Reaseheath welcomes British Grassland Society onto campus

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The country’s leading forum in the science and practice of grass and forage production, The British Grassland Society (BGS), has relocated to offices at Reaseheath College.

BGS was established in 1945 to serve as a communication forum, through events and publications, for the profitable and sustainable use of grass and forage. Membership is open to all with an interest in grassland agriculture, whether in the UK or overseas.

The organisation’s move from Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, to Cheshire places it at the heart of a major grassland region and, by being located at a land-based college, brings it closer to some of the young people who will form the future of the farming industry.

As well as having members and affiliates in the UK, the society has many active members overseas and is a member of the European Grassland Federation

The move is great news for Reaseheath College, as the BGS brings together those who have an active interest in the science and practice of grass and forage production and utilisation. These include researchers, farmers, advisers, teachers, students and technical members of the agricultural industry, all of whom aim to advance grassland farming through education, research and practice.

It is hoped that the new partnership may lead to the BGS becoming a valuable specialist educational resource, with the possibility of guest lectures and the potential in time for undergraduates and Level 3 students to become involved in appropriate project work. Reaseheath’s Agricultural Development Academy (RADA) is also looking forward to further developing its working relationship with the society.

BGS Director Elaine Jewkes said: “It’s great to be at a vibrant place of learning such as Reaseheath. I’m looking forward to strengthening our links with the college, which is itself a high profile and respected centre for agricultural education.

“I hope it will help us to further our central aim – to communicate improved methods of grassland production and use through research and the latest technology to the wider agricultural community.”

Find out more about the BGS by visiting www.britishgrassland.com

Lambs herald Spring at Reaseheath College

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Hundreds of local families are expected to flock to Reaseheath College in Nantwich this weekend for the first of two lambing events.

Spring has already arrived in the college’s lambing sheds with the arrival of the first newborns of the season. The lambing weekends have been a major draw to the college over the past 20 years, with many visitors returning each season to meet the lambs and hopefully experience a live birth.

Agriculture student Matt Broady with an early arrival

Agriculture student Matt Broady with an early arrival

The campus zoo, which is one of the best at any educational institution in the country, is also open to the public. Both attractions are open on March 5 and 6 (10am – 4pm) and again on March 12 and 13.

The college has a flock of 500 expectant ewes which will produce 1,000 lambs before the end of the month. Three sets of quads and 59 sets of triplets are expected.  During quiet times in the lambing sheds, visitors can watch a big screen showing highlights of the action and watch experts demonstrating the special care required for the delivery and care of the lambs.

Reaseheath’s zoo houses over 1,000 animals including meerkats, lemurs, tapirs, otters, birds of prey, companion animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs, reptiles and amphibians.  Activities include face painting and educational talks by Reaseheath zoo keepers.

Reaseheath’s sheep unit manager Ollie Bagley, 23, a former Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture student, is in charge of the lambing flock helped by a rota of current students who are gaining practical experience in the lambing sheds.

He said: “Lambing is traditionally the first sign of spring and this event is always very popular. Opening the lambing sheds gives us the chance to show what we do here.  As well as giving the public the unique experience of seeing lambs being born, it is also a great opportunity for us to tell them about the farming calendar and about the food on their plate.”

A family ticket for both attractions is £25

Find out more at www.reaseheath.ac.uk/lambing

Reaseheath audience enjoys top tips from eventer Lucinda Fredericks

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Competitors, students and staff were privileged to gain training insights from international three day event rider, trainer and businesswoman Lucinda Fredericks during a lecture demonstration at Reaseheath’s Equestrian Centre.

Lucinda, who formerly competed for Great Britain and now represents Australia, shared her tips for training horses from advanced eventers to children’s ponies.

Lucinda Fredericks with promising eventer EFS Rambo

Lucinda Fredericks with promising eventer EFS Rambo

She drew on successes which include winning three of the world’s six four star FEI events – Burghley, Badminton and Rolex Kentucky – and team silver at the Beijing Olympics 2008 with the charismatic little mare Headley Britannia. She also competed at the 2012 London Olympics with another of her top rides, Flying Finish, and was coach of the bronze medal winning Hong Kong team at the 2014 Asian Games.

Ably assisted by her 12 year-old daughter Ellie and the team from her livery and training yard in Wiltshire, Lucinda demonstrated training methods which could be used at home to prepare for the coming competition season.

Telling her Reaseheath audience that ‘riding is all about timing, feel and balance’, Lucinda used ground poles to shorten and lengthen the trot and canter strides of novice ride Frankie.

