Glynllifon students recognised at Lantra Cymru awards

Four Glynllifon students have been recognised at the annual Lantra Cymru Awards.

Harvey Houston, Chelsea Lawrence, Cian Rhys and Hari Prys Jones were among those honoured at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells.

Harvey and Chelsea are studying Level 3 Forestry and Arboriculture at Glynllifon, while Cian and Hari are both on the Level 3 Agriculture course.

The Lantra Cymru Awards recognise the initiatives, skills and enthusiasm of those pursuing careers in the environmental and land-based sectors.

Harvey, Cian and Hari were joint runners-up in the Young Learner of the Year Award, for people aged 20 and under.

Former pastry chef Harvey delights in working outdoors within nature rather than within the confines of a commercial kitchen. He combines college, where he consistently scores well in exams and synoptic tests, with working for a local countryside management company, who employed him after he impressed during a work experience placement.

Harvey’s long-term ambition is to establish his own countryside management business.

Lantra Cymru judges said: “Harvey has achieved so much already, demonstrating ambition and a great work ethic. We look forward to hearing of his future success.”

Cian is a second-generation beef and sheep farmer, whose ambition is to become a livestock auctioneer.

Last year he was selected for the Farming Connect Junior Academy, which provides work experience, training, mentoring and networking opportunities for young people in the food or farming industries.

The judges were impressed by his work ethic and confident, focused approach, saying: “Cian uses his learning on topics including animal health and ICT to benefit not just his own career pathway but at his family farm, and for other farmers he works with too.”

Hari is determined to reduce the carbon footprint at his family’s beef, sheep and arable farm where he and his dad clear-wrap bales, actively reduce waste and implement rotational grazing. He has his own flock of 50 pedigree Blue Texel sheep which he shows nationally and locally, having started with just two in-lamb ewes.

He hopes his studies at Coleg Glynllifon will lead to university and a career combining farming with a role as a farm manager or auctioneer.

The judges commended Hari for his positive and ambitious attitude and for acquiring new knowledge and skills which he utilises every day.

Chelsea was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Learner of the Year Award for those aged 21 and over.

She found the perfect career to fit in with her role as a solo parent, running a successful forest school community for children aged two to 14.

Chelsea later set up as a woodworker and handyperson, making and selling furniture made from local timber, working on property refurbishments and carpentry. Impressed by her credentials, the sawmills where she purchased timber gave her a job.

The judges commended Chelsea for her ambition and focus on continuous professional development, which she hopes will lead to an ecology-based apprenticeship.

Gerwyn Williams, programme area manager for land-based education at Glynllifon, said: “We’re very proud that four of our learners have been recognised at the Lantra Cymru awards this January.

“Harvey, Chelsea, Cian and Hari have been recognised for their outstanding performance and potential to move the agriculture and forestry industries forward.

“This recognition is testament to the ambition and dedication they have shown in building their careers so far, and we wish them every success as they continue their studies with us at Glynllifon.”

Coleg Glynllifon is a land-based campus with residential facilities, situated on the Glynllifon Estate near Caernarfon. The Glynllifon farm extends to 300 hectares and is a perfect environment for studying countryside management and agricultural studies. To learn more about the courses on offer, click here.