‘We try to ensure that we use different judges from around the region as much as possible as riders appreciate having a fresh opinion of how they and their horse are progressing,’ said Claire. ‘Naomi Garbutt travelled from County Durham to judge the preliminary classes and Gaynor Booth came from Newby East to judge the novice and elementary.’  

Claire was delighted to see Newton Rigg student Nicolle Murray take first place in prelim 1 riding Apollo.  In second place was Sue Tyson from Keswick with Indian Mirage, third went to Emily Arter and Be Touchable and fourth went to Deb Gate from Cockermouth with Lily of the Valley.  The junior section was taken by local rider Lucy Hogg with Skyline Ranger. Their impressive score of 81.05% was the highest of the day.

The novice class was won by Tina Crowley form Cockermouth with Lugardis who beat Clare Chappelhow and Crackenthorpe Talento into second place. Clare was also second in the elementary, but this time Suey Browne and Josie took the honours with a good win. Third place went to Jo Wiseman and Crackenthorpe Phantasy and fourth to Helen Kerry and Blitz.

The next competition at Newton Rigg will be on Sunday 26^th February and this will be  affiliated to British Dressage. The next unaffiliated dressage competition will be held on Sunday 11^th March.

Apprenticeship Schemes

Apprentice Field Workers – two positions

Ambleside or Threlkeld

Approved apprentice wage, minimum of £120 per week

Full-time, fixed term contract for 18 months

This is a rare opportunity to participate in practical work in the National Park. We are looking to provide an opportunity for two Apprentice Field Workers to work in our Park Management Team, to include day release to college as required.

A key aspect of the role will be to support and carry out work to maintain and improve our public rights of way network, carry out the practical elements of installing gates and stiles, woodland management and dealing with erosion problems within the National Park.

If you have practical experience or an interest in learning estate work, particularly walling, fencing and footpath repair, then we would like to hear from you. Good communication skills and the ability to work as a team member are essential.

Applicants will have the opportunity to train on the job and obtain a Level 2 Diploma in work based environmental conservation whilst being paid a wage.

For an informal discussion about this post please contact Dave Bulman, Lead Field Ranger South on 07715165283or Angus Titterington, Lead Field Ranger North on 07740 419198.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applicants from all sectors of society. If you are an applicant with disabilities who meets the essential requirements of the job, we will interview you.

For further details and an application form, visit our web site at www.lakedistrict.gov.uk, email us at hq@lakedistrict.gov.uk or write to Human Resources, Lake District National Park Authority, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, KendalLA9 7RL

We are unable to accept CVs.

Closing date for applications is midday Friday 10 February 2012.

There will be a two stage selection process, with an assessment held during the week commencing 20 February 2012, and interviews held during the week commencing 27 February 2012.

The land-based college was inspected in December and has been described as a “good and improving college” in the Ofsted report published this week.

The College's Chief Executive, Liz Philip said: “These excellent results demonstrate the commitment and dedication of our staff to achieving the best possible experience and results for our learners and I am delighted that they come so soon after the creation of Newton Rigg College.

“Future plans will see continued improvements, both in the fabric of facilities and in the development of the curriculum.”

The College provides courses for three times as many students as it did at its last inspection, thanks in part to taking over further education courses at Newton Rigg from the University of Cumbria in July this year, creating Newton Rigg College.

Ofsted found that the College’s overall success rate was high. Students aged 16 to 18 achieved well and above that in colleges with a similar intake. Pass rates on main qualifications were very high. The overall success rate for adult students improved on 2010/11 to above that in similar colleges but Ofsted felt that too many adults on advanced-level courses left college early.

Progression was good, with nearly 60 per cent of students progressing to a higher-level qualification, while around 20 per cent going into employment in an area directly related to their course.

The College was praised for its teaching and assessment and for offering a good range of main qualifications within its land-based specialism, with workplace skills, industry competencies and an understanding of the industry embedded throughout courses.

Learners at Newton Rigg identified the res-establishment of a dairy herd at the college as a positive move and the report acknowledged the redesign of the curriculum there to include apprenticeships in game-keeping and butchery and the development of industry-specific courses such as the herdsman certificate.

The report identified areas for the college to improve further, such as the retention of adult students on advance courses, embedding quality assurance processes and developing the curriculum further at the Newton Rigg campus, and better use of Information and Learning Technology and Virtual Learning Environment.

