists Worldwide Experience.
Reaseheath College has named North West Cancer Research as its chosen charity of the year.
Students at the leading land-based college in Nantwich voted for the charity after learning of its commitment to supporting cancer research in the North West.
Members of Reaseheath’s Student Association plan to raise more than £15,000 for North West Cancer Research over the next 12 months by hosting a series of fundraising events. Already planned are several band nights, a staff versus students Tough Mudder challenge and a Halloween cellar tour.
The students will also support the charity in its awareness raising campaigns which run throughout the year, such as its #suncreamselfie campaign, which highlights sun safety and skin cancer symptoms.
The funds they raise will go towards potentially lifesaving research at universities in Liverpool, Lancaster and Bangor. Projects currently supported by North West Cancer Research include the improvement of skin cancer drug treatments and the use of proton beam therapies in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancers.
Student Association RAG (Raising and Giving) Chair Tom Allen, a BSc Wildlife Conservation and Ecology undergraduate, said: “Cancer is a horrible disease which unfortunately touches so many people. We all know someone close to us who has sadly been diagnosed with cancer, or lost a loved one to it.
“As a student group we have always been keen to support local causes and charities which make a real impact to our everyday lives. When we learned of the work which North West Cancer Research does to fund lifesaving research, we knew it was a charity we wanted to support. Knowing that the money we raise will help researchers who are based locally, and that this research could potentially help people on our doorstep, was really important to us.
“We are looking forward to raising money for the charity and doing our bit to support cancer research. It’s important that we do everything we can to help give more people a chance to survive cancer, which is why we hope to raise as much money as possible in the next year.”
Over the past 28 years, students and staff at Reaseheath College have raised more than £248,000 for local charities.
Bobby Magee, fundraising manager at North West Cancer Research, said: “We are proud to have been selected as Reaseheath College’s charity of the year. Support from community groups is crucial to our fundraising as it enables us to engage with the wider community and pledge more funding for research.
“Cancer will affect one in two of us during our lifetime. Today, thanks to research, half of all people diagnosed with cancer will survive. With the help of supporters like these students, we can help eliminate cancer and save more lives sooner.”
North West Cancer Research is the biggest independent funder of cancer research in the North West and has committed to funding more than £13 million worth of research over the next five years.
Header image caption: Members of Reaseheath’s Student Association let their hair down at this year’s RAG charity ball.
Research by Reaseheath herpetologist Dr Simon Maddock has helped to formally identify a new species of Indian lizard, the Giri’s geckoella Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) varadgiri.
A scientific paper containing a species description of the lizard, which was co-written by Simon, has been published today (Friday 23 September) in the peer reviewed scientific journal Zootaxa following an in-depth examination by scientific experts. A species description gives a clear description of a new species and explains how it differs from species which have been described previously.
Simon was a member of a collaborative research team from the UK, India and the USA to study the prominently patterned bent-toed gecko, which comes from Western and Central India. The lizard, which is 6cm – 7cm in total length, was named after esteemed Indian herpetologist Varad Giri in recognition of his contribution to Indian herpetology while he was a Curator at the Bombay Natural History Society.
The research, which was led by Ishan Agarwal of Villanova University, USA, used a combination of DNA and external characteristics to identify the new species. Although Giri’s geckoella has been documented for over 20 years, it was until now believed that the population belonged to the closely related forest spotted gecko (Geckoella collegalensis) from Southern India.
Giri’s geckoella is quite widely distributed and can be found from sea level around Mumbai up to approximately 350 m in deciduous forest, scrub and agricultural land. The species is active at night where it can be seen moving along the floor, during the day it retreats under rocks and logs. If disturbed, the lizard will make a defensive squealing call.
Simon, who is a Course Manager for our Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management, completed his Level 3 National Diploma in Animal Management with us in 2007 before studying for a Masters Degree in Zoology at Bangor University, followed by a PhD jointly funded by London’s Natural History Museum and the University College London. He is currently a Research Associate of the Natural History Museum and is a world expert on the amphibians of the Seychelles.
Simon said: “The identification of this new species of lizard is extremely exciting and one of particular importance to the biodiversity of Central and Western India. It is likely that, over the coming years, more species belonging to this group of lizards will be discovered and described as new species.”
Simon has been involved in a number of key research projects and he has been a speaker at several global conferences. His published research can be found here.
Read more about this new species of Indian lizard here.
An exciting crowd funding opportunity has been launched to send two Reaseheath animal science lecturers to Ecuador to help in the study of two rare and endangered species of lizard, Riama yumborum and Riama oculata.
Before enrolling at Reaseheath, Natalie Harrison ran her own business as a freelance groom but after working at a racehorse rehabilitation yard, her interest in equine rehabilitation and therapy blossomed.