Youngsters of any age are being invited to apply for up to £1,500 to help them in land-based studies.

Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show has set aside funds to encourage ‘countryside professionals of tomorrow’. Students looking to pursue a career in agriculture, horticulture and other countryside or land-based studies at college or university can now apply to the show’s new student support fund.

The aim of the fund is to support young people aiming to make their living from the land. Grants can be awarded for course fees, books, equipment or transportation costs. With the show being on the border of three counties, the scheme is open to all students who are residents in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Matthew Price, President of the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Society, said: “The past year has been a very strange year and in such difficult times for our students, we feel strongly that it is more important than ever to help the very best in the field enter into key industries that not only feed the country, but also make up a huge part of the countryside economy.”

An appeal for donations in the autumn proved successful with the appropriate funds raised to confidently support the first students of the fund. During this appeal for donations, Immediate Past Society President Anthony Wilkinson, Julie Hillier and Robe Gale completed a 900-mile bike ride from Lands’ End to John O Groats that raised a great sum of money for the fund. The fund aims to encourage more people into the diverse range of countryside roles and facilitate young talent entering the agriculture sector and other countryside related industries.

Mr Price added: “We are delighted to be able to support the next up and coming talent within the agriculture or countryside industries. The show’s background makes it fitting to give back into an industry that is so important by assisting a young person in training to enter into their desired field within the agriculture or land-based sector.”

The Student Support Fund Applications are now open for anyone entering into college, university or apprenticeship course of any age. Visit the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show website to apply for up to £1,500 per year.

The Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show returns this summer on Wednesday and Thursday, August 18 and 19, over two days to ensure its safe return.

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