The students were divided into 2 teams of 9 with one team doing the beating whilst the other waited for pheasants and partridge to be driven over them. The teams then swapped roles. Richard Gargett, Sam Riley and Adam Jay supervised the standing guns whilst Malcolm Riding organised the beating teams. The day was very, very windy meaning the birds flew very fast and high, tricky shooting for even the most experienced guns. Total bag for the day was 22 head although 211 shots were fired to achieve this. Not a good average but then the birds were exceptionally difficult. Although good shots were made by several students, it is worth mentioning Sam Cole and Connor Thody  who pulled off spectacular shots on Ashcroft and Arboretum drives. Richard, Sam, Adam and Malcolm would like to congratulate all the students on their exceptional observance of safety, well done.

Images below (attached) are of some of the students having their pheasant stew for lunch and the end of day Team Photo.”

After the amazing news from the Football Association, Paul Lowery from the Rugby Football League has confirmed Newton Rigg's place in the Carnegie National Champion Colleges Cup for 2012. The Cumbrian & North stage is coming up in February and we will compete against other well-established colleges from the region. This tournament is male only.

In addition, the Rugby League 9s tournament (postponed from December) is to be played in February and requires a male & female team to compete!

Training starts today, being run by the Rugby Football League at Newton Rigg College, with male & female students welcome. Students will be coached, learn how to coach, gain an officiating award, a leadership award and will run a Cumbrian rugby event later in 2012 here at NRC.

Despite the hundreds of colleges being rejected in their application to join the FA Futsal National Championships 2012 competition, Newton Rigg College has been successful in applying! This is an outstanding achievement for the college and I would like to thank the staff and the students for their hard work in ensuring our successful application.

Details are yet to be confirmed for the venue & date, but Newton Rigg needs many more U18 male students to compete.

Futsal is a fast-paced version of football, with a slightly heavier ball.

Training is in the sports hall at 3pm on Tuesdays.

Male students needed to be 16 or 17 on 31^st August 2011. It’s ok if they have turned 18 since. Female students are still welcome at training.

The six final year agriculture and ecology students, along with lecturer Dr Jaime Martin (correct), spent a day at Newton Rigg where they saw the bio boiler in action, heard from the Associate Dean for Science of the University of Cumbria, Professor David Robson, and met representatives of the River Eden Demonstration Test Catchments (Eden DTC) project as well as having a tour of the college farms including the willow and forestry areas. The students are studying on the 'BSc in Agriculture’ and ‘BSc in Rural Resource Management’ courses.

Commissioned in May 2010, the boiler provides hot water and space heating for eight student accommodation blocks housing 127 students, all in en-suite units. Not only does it significantly reduce the college’s carbon emissions but it also saves tens of thousands of pounds in electricity bills. The students also heard about potential energy “buy back” schemes which could be used to cover the costs of both installations and raw materials.

Estates Manager Geoff Metcalfe said: “The Myerscough students were very keen to learn about something that is working so well for us here. We talked about the potential to extend the boiler to provide heat for our sports hall and other buildings. We also hope to reduce our carbon footprint still further in the future.”

Dr Martin explained: “Our final year students are currently looking at sustainable land management and in particular alternatives to the traditional sources of energy. They've already seen an anaerobic digester in action and a wind farm, so we contacted Newton Rigg as we knew they had a bio mass boiler in operation. It was very useful to see it in action and then assess its efficiency, overall costs in comparison with say gas and oil, and then consider the use of farm land generally in light of the need to feed the world's population.”

Bio mass boilers are becoming a  popular way of producing energy on farms, both terms of  cash savings and generators, and in reducing dependence on increasingly expensive sources of conventional energy. Newton Rigg’s boiler is fuelled with around 350 tonnes of locally-sourced wood annually.

Whatever your dream, it could become a reality as Farmers Guardian is once again looking for the Agricultural Student of the Year 2011-2012.

The competition - the only one of its kind in the UK - is offering one student the chance to choose a seven, nine or 11 month work placement in the USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. The prize includes flights, insurance, visas and accommodation - the winner will be placed with a farming family.

The exclusive work placement, worth £3,000, is being provided by AgriVenture, the international organisation responsible for helping more than 30,000 young people embark on a trip of a lifetime.

