Each year the Melplash Agricultural Society offers grants to local students aged 17 years and over who are planning to pursue courses in subjects connected to agriculture.
Students of agriculture, forestry, horticulture or any closely allied topic who live within a 12-mile radius of Melplash could be eligible for a bursary up to £1500 per annum.
The society is delighted to award the 2018 bursary to fourteen local students.
Bursary applications for 2019 are now open. Interviews are carried out in July and awards made in August each year and presented at the Melplash Show. The bursary scheme was established over ten years ago to benefit West Dorset based students who wish to further their education in the field of agriculture, horticultural and related subject areas.
Students who live within a 12-mile radius of the village of Melplash can apply for funding to help achieve their educational goals. Successful applicants will receive up to £1,500 per annum to help with their studies.
In 2018 the society continued to support the following students:
David Persey – studying a BSc degree in Agriculture at Newcastle University; Sam Norman – Studying a BSc degree in Agriculture at Harper Adams University; Lexie Jefford – studying for an Advanced Technical Certificate in Animal Management at Kingston Maurward; Isobel Farquarson – studying a FdSc in Agriculture at Aberystwyth University; George Layton – studying on the FdSc Countryside Management Degree at Harper Adams University; Lindsey Johnson – studying for a BSc in Agriculture with Farm Business Management at Harper Adams University.
The following new candidates received awards: Jade Mowlem – Going to Veterinary Medicine at University of Surrey; Sophie Northover – Going to Bridgwater and Taunton College to study FdSc in Agricultural Management; George Larcombe – Going to Sparsholt College to study Level 3 Game Keeping; Luke Johnson – Going to Nottingham Vet School to study Veterinary Medicine and Science; Jennifer Johnson – studying Level 3 extended diploma in Agriculture at Kingston Maurward; Jake Pagett – Studying Level 2 in Mechanical Engineering at Kingston Maurward; Haydon Sollis – studying Level 3 extended diploma in Agricultural Engineering at Sparsholt College; Henry Chaffey – Completing final year of apprenticeship on local farm; Catherine Carter – Level 3 Environmental conservation course based at Durleston Country Park as Apprentice Ranger.
George Rendell, a director of the Melplash Agricultural Society, said: “The Society sees encouraging youngsters into agriculture as a major responsibility. The bursaries are offered as an incentive and to add a little impetus to students who might otherwise not elect to follow a path into this very competitive and financially challenging world.
“We hope to help them go on to lead fulfilling careers and ultimately contribute to the local economy”.
To apply for the bursary award you can download the application form below or call the society office on 01308 423337. The closing date for applicants is 1 July 2019.
Financial support will be extended throughout the successful student’s course, provided that he/she receives a satisfactory annual report from his/her college or university. Those eligible to apply must live within a 12 mile radius of Melplash. Please click here to download an application form. Completed forms should be returned to the Society Offices at 23 South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NT.
Those candidates shortlisted will then be required to provide scholastic and personal references and will be interviewed in early summer so that finance can be in place for the next academic year. The successful candidate is presented with the bursary award at the annual Melplash Show.
Financial support is also available from Dorset Community Foundation. Dorset Community Foundation, through its Education Fund, supports Dorset residents between the ages of 16-25 through bursaries of up to £1,000.
The applicants must be in looking to start or continue their education, apprenticeship and/or training. They will also need to fulfil certain eligibility criteria. Students must apply directly to the student finance department at the college or through their apprenticeship provider. For more details please visit www.dorsetcommunityfoundation.org
