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PRINCESS ROYAL AT HARPER ADAMS Attends presentation on precision agricultural engineering
A new student residence at Harper Adams University College received the Royal seal of approval, when it was officially opened by the HRH Princess Royal last Tuesday (29 October)
The £1.6 million hall, which was named after the Princess, with the consent of the HM The Queen, is now home to 55 students, some of whom met Her Royal Highness this afternoon.
Chairman of the Harper Adams University College Board of Governors, Roger Mercer, addressed the Princess and invited guests in a marquee erected alongside The Princess Royal Hall for the occasion. He said: “It gives me great pleasure to formally welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Harper Adams this afternoon. As many of you may know, Her Royal Highness has undertaken the role of Honorary Fellow here at the University College for a number of years"
Speaking briefly after officially opening The Princess Royal Hall, Her Royal Highness praised the expansion of the campus, saying: “I expect a lot of people think that colleges like this don’t change very much. They should come here more often because it changes all the time. You’ve got to keep up!”
Harper Adams Principal Dr David Llewellyn said: “It was particularly good that a number of our students were able to meet the Princess and discuss their plans to work in the agri-food sector, where the skills they are developing at the University College will play a vital role in securing our future food supplies.”
Before unveiling the plaque to officially open and name the residence, the Princess spent an hour touring the campus to learn about developments since her last visit in December 2009. Her first stop was the first National Centre for Precision Farming seminar. There the Princess enjoyed a presentation by Professor Simon Blackmore, Director of the NCPF, on the importance of Engineering, Robotics and ‘Smart’ Systems in Precision Farming”.
A new engineering building, which will be home to the NCPF, is due to open in autumn 2013, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Harper Adams, Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and two major philanthropic donations from the Douglas Bomford Trust and the Eric Lea’s Charitable Trust, together with a range of donations made by individual supporters to deliver a new engineering building at Harper Adams
HRH then saw agricultural engineering in practice when she toured the Soil Hall, the University College’s “indoor field”, where aspects of the environment can be managed to provide controlled test conditions for agricultural and off-road vehicles and equipment. A range of projects was on display, demonstrating the type of work undertaken by students and the range of employers with which they work.
The 2013 Event Planner in a new, larger size, will once again contain dates of all the national and international industry shows and events. Published with the December issue of Turf Pro/Service Dealer TO ADVERTISE GEORGE MILLER E-mail or 020 3603 7936