The competition is open to all agricultural and horticultural students in the UK and Northern Ireland and aims to recognise young professionals ready to further themselves in their chosen career.

Whether you decide to pursue a completely different job or use the opportunity to further your career through a sandwich placement or post-graduation - the programme will be tailored to ensure you achieve maximum impact to help you achieve your future goals.

For more information please visit http://www.farmersguardian.com/your-space/competitions/agricultural-student-of-the-year-%E2%80%93-2011-2012/42151.article

The trial was carried out using the Roundhouse at Sewborwens farm on the Newton Rigg campus in Penrith, by Dr Jim Clapp from Newcastle University, and supports the observation of the farmers who use a Roundhouse. Geoff Simpson, of manufacturer Roundhouse Building Solutions Ltd, initially believed that a round shaped building would be less stressful for cattle because they have herding instincts and would see their fellow herd mates more in a round building than in a conventional one.  It is also known that cattle like to be handled through a circular handling system because when they are put through it they think they will end up where they have come from, and thus find it reassuring. Until this pilot trial commenced, however, there was only the evidence of higher growth rates to indicate the building was less stressful to the animals, plus anecdotal comments from farmers.

Dr Clapp’s study aimed to identify “welfare indicators” by assessing non-invasive stress monitors, which would form a platform for further trials to determine the degree to which Roundhouse housed animals were stressed compared to conventionally housed ones. The stress monitors studied include:

• Saliva tests (saliva contains the stress hormone cortisol, also testosterone and progesterone which relate to aggression);
• Heart rate monitoring;
• The incidence of “disease”, such as the number of coughs over a ten minute interval;
• The incidences of social interactions, such as the number of aggressive or passive acts the cattle show towards each other during a set period of time;
• A ‘novel object approach test’ (in the case of the trial a beach ball), where the time it took for five animals to approach within one metre of it was analysed. The more fearful and so stressed the animals are, the longer it takes them to approach the object.

The trial showed that saliva could be used to determine stress levels, so long as certain proviso’s linked to the age of the animals - such as sexual maturity - were taken into account. Heart rates were also a good indicator of stress.

It also concluded that bulls from conventional houses (the control animals) had “significantly” higher heart rates than the Roundhouse bulls when put through a crush, and were also slower to approach the beach ball, suggesting “that the control bulls were more fearful and pessimistic and so chronically stressed”. However the limited number of observations means that more trials and data sets are now required to enable more robust conclusions to be drawn, says Mr Simpson. Dr Clapp and Roundhouse Building Solutions are now hoping to move the trial forward on a further six Roundhouses, and are considering using more sophisticated equipment such as wireless heart monitors that are used to measure fitness and stress in race horses.

“We designed the Roundhouse because we thought it would suit cattle from an environmental, and welfare point of view which would result in less stress and thus faster growth rates,” says Geoff Simpson. 

“The farmers who use them have witnessed extremely good growth rates among growing and finishing cattle, which would indicate the building does work as we intended. This trial was designed to determine how we could shed further light on how the cattle feel in the building to enable us to improve performance even more. We are delighted in the results so far, and look forward to taking the trials forward.” 

The afternoon included an informal service led by the Canon Missioner of Carlisle Cathedral, Canon Michael Manley. The theme was ‘love’. The service was fun, thoughtful and, at times, emotional. It concluded with an impromptu question time, with Bishop James being asked very interesting questions, including, how did he become a bishop and how do you make stained glass windows?

Photo shows International Dog Groomer, Sarah Hawkes

A touch of Harrods' glamour is coming to Newton Rigg College as world experts show how to provide a canine makeover and share the tricks of the trade

World experts Colin Taylor and Sarah Hawkes are going to be demonstrating the skills of dog grooming  in a “Grooming Made Easy” event with the college's Animal Management Department on Monday 24 October. Both have judged and competed all over the world. It's the first time such an event has been staged at the Cumbrian college.

Lecturer Stacey Waugh who is organising the event along with Christies Direct, explained: “Christies are the best in terms of products and grooming, and Colin and Sarah are world class experts, so we're absolutely thrilled they will be with us. It's aimed at anyone who is working in the industry and of course our students can attend. It will be an absolutely super day.”

