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Aspiring conservation adviser wins Sustainable Environment Young Employee of the Year Award

Posted 3 July

An aspiring conservation adviser who is building a practical career which makes a difference has received a major award at the Royal Norfolk Show.  

Bea White, 21, was presented with the Bishop of Norwich Sustainable Environment Young Employee of the Year Award by the Duke of Edinburgh at the show.  

She received the trophy in recognition of the work she has done while on placement with the Norfolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (Norfolk FWAG) during her BSc (Hons) Environmental Land Management degree at ÎÞÂ붯»­.  

The award was launched by the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment.  

He said: “Bea is such a worthy winner of this award, with her understanding of the importance of making space for nature and caring for the land as part of the vital work of growing food.  

“I am delighted by the opportunities she is giving to new generations of farmers too, to protect our God-given precious environment."  

Prince Edward congratulated Bea on her "outstanding" winning entry, and she said: "We discussed farming and sustainability, and he was very knowledgeable. It was very exciting, and he was absolutely lovely.”  

As part of her prize, she secured £1,000 - as well as a further feather in her cap after a successful industry placement with Norfolk FWAG.  

Talking about her placement, which was part of a Harper Adams Scholarship she was awarded from Norfolk FWAG* which will also see her receive £4,500, Bea said: " I’m very lucky with the team I work with. They are very open and honest and treated me as an equal the moment I arrived.   

“They’ve supported my learning throughout my placement, encouraging me to do as much as possible in my time here.  

“I’ve enjoyed a mixture of both practical and office-based tasks, my favourite tasks have included Breeding Bird Surveys, Woodland management plan surveys, and mapping work using LandApp and QGIS software.   

“I’ve also really enjoyed going on farm visits, sitting with the farmer and planning their future for their land.  

“It’s a privilege to be in that position of trust, and I’ve appreciated having the opportunity to go and contribute to these visits with NFWAG’s advisers.   

“I’ve also been able to set up a youth membership programme and a partnership with the in my time at FWAG and that has been really important to me.  

“I’m appreciative that my managers have supported me in setting these up and letting me do them!”  

Bea, who is originally from Leighton Buzzard, will return to Harper Adams for her final year this September, after which she hopes to become a farm advisor.  

She added: “When I was growing up, I had numerous aspirations, but I always enjoyed being outdoors and knew I wanted to do something which was practical and would make a difference.   

“Once I graduate, I’m hoping that I will get a Farm conservation advisory role.  

“I’ve loved being able to support and advise farmers on different opportunities available to them, and I think it is vitally important that they have that support.   

“I’d be interested to work in different areas of the UK to understand more about different habitats and land management - but I would be very happy to come back to Norfolk FWAG given the chance!”  

_{*Norfolk FWAG will be at the annual Harper Adams Scholarship Fair on October 21 to discuss the Scholarship for 2025.}