YFCU president secures Land Rover award

For the fourth year running, Land Rover has teamed up with The Prince’s Countryside Fund to award five entrepreneurial young people with 12 month’s loan of a Land Rover Discovery, to help them develop their rural careers.

The winners, selected for their stand-out business plans, passion and dedication to making a difference in their local community, also included Falmouth-based, Jenny Dunstan, founder of Jenny’s Beef Ltd; Lucy and Chris Williams, who are setting up a Scottish tea company, Tulloch Tea; organic dairy farmer Claire Howlett, from Bromyard who with her brother has just taken over the running of their family business, Wicton Farm; and Lindale-based David Corrie-Close who, with his wife Bekka, has recently established the Horned Beef Company.

At a special event at Loseley Park in Surrey, the winners were each awarded their Discovery Sport, regarded as the world’s most versatile compact SUV with a wading depth of 600mm, a towing capability of 2.2 tonnes and special features such as Terrain Response, making it capable whatever the weather or terrain. They also received off-road and towing training from Land Rover Experience to prepare them for all terrains and weather conditions, in addition to teaching them about the range of sophisticated off-road and towing technologies featured in the vehicle.

Claire Howlett, said: “I am delighted to have been chosen as one of the recipients for The Prince’s Countryside Fund Land Rover bursary this year. Farming can be a very isolating industry to work in so I feel it’s vital to have a capable and reliable vehicle. It will provide flexibility, independence and confidence not only to easily gain access to remote parts of the farm with challenging terrain but also to attend events further afield, increasing the ability to network and gain new skills.”

Scott Dicken, Marketing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK, said: “We are pleased to be able to once again support five more young farmers through our bursary with The Prince’s Countryside Fund. Since 2013 this scheme, in addition to contributing to the Fund’s grant giving programme, has enabled us to show our support for such a crucial part of the UK economy.

“These young people are great advocates of the farming industry and their passion and dedication is a pleasure to see. Their entrepreneurial spirit is also showing the diverse options within farming and just how exciting and multi-dimensional a career in agriculture can be.”

Claire Saunders, director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, added: “Over the past few years we’ve seen what a difference access to a reliable and capable vehicle can make and we’re delighted to be able to once again work in partnership with Land Rover UK to support five ambitious young people who are making not only huge strides in their respective careers, but also a major difference in their rural communities. The Fund is looking forward to following the journey of these exceptional young people over the next 12 months.”