Christies provide grooming products for the prestigious Harrods Pet Spa, and their range covers everything from scented shampoos to bows to clothing for handlers. 

During the day four dogs will be “models” for Colin and Sarah who will demonstrate a variety of skills, from “scissoring” to hand stripping and shampooing, and also share hints and tips with their audience.

The College has some 100 students in the Animal Management Department studying on a range of courses. Animals include chipmunks, chinchillas, snakes, fish, rodents and exotic birds. The introductory dog grooming course is run as a three hour evening class on Thursdays for 20 weeks.

Stacey's involvement with Newton Rigg began when she was a student but then, after gaining her qualifications in animal care and teaching, she returned as a lecturer. “My work involves all the animals in the department but have always loved dogs. I'm quite arty so  love being creative, for example making 3D shapes on dogs. And it isn't just poodles who have makeovers, Great Danes, Old English Sheepdogs down to Chihuahuas – it's important to their health as well as their appearance.”

For more information on the event or courses, contact Stacey on 01768 893619.

Stacey's Top Tips for Dog Grooming

·Familiarise your dog with grooming procedures from the start, this will help build the social bonds between you, and will also ensure that your dog will accept and tolerate grooming a lot more in the future.

·Use a rubber marigold glove to remove loose hairs from a short coated dog

·Wipe the insides of the ear leathers with a simple baby wipe to reduce waxy build-ups that can cause a number of problems.

·If possible,  walk your dog on pavements regularly to avoid overgrown claws, invest in a metal nail file and file your dog’s claws regularly to avoid them from overgrowing.

·Between baths use dog wipes (available from most pet shops) to deodorise and freshen up the coat

·Brush your dog's teeth frequently using a poultry flavoured toothpaste, this will reduce build up of tartar

·Bathe your dog using baby shampoo; this will be mild enough to use on a dog's coat

·A shedding tool such as the furminator will be ideal to remove undercoat from double-coated breeds of dog, it is a fantastic investment to avoid excess hair on furniture.

·Pluck hairs from wool coated breeds by putting a little chalk onto your fingers first, this will ensure you get a better grip. Removal of the hair will keep ears fresh and reduce wax building up.

·Wipe eye discharge when needed with eye wipes or simple cotton wool and warm water to avoid any build up of discharge, remove excess hair from eye area using small blunt tipped scissors.

To achieve this students established a new hatchery room and monitored the incubators on a daily basis, as well as carrying out candling and egg weighing, to check the embryonic development within the eggs.  

Having also set up an indoor rearing shed the students will now rear the birds from day old to eight weeks when they will be sexually mature and ready for sale to final customers.  During this time the students will learn how to feed, bed, water and maintain the health and welfare of the birds. 

This out of season rearing practical will enable the students to gain practical game rearing skills at a time when traditional gamebird eggs and chicks are not available. This allows the students to gain valuable rearing experience, before rearing 1000 red legged partridge after Easter, to stock the driven shoot on Newton Rigg Farms. 

Huge congratulations to Rachel Waterhouse who was named Lecturer of Year in the 2011 Golden Apples Education and Learning Awards.

Rachel joined Newton Rigg in 1999 as a technician-instructor in the Animal Management Section, and went on to become a lecturer a year later. Passionate about her work and committed to ensuring her students' achieve their best, Rachel thoroughly deserves her Award.

In addition, Mike Wilson  was nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award for services to Agricultural Education.

Liz Philip said: “This is great news and very encouraging to see dedication and hard work publicly recognised.  Congratulations to both Rachel and Mike.”

CN Group Education and Learning Awards 2011: Winners revealed

The annual awards are organised by Cumbrian Newspapers.

Photo kindly supplied by Cumbrian Newspapers.

Photo shows Claire with her horse Flash getting ready for next Sunday's event

Equine enthusiast Claire Watson is keeping her fingers crossed that the weather will hold for next weekend, as she has her sights set firmly on a championship rosette at a national horse trials event. And student, Nicolle Murray is also hard at work getting ready for the challenge to take the honours in her section.

Claire is an equine technician at Newton Rigg College and Nicolle is in the second year of her studies for a national diploma in equine studies. They have entered the Askham Bryan Horse Trials which will be held next Sunday (9 October). The Trials have attracted entries from across the country and are organised in conjunction with British Eventing, the national governing body for the sport. The venue is Askham Bryan College near York which recently took over the running of Newton Rigg. 

