A land-based training provider in Cumbria is set to deliver a new range of courses from September following the controversial closure of Newton Rigg College.
Community organisation Newton Rigg Ltd vowed earlier this year to rebuild land-based education and training in the county.
It has now launched ‘NR Training' - a new land-based training provider set to deliver a agricultural and horticultural courses from September this year.
Pivotal to the launch is a collaboration with Lowther Estate that will see the NR Training School of Horticulture begin running courses in the surroundings of the estate.
A new course in Advanced Dairy Management is also now accepting applications as the first of numerous courses planned as part of NR Training’s Rural Business School vision.
Alongside their campaign to preserve use of Newton Rigg’s campus for education, Newton Rigg Ltd says the move is the 'first step towards a bright and sustainable future' for land-based education in Cumbria.
Dr Jane Sullivan, who was the director of Newton Rigg College, has played a key role in NR Training’s development along with Newton Rigg Ltd Director Andrew Counsell.
She said: “The NR Training initiative has been in development for some time and we are now delighted to offer our first courses starting this September in Horticulture and Advanced Dairy Management."
The team behind the NR Training School of Horticulture already have an established record of delivering courses leading to employment in the industry.
The team, led by Shelagh Todd, formery Head of Horticulture, Forestry and Floristry at Newton Rigg Campus, will utilise the gardens at Lowther to teach their students skills in practical horticulture and garden design.
NR Training is a trading name of Newton Rigg Ltd, a local organisation formed to protect the future of specialist land-based education in Cumbria.