She then moved on to promising eventer EFS Rambo, a six year-old  approaching his second season after successfully completing four pre-novice and three one star events. Flatwork focusing on rhythm in all paces was followed by jumping a small course of fences.

It was then the turn of Moorland Oscar, an eye-catching six year-old Dartmoor x Apaloosa, ridden by Ellie and being produced for sale. Lucinda first demonstrated lunging techniques which adults could use to prepare ponies when their young jockeys were unavailable. Ellie then popped Oscar over single fences, culminating in an impressively narrow, single upright barrel which earned them a round of applause.

Grand finale was delivered by Lucinda and her eight-year old stallion Britannia’s Mail (Marley), first son by embryo transfer of Headley Britannia by premier eventing stallion Jaguar Mail. This stunning horse completed nine intermediate events last year with Lucinda alongside his stud duties – a fantastic testament to his temperament and ability.

The event, judged by many visitors as one of the best yet, is one of a regular schedule of informative demonstrations, courses and competitions offered at Reaseheath’s Equestrian Centre.

For more details see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/reaseheath-equestrian-centre

Cake puts the icing on cub scouts centenary celebrations

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Cub and beaver scouts from the 1st South West Cheshire District celebrated the group’s 100th birthday with a special cake made by bakery students from Reaseheath College, Nantwich.

The celebration was doubly special because this year is both the centenary of the Crewe based group, which is one of the oldest in the country, and of the cub scout movement nationwide.

1st South West Cheshire District beaver Henry Duncan (6), and cub scouts George Duncan (9), Brodie Evans (7), Aaliyah Wilson (8) and Hannah Evans (9) receive the cake from Reaseheath head of Food Nick Blakemore, Sam Copeland and students Katie Brittleton, Susan Thomas and Hayley Clibborn

1st South West Cheshire District beaver Henry Duncan (6), and cub scouts George Duncan (9), Brodie Evans (7), Aaliyah Wilson (8) and Hannah Evans (9) receive the cake from Reaseheath head of Food Nick Blakemore, Sam Copeland and students Katie Brittleton, Susan Thomas and Hayley Clibborn

Members and their families were joined by key officials of the movement at a party last weekend at a scout camp at Linnet Clough in Marple near Stockport. The four tier cake, decorated with scouting themes including a tent, campfire, neckerchief, map and badges, provided the centrepiece for the party feast.

Twenty Level 3 Diploma in Professional Bakery students developed the design and produced the cake after a request from Reaseheath Food Technologist Jenny Newall, who is an Assistant Cub Scout Leader of the group.

Said Lecturer and Course Manager Sam Copeland: “I’m extremely proud of the way my students worked as a team and rose to the challenge. Developing a four tier cake to professional standards in nine hours is no mean feat.”

The Ist South West Cheshire group meets weekly in the scout hall in Bedford Street, Crewe, and has a membership of 31 cub scouts, 24 beavers and over 40 scouts.

Tim Owen, also an Assistant Cub Scout Leader, added: “The cake was very impressive and provided the final touch to what was a very enjoyable celebration of 100 years of cub scouting in Crewe.”

Wildlife film makers encourage undergraduates to ‘make a difference’

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Wildlife film makers Madelaine Westwood and Piers Warren are encouraging Reaseheath undergraduates to ‘make a difference’ by recording their concerns about endangered animals on film.

Wildlife Conservation and Ecology undergraduates Sam Field, Tom Holloway, Victoria Johnstone and Gareth Myers-Cann, who are studying wildlife film making, chat to Madelaine Westwood.

Wildlife Conservation and Ecology undergraduates Sam Field, Tom Holloway, Victoria Johnstone and Gareth Myers-Cann, who are studying wildlife film making, chat to Madelaine Westwood.

Madelaine, founder of the Great Ape Film Initiative (GAFI), uses cinema and television to spread the message about vulnerable habitats which are shared by apes, other species and people in places like Africa and South East Asia.

Invited to our college as a guest lecturer by Reaseheath’s Conservation Society, Madelaine, who has worked for all major broadcasters in Britain and abroad, told our animal management undergraduates how targeted screenings of GAFI films had been viewed by 300 million people in 15 countries.

The GAFI team, which uses an innovative pedal powered cinema when conventional power is not available, aims to encourage local communities to create solutions which benefit both themselves and the endangered species which share their home.