Event organiser, Philip Grant, who is also Deputy Principal at Newton Rigg said: “We held our inaugural event last year and it was really well received. We had many many compliments regarding the high standard of the day and competitors particularly enjoyed the cross country course which did ask a lot of questions with some big bold fences.”

Claire, whose home is at Brampton near Carlisle,  is competing in one of the new classes with Flash, a 9 year old Irish Sports Horse.  She said: “I'm really looking forward to it. It's my second season with Flash and I'm keeping my fingers crossed the weather holds and we do well.”  The chestnut gelding is owned by Mrs Anne Barlow of Bradwell Manor, Cheshire.

 And for Nicolle, who's from Penrith, it's the opportunity to shine with  17 year old “BJ”, a former racehorse. 

The trials take place in stunning park land and include dressage, show jumping, and a testing and exciting cross-country course across 40 fences. There are a complexity of fences including a unique water splash which is crossed twice, ditches and hedges, all creating a traditional course.  One of the key aims is to encourage young horses and riders and also those wishing to finish the season “on a high.”

The event is sponsored by Armstrong Massey Land-Rover.

Photo shows students after the College's first shoot of the academic year

The freshers were involved as beaters in the event which was run by the second years  and resulted in an impressive bag of 42 partridge and a magpie.

The popular course is run by lecturer, Malcolm Riding of the Northern School of Game & Wildlife who said: “This must be the only shoot in the country where the guns are not the most important element – it's the students, particularly the second years, who organised the day. They did terrifically well as it's a huge responsibility making sure the day goes smoothly and ensure everyone is in the right place at the right time. Of course safety is a top priority for everyone involved.”

He added: “There were eight drives in total. The conditions were far from perfect as it was a wet day and, with some corn still standing, we weren't able to use a significant amount of our land. The second years were very much in charge, welcoming the guests, organising the drives in terms of both the beaters and the guns, and generally making sure all went smoothly and safely, which it did. It was a good day -  the students learnt a lot and the guns – made up of staff and friends – had a good time too.”

The course is widely regarded as the best in North of England and in the top two in the country, thus students come from across England and also Scotland, with the majority studying for the extended diploma in Countryside and Game Management. “Their career choices from the course are quite varied,” said Mr Riding. “Some will go into upland or lowland gamekeeping or deer management, some go into countryside management whilst others go on to higher education and use this as a good basis for a career in estate management.”

Photo shows Wes Johnson, the new Principal at the College

A passion for the countryside and teaching are the hallmarks of the new Principal of Newton Rigg College.

Wes Johnson has been announced as  Newton Rigg's first Principal under the new ownership of  Askham Bryan College.  In July, the York-based college took over Newton Rigg from the University of Cumbria, announcing a £2.4m investment plan to restore it to its former position as a leading centre for further and higher education.

Mr Johnson is currently Acting Principal of Craven College, Skipton and takes over  his new role in January 2012.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Johnson said: “I’m very much looking forward to stepping into what will be very large shoes. I’m passionate about the countryside and keen to see Newton Rigg achieving its potential, and more.”

“ If ever a county or a region deserved to be a centre of educational excellence it is Cumbria and the North West. There is such a strong heritage here for rural and agricultural studies in particular which we will re-establish.”

These will be complemented by a  wide range of  degree and diploma subjects -  from health studies and child care to sports and public services, and from engineering to equine which are already well underway. Newton Rigg is also running courses under the Skills for Working Life programme, equipping those with few or no formal qualifications who want to boost their knowledge.

Mr Johnson added: “My particular aim is to enthuse and equip the leaders and workforce of tomorrow. There is a tremendous feeling of goodwill towards Newton Rigg and I intend to build on that, working with the local community, potential employers, local schools and organisations.  Being part of the Askham Bryan family means we can re-establish the Newton Rigg identity whilst benefiting from the good practice and experience in York.”

As well as the campus at Penrith, the College has a total of 1,068 acres across two farms. The plan is that over the coming months, these will be re-stocked and re-equipped  to form a practical resource for students. In addition a rural research unit will be established in conjunction with the University of Cumbria.

Newton Rigg College attended the annual Mutts’ Funday at Wetheral Animal Refuge.

