THIS July, as things stand, Newton Rigg College will close its doors for the last time, bringing an end to 125 years of learning. Generations of farmers have cut their agricultural teeth on what has been described as the ‘Pride of Cumbria’. The county is the second largest producer of both red meat and milk in the country. It’s flagship seat of learning could soon disappear. The success of former students in farming and other business cannot be measured, but what can is the anger and sadness within the agricultural community over the decision, by its owner and education chiefs, to close the Penrith college for good.
Newton Rigg campus. THE closure of Cumbria s only agricultural college has been condemned by trade union leaders as an act of educational vandalism . A motion condemning the sell-off of Newton Rigg College at Penrith was passed at last weekend’s Northern TUC Conference, moved and seconded by Penrith and the Border Labour Party members Iain Owens and Karen Lockney. The conference condemned the decision of owners, Askham Bryan College, York, supported by the FE Commissioner and the Department for Education to close the college. It was resolved that the TUC Northern Executive would write to the governors of Askham Bryan, the Secretary of State for Education and the FE Commissioner condemning the ‘act of educational vandalism’, and to seek support from the shadow Secretaries of State for Education, and Food and Rural Affairs for opposition to the closure.
Praise: Jess Rogerson, SD chair CUMBRIAN young farmers have been praised for their resilience and hard work during the Covid pandemic. Lockdown restrictions forced young farmers clubs to deliver their 2020 programme of activity digitally, streaming live stockjudging and public speaking competitions, as well as hosting weekly virtual meetings to maintain member engagement. One virtual competition the ‘Toilet Roll Challenge’ captured the imagination on the internet with 335,042 viewings of the video that went global. The 39th Southern District’s AGM, which saw a departure from its usual format and was hosted via Zoom, heard how the district’s clubs had raised a total of £17,106 for charities and good causes. One cause close to the hearts of the young farmers saw the SD turn out in force to campaign against the closure of Newton Rigg College at Penrith, with a tractor run taking place in September. Over 80 tractors took part from all over the county with young farm
Zooming in: Students from Newton Rigg College, Penrith. MANAGING water and air quality on the farm is an essential skill for the next generation of farmers, and a subject close to Eden Rivers Trust’s heart. To bring the subject to life for agricultural students, the Trust has been involved with the organisation of The Great Farm Challenge over the past few years. With a mix of talks from government agencies and utility provider, United Utilities (UU), demos and a farm visit, the challenge’s aim was to increase awareness of best practice with students from Newton Rigg College at Penrith.
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image captionNewton Rigg College was established in 1896
A group set up to keep a renowned agricultural college open is calling on the government to stop its sale.
Newton Rigg College in Penrith, Cumbria, was deemed financially unviable and earmarked for closure.
A review by the Further Education Commissioner concluded none of the bids received by owner Askham Bryan College to take over the site was suitable.
But campaign group Newton Rigg Ltd said it was in fast-paced discussions with another major college .
Chairman Andrew Cobb said there was a genuine opportunity to save the college and that the group had asked the commissioner to prevent any sale while discussions continued.