Audiences range from local school children to politicians. In some cases the film showings result in local solutions or national changes to the law on issues such as climate change and unsustainable clearing of forests.

“Films are a powerful communication tool, particularly when they are backed up by social media, which can have far reaching effects,” Madelaine told her audience. “By getting your message out in a way which goes to the heart of communities, you can change human behaviour and really make a difference.”

Madelaine, who works closely with local non-government organisations when spreading her environmental message, later gave a second lecture which was open to all students, staff and the public.

Learn more at www.gafi4apes.org.uk

  • Next week undergraduates on our BSc Wildlife, Conservation and Ecology degree who are studying on the module ‘Wildlife in the Media’ will enjoy practical workshops on film making and photography led by Madelaine’s colleague Piers Warren. Piers is Principal of Wildeye, an international school of wildlife film-making, and is co- editor with Madelaine of a book on conservation film making which is suggested reading for our students. Said Course Manager Ben Coleman: “This is a very exciting  opportunity for our students to learn from the best.”

Header image caption: Madelaine Westwood during her lecture with animal management undergraduates

Staff members motivate WorldSkills UK squad

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Three Reaseheath staff members played key roles in a WorldSkills UK national training camp over the weekend.

Jo Maher (Assistant Principal), Greg Houghton (Programme Leader for Public Services) and Kate Humphrey (Programme Leader for Sport) delivered interactive psychology sessions to the WorldSkills UK squad at the camp in Loughborough.

Jo Maher leads activities with WorldSkills UK long squad

Jo Maher leads activities with WorldSkills UK long squad

Level 3 Diploma in Floristry student Robyn Longden was one of 160 talented young people to benefit from the motivational training, aimed at preparing squad members for competition on a world stage.

She was long listed for the squad following a strong performance at the WorldSkills UK national finals in November and will be offered further training opportunities before final selection nearer the 2017 world finals, which will be held in Abu Dhabi.

WorldSkills competitor Robyn Longden

WorldSkills UK competitor Robyn Longden

 

 

We are hoping that Robyn will follow in the footsteps of Matt Beesley, a former Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture student who, with fellow team member Jonathan Gill from Northern Ireland, won Team UK’s first ever medal in landscape gardening at the WorldSkills final in Sao Paulo, Brazil this summer.

Reaseheath has been a strong supporter of the WorldSkills programme for some years, particularly in garden landscaping and floristry. Held every two years, the WorldSkills finals put the spotlight on the skills of young professionals in vocational careers working to international standards.

Jo Maher has been supporting Team UK as their Performance Psychologist since WorldSkills Leipzig in 2013 and travelled with Team UK to Brazil last summer.  The approach to the training and development of competitors is based upon the transfer of the psychological skills training of elite athletes to a WorldSkills competitor.  This pioneering approach has helped to prepare and support squad members throughout their build-up and during the competition itself with WorldSkills Sao Paolo resulting in Team UK’s best ever medal haul.

Two weeks ago, Jo delivered a guest lecture on performance psychology at a WorldSkills celebration event, held at Glasgow City College.

Brand New Degree Courses at Reaseheath College

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The Faculty of Higher Education are pleased to announce several new additions to their suite of Degree programmes available for September 2016 entry. They are:

Adventure Sport & Sport:

FdSc Adventure Sports & Coaching

FdSc Sports Coaching

Animal Management:

FdSc Canine Training & Behaviour

Countryside:

FdSc Environmental Conservation & Land Management

Engineering:

HNC Mechanical Engineering

FdSc Machinery Dealership Management

Equine Science:

FdSc Equine Physical Therapies

FdSc Applied Equine Behaviour

FdSc Equine Science and Business Management

BSc (Hons) Equine Science & Sports Performance

BSc (Hons) Equine Science and Business Management

BSc (Hons) Applied Equine Behaviour Top Up

BSc (Hons) Equine Science Top up

BSc (Hons) Equine Science and Business Management Top Up

 

Rachel Ellis-Jones, Dean of Higher Education, says “These new course developments have been designed with employers needs in mind. Nearly 90% of our Graduates are in related careers within six months of leaving Reaseheath. We want our students to succeed in their chosen careers and we recognise that high performers learn through experience as well as through formal learning. Reaseheath continues to invest in cutting edge teaching facilities and student resources. These new programmes add to our specialist content and will equip students for the workplace.”

*Please note these courses are subject to validation processes

 

Top tips from leading event rider

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One of Britain’s leading event riders, Oliver Townend, gave an inspirational and entertaining lecture demonstration at Reaseheath’s Equestrian Centre.