We enlisted the help of two willing level 2 animal care students Paul Smith and Courtney Bruce who got to show off their dog grooming talents whilst also handing out lots of bags of Newton Rigg goodies.

Gretna Football Club supremo Brooks Mileson opened the dog show and although we had a rainy start the day was a huge success.

Photo shows:

A Newton Rigg student has won a scholarship towards her studies for an Extended Diploma in Animal Management at the Cumbria-based college. The scholarship follows a summer placement which saw her working with wild animals in South Africa.

Brodie Taylor, 17, who comes from Oxenholme, near Kendal, completed the Subsidiary Diploma in Animal Management at the College last year.

The scholarship  is one of 11 new scholarships at the College and covers tuition fees, residential accommodation and a £200 cash allowance. The award means that she has been able to move on to the next level of the course and can live in. Said Brodie: “It means I can carry on with my course so that I can eventually work with exotic animals and not having to travel every day is helping me to really concentrate on my studies.”

Further education courses at Newton Rigg were recently taken over from the University of Cumbria by Askham Bryan College, the Yorkshire land-based college, which is investing £2.4m to revitalise the college farms and upgrade the site generally.

Brodie needed to undertake 300 hours of work experience as part of her course and volunteered to work at the Khulua Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in South Africa through an organisation called African Conservation Experience.

During her month-long visit in the summer she worked with a range of animals, including lion cubs, bushbabies, monkeys, ostriches and owls. She cared for a baby rhinoceros called Luna whose mother had been killed by an elephant. Luna was just a month old and very ill, needing constant attention and being very stressed by her contact with humans. Brodie was among the team who checked her every 15 minutes, tried to feed her and who took turns with two-hour shifts throughout the night to make sure she stayed warm. Within two week, Luna was up and running around outside.

Brodie was taught how to use a dart gun and was able to see two rehabilitated animals released back into the wild. She said: “It was extremely hard work but one of the best things I’ve ever done. Not many people get to sit with a rhino and cuddle up to lion cubs.”

After completing her course at Newton Rigg, Brodie is hoping to go on to study zoo management.

Newton Rigg will be attending this years Farmer Network Dairy Herd Expansion Conference.

Penrith Auction will be the venue for the first ever conference in Cumbria covering the issue of dairy herd expansion.  The Conference will take place on Thursday 22nd September 2011 from 10.30am until 3.00pm with speakers covering the many issues that farmers face when they seek to expand their dairy herds.  Farmers will be free to attend whichever talks they are interested in and also visit over 30 dairy company and industry exhibition stands in the Show Hall.

Come and visit our stand and learn about the exciting new things happening at Newton Rigg College.

The new 'Newton Rigg College' (which is how it will now be known) will see investment plans by the York-based college to the tune of £2.4m focusing on the farm, revitalisation of degree and diploma courses particularly in agriculture and countryside management and the establishment of a joint rural research institute.  Both the university and the college have been working together over the last few months to ensure a smooth transition for both staff and students.

Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Liz Beaty said:

"This partnership with Askham Bryan College will not only ensure a sustainable future for further education in the area but also provide us with an opportunity to plan significant investments in new facilities for our higher education provision.  We will maintain access to our long term teaching and research sites at Newton Rigg and look to grow our current strong focus in forestry, conservation and land-use research.

"FE courses continue to generate strong interest from potential students.  The traditional land-based subjects on offer there remain extremely popular and we have some incredibly dedicated and well qualified people who continue to respond to the needs of young people in the area.  Both the university and Askham Bryan College are committed to ensuring the continuation of these courses to the benefit of current and future students, the local community and the region as a whole."

The University of Cumbria, in partnership with the college, will be keeping its degree programmes on the site.  This will continue for the next three years and any subsequent changes will be phased in over time.  All of the university's undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the areas of forestry, conservation, policing, applied science and outdoor studies will continue as these courses have national significance for the university, are highly valued for their research and are seen as having a long term future within the institution.

 Liz Philip, Askham Bryan Principal adds:

"I am delighted that Askham Bryan College has now assumed ownership of Newton Rigg College.  We have been successfully providing education for the farmers and landowners of tomorrow from our York campus for more than six decades and we are committed to ensuring Newton Rigg becomes a centre of agricultural excellence and has a bright future. We are planning significant investment into the site and promise to provide the Cumbrian community with a first class agricultural college. My vision is that together Askham Bryan and Newton Rigg will be a dynamic and innovative force driving agricultural excellence in the north of England.”

Reflecting its courses at York, Askham Bryan plans to run degree and diploma courses for full and part time students ranging across pure agriculture, sustainable land management through to  environmental technology and also equine. In addition there will be courses for apprentices and a rural research institute will be established, run in conjunction with the university. It is also anticipated that there will be a range of general courses, for example child care and sport.

Mrs Whitehead studied for a BTEC in dog grooming at Newton Rigg College, Penrith, passing with a distinction.

“I have always fancied having my own business and now my three children are older, I thought this was the perfect time to do it."

She bought her van from a fellow dog groomer in Kirkbride, who also passed on her customer list.

She offers a complete grooming service, including nail clipping, flea rinses and bathing using a warm hydrobath.

For more information, phone 07546 978847 or email k9couture63@googlemail.com.

For more information on dog grooming courses at Newton Rigg please click here.

The University of Cumbria and Askham Bryan College have now reached final agreement for the transfer of further education courses at the Newton Rigg campus from 31 July 2011.

Discussions have been very productive and now provide an opportunity to move forward to the next stage of the transfer process. Plans by the York based college include a £2.4m investment into the site focussing on the farm,  revitalisation of degree and diploma courses particularly in agriculture and countryside management and the establishment of a joint rural research institute.

Vice Chancellor Professor Graham Upton said:

"Courses at the Newton Rigg campus continue to generate strong interest from potential students.  The traditional land-based subjects on offer there remain extremely popular and we have some incredibly dedicated and well qualified people who continue to respond to the needs of young people in the area and these will be run by Askham Bryan College.  Both the university and Askham Bryan College are committed to ensuring the continuation of these courses to the benefit of current and future students, the local community and the region as a whole.   

We will continue in partnership with the college keeping our degree programmes on the site.  This will continue for the next three years and any subsequent changes will be phased in over time.  All of the university's undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the areas of forestry, conservation, policing, applied science and outdoor studies will continue as these courses have national significance for us, are highly valued for their research and are seen as having a long term future within the institution."

Liz Philip, Askham Bryan Principal adds:

"We have been successfully providing education for the farmers and landowners of tomorrow from our York campus for more than six decades and are very much looking forward to ensuring that Newton Rigg becomes a centre of agricultural excellence. Rumours that we planned to asset strip the site are totally wrong - on the contrary we plan a £2.4m investment into the site and particularly the farm, which we will re-stock with dairy cattle and upgrade with new facilities. Our commitment to providing the Cumbrian community with a first class agricultural college is total. My vision is that together Askham Bryan and Newton Rigg will be a dynamic and innovative force driving agricultural excellence in the north of England.”

Reflecting its courses at York, Askham Bryan plans to run degree and diploma courses for full and part time students ranging across pure agriculture, sustainable land management through to  environmental technology and also equine. In addition there will be courses for apprentices and a rural research institute will be established, run in conjunction with the university. It is also anticipated that there will be a range of general courses, for example child care and sport. The name “Newton Rigg College” will remain unchanged.

Ensuring a smooth transition for staff and students is of paramount importance to both the university and Askham Bryan College.  Transition team arrangements to ensure that the processes are well managed will be put in place as we move into the next stage of the process. The university will now start contractual negotiations with Askham Bryan College with a view to arranging TUPE transfer of staff on 31 July 2011.

The Board of the new Newton Rigg College which has taken over further education courses from the University of Cumbria has met for the first time.

The transfer of the further education courses was finalised on Friday (29 July).

The new Newton Rigg College will see investment plans of £2.4m, focusing on the farm at Sewborwens, revitalisation of degree and diploma courses, particularly in agriculture and countryside management, and the establishment of a joint rural research institute.

The new Board met at Sewborwens on Wednesday to progress plans by setting up advisory groups on a range of issues, including hill farming and forestry. A  Farm Advisory Group, focusing on dairy, has already been established.

Board chairman Alan Bowe said: “This is an important step forward in beginning to reconnect Newton Rigg to Cumbrian agriculture.”