A former winner of both Badminton and Burghley Horse Trials – Britain’s toughest four star events – Oliver demonstrated how he prepares his young horses for the dressage and showjumping phases by concentrating on achieving forward paces and rhythm.

Riding a five year-old and then an eight year old, Oliver revealed to his audience that the key to building up a horse’s confidence was to sit as still as possible and let the horse think for itself over small but varied fences.

He then demonstrated a more technically demanding course with three star ride Cooley Master Class, who was enjoying his first jump of the season. Oliver has great hopes for this 10 year-old by Ramiro B this season.

Caption: Oliver and Cooley Master Class is pictured with student arena party Rosie Swain, Ella Stephenson, Tyler Simpson, Katie Fearns and Fran Lewis

 

Students get real-life training on avoiding farming accidents

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Reaseheath College agriculture students were taken onto the scene of four life threatening ‘incidents’ which happened on the college’s working farm last week.

The scenarios were of typical farming accidents and the students had minutes to work out what had happened, decide on immediate action, discuss first aid procedures and explore what measures should be taken to prevent it happening again.

Students learn how to safely deal with accidents caused by falling from height

Students learn how to safely deal with accidents caused by falling from height

The event was a free educational workshop delivered by The Farm Safety Foundation, an award-winning charity established by NFU Mutual to help raise awareness of farm safety among young farmers.

The workshop consisted of ‘crime scenes’ depicting typical farming accidents. These were: crush injuries caused by livestock, falls from high buildings, accidents involving all-terrain vehicles and injuries caused by machinery – in particular those using power take–off.

 About 60 Level 2 and Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture students took part in the all-day workshop and spent around 20 minutes studying each scene before discussing it.

A 'typical farm accident' scenario involving an all-terrain vehicle demonstrated to students

A ‘typical farm accident’ scenario involving an all-terrain vehicle demonstrated to students

Reaseheath Agricultural lecturer Phil Gibbon said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to reinforce the college’s high standards of safety teaching, which are embedded throughout our curriculum. Unfortunately, statistics show agriculture is still a very dangerous industry in which to work and we all need to show commitment towards raising safety standards.”

The Farm Safety Foundation, which was set up two years ago, has doubled the number of student workshops it is offering nationwide in 2016 as part of its ‘Yellow Wellies’ campaign. A total of 22 colleges have booked the activity, with the Reaseheath event being the first of the year.

Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Campaign Specialist emphasised: “We need to ensure farm safety remains at the forefront of every activity which students explore as part of their journey into agriculture. This is key to our aim of reducing the toll of injuries and fatalities which bring heartbreak and misery to numerous families and rural communities every year.

“By working closely with colleges like Reaseheath, we hope that together we can make a difference by challenging and changing attitudes to health and safety in tomorrow’s farming community.”

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture student Rowan Braunton said: “We are taught health and safety in the classroom but seeing real life situations really brings it home in a practical way. The fact that we’re discussing it at college makes it ‘cool’ among my generation.”

Conservationist Dominic Dyer champions educated discussion

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A thought provoking lecture by prominent conservationist Dominic Dyer was followed by informed questions from members of Reaseheath’s Conservation Society.

Dominic, who is known for his debating skills at the highest level, gave a talk entitled ‘Standing Up for Wildlife at Home and Abroad’ to a full audience of students, staff and the public at our Higher Education Centre.

Dominic Dyer joined by members of Reaseheath Conservation Society members

Dominic Dyer joined by members of Reaseheath Conservation Society members

A leading expert on wildlife protection and conservation issues, Dominic is currently Chief Executive of the Badger Trust, Senior Policy Advisor  for the Born Free Foundation and a Council Member for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (Veterinary Nurses Council).

As former Chief Executive of the Crop Protection Association, he is also known for his expertise in plant science and global food security and is a regular speaker and commentator in UK and international media on food security, conservation and foreign policy.

A former civil servant, Dominic described his career working for the government and how he had become inspired to campaign for science led, sustainable policies to resolve issues within the food production, farming and wildlife sectors.

Speaking on the need for the protection of species, from badgers and seals in the UK to dolphins, lions and elephants abroad, Dominic emphasised that educated discussion backed up by proper field evidence was the key to success rather than a reliance on anecdotal evidence.

He said later: “This was a very successful event. I’ve enjoyed talking to young people who are both well informed and enthusiastic about their subject and who are able to have intelligent discussion about  potentially contentious subjects.”