Members of the Newton Rigg College Board are:

• Chairman - Alan Bowe: Alan was a student at Newton Rigg in 1961 and is Chairman of the H&H Group in Carlisle.
• Ian Youdan: Ian is the Chairman of the Askham Bryan College Board. Early in his career, he worked for Edwin Thompson in Keswick as a Land Agent – being replaced by Alan Bowe when he left to work in Lincolnshire. He is former Senior Partner of Brown and Co and a British Horse Racing Authority steward.
• Andrew Humphries: Andrew is a member of both Askham Bryan and Newton Rigg Boards and is former Chair of the Cumbria Upland Management Group and Vice President of ACT (Action With Communities in Cumbria).
• David Black: David is also a member of both Boards and is Managing Director of Paragon Veterinary Group. He is Chair of the Dairy Science Forum.
• Ian Brown: Also a member of both Boards, Ian is Farming Partner of Dodd and Co accountants in Carlisle and represents around 600 farming clients.
• Prof Andy Cobb: Prof Cobb is the former Dean of the School of Agriculture at Harper Adams University College and a Board member of the European Accreditation Agency for Life Sciences.
• Steven Oliver-Watts: Steven is a former full-time Ofsted inspector and currently works for the Prison Service providing training. He was formerly Head of Horticulture at Newton Rigg.
• Liz Philip: Liz is the Principal of Askham Bryan College.

Ofsted's “OUTSTANDING” Accolade

Staff and students at Askham Bryan College are celebrating after an Ofsted inspection just released described its student welfare provision as “outstanding” - the highest accolade possible.

The report notes a number of positive comments from students about the college including: “it's mint” … a “great college” and “makes us and others feel welcome.”

Inspectors visited the York based college in January and the report focuses on the welfare of residential students under 18. They made their judgement against a total of 47 standards, examining a wide range of criteria, including students' social and health care, the standard of accommodation, disciplinary and complaints procedures and student safety.

One of the country’s foremost land-based colleges, Askham Bryan College provides education and training at all levels from introductory courses for school leavers  up to honours degrees. Its main residential campus is at York and the College also operates centres in  Guisborough, Bedale, Harrogate, Scarborough, Thirsk and Wakefield.   It has around 750 full time students with more than 200  who are residential.

Liz Philip, Principal said: “In the previous report, four years ago, we were classified as “good” which is the second highest quality rating so we are delighted to now be marked as “outstanding”. The inspectors have singled out a number of areas for praise but I was particularly delighted to read the comment that we are “very student centred” as that is very much the ethos at Askham Bryan.  We are committed to ensuring our students have the most positive experience possible and their welfare is a crucial part of that. This report is a tribute to the dedication of all our staff.”

The report says students' health is given a high priority and that they are well supported by a number of staff, including the dedicated pastoral team. There are very good arrangements to ensure they receive individual support and staff are said to have an “excellent understanding” of students' individual needs. Inspectors comment that there are a number of staff from whom they can gain support. Staff work hard to level the playing field for disadvantaged students and “go the extra mile”, says the report which also notes that the College has a new student enrichment worker to help provide student activities. There is a strong senior management team who are supported by a governing body to drive improvements, say the inspectors.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu made his first official visit to Askham Bryan College on Tuesday 22 March, and awarded full marks to the Principal and staff.

Dr Sentamu and the Bishop of Selby were shown around the campus by Liz Philip, the Principal, meeting and chatting to students and staff across all the departments. Watching a riding lesson in progress, seeing newly born lambs and milking take place were just some of the activities underway.

In addition, the visitors toured the animal management centre, the engineering and horiticulture departments and called in at Wharfedale House which is home to students with learning  difficulties. The afternoon concluded with a visit to the National Beef Training Centre within the College farm. This is home to a new research project with Wagyu cattle which is renowned for producing the world's most expensive beef.
Dr Sentamu said: “I think the College is impressive in every way - that it takes in students with learning difficulties, those doing degrees and those not doing degrees, and they are all learning together. It is keeping to the task and doing a fantastic job. And it seemed to me to be a very very happy environment. So full marks to the Principal and the staff.”

“It was a super afternoon, the weather couldn't have been kinder and  we were delighted to have the opportunity to highlight how we train and prepare the leaders and workforce of tomorrow, particularly in relation to the countryside and rural life,” said Mrs